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Reviews (27)
Apr 30, 2019
Best Road Bike Calipers in the Business!!
I am a "Campagnolo" man, through and through--all my mechanicals on all the bikes that I have ever built (more than 20, all high end carbon frame road bikes) have always been Campagnolo--EXCEPT for the brake calipers. In this area, Shimano far surpasses Campagnolo. Their 6800 series Ultegra are excellent, and these are even better, though a couple of grams heavier. They are solid, responsive and smooth, They are reinforced a bit more than the earlier versions, thus the extra grams, but this has resulted in an even firmer, solid compression. For my best bikes, I use these with Swisstop BXP pads on aluminum rims (usually Eurus), and the stop is absolutely perfect. This combination also works great on somewhat abused rims, allowing for smooth stopping even if the rims have an abrasion or two--reduces wobble and modulation on less than true wheels as well. No need to go Dura-Ace, more money, possibly a tad lighter, but certainly not any noticeable difference in stopping power, and of course no need to consider ANY of the Campagnolo calipers--all, even the Record/Super Record series, are noticeably inferior..
Jun 05, 2020
AVOID these at all cost! They will be hard to install, and make your turning much more difficult.
0 of 1 found this helpful If I can save one person from wasting their money on the Yokozuna kit, then this review will have served its purpose. Why did I give a poor rating? First, ONLY the brake cables have the sturdy ribbed outer housings, while the shift housings are just like any other housings such as Jagwire and the like. Second, the sturdy ribbed brake housings are much thicker than usual, so need special end pieces that are larger than usual, some of which won't fit into your bikes cable holders/routers. Third because the brake housings are so thick and sturdy, they have very little flex--which means they resist normal motion when you want to turn the handlebars from one side to the other--they want you to simply point straight. Fourth, if you cut them, the brake housings quickly unravel at the point of the cut--they are very difficult to shorten correctly, and here isn't enough extra to allow for making too many (any) mistakes. Fifth, they are nearly twice the price, if not more, of similar kits, without the problems. Why are the brake housings so stiff? The theory is that the stiffer the housing, the more direct the braking action will be--no lost pressure due to soft wires compressing as you pull on the brake handles hard. However, virtually all companies have been aware of this problem, and virtually all good housings will resist this equally well, WITHOUT the resistance against turning, and without having abnormally large cables on your bike. I bought three sets after reading a rave online review--they still are in my spare parts box (only the brake housings remain, the rest of the pieces are just like any other brand)--I mounted them in the beginning, and couldn't believe the resistance to turning they presented--not worth a dime.
Nov 19, 2020
They brake hard, but impede smooth steering--and that's just the brakes--the shift set up is garden variety generic--avoid!!
Do you like STIFF? Do you like to ride in a straight line, never turning to one side or another? Do you like to pay huge bucks for a "set" that includes one set of proprietary STIFF brake housings, and one set of everyday shift housings? Then these are for you!! I ordered three sets of these after reading a few positive reviews by folks who obviously had not spent much time actually using them--and my first disappointment was that the cable housings were different for brakes and shifts--in looks, color and stiffness. Only the brake housing has the ribbed stiff outer case--the shift housings are quite pedestrian. OK, so how are they setting up? Quite difficult, as the brake housing is larger than usual and if cut, unravels quite easily--but let's say you get past all that successfully--how do they perform? The good news is yes, there is direct transfer from brake lever to brakes pads--the stiffness does have its merits, of course. The problem is, the cables are so stiff that the rear cable set up makes turning the front wheel quite restricted--the bike simply wants to go straight ahead. The resistance is most noticeable when turning to left, where the cable doesn't want you to go--to the right is a bit better, but no where near the seamless smooth turn that you would want on a road bike, and, as I said, the shift housing is just a garden variety basic "compressionless" housing that is no different than even the cheapest generic offerings. Not worth the set up hassle, the money, or the risk to riding safety--go to top-of-the-line Shimano for the best, then Sram, then Jagwire, then anything else.