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Fresh: Formula R.O.

Formula claims its clever new R.O. brakes offer the power of a four-piston caliper in a stiffer, more compact two-piston package. The secret lies behind the O in the R.O.’s name—a special oval-shaped caliper piston. Formula says these brakes are 15 percent more powerful than their venerable The One model, and they reportedly tip the scales at just 337 grams.

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First Impressions: 2012 Shimano Deore XT

06.23.2011 // 3 Comments

By: Kevin Rouse Last week the folks at Shimano took the time to herd a group of journalists around Lake Tahoe and let us get our hands on the 2012 Deore XT M780 groupset for the first time. While first impressions aren’t everything, we can definitely say we were quite pleased. In fact, nearly all [...]

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Test of Time

01.12.2011 // 0 Comments

Shimano’s original Saint offering was amazing at the time, and remains so all these years later. We felt it necessary to give the old boys some props, so here’s a piece paying homage to one of the best bike parts ever. Check out the full article and discuss it at Ridemonkey.com.

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Tested: Hayes Stroker Trail

07.24.2008 // 0 Comments

Hayes Stroker Trail // $180 per wheel 888-686-3472; hayesbicycle.com Almost as soon as it celebrated the tenth anniversary of the venerable Hayes Mag disc brake, the company went and shut down production. In fact, following on the lackluster El Camino platform, Hayes shut down all production and started fresh with three models of the new [...]

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Tested: Magura Louise BAT

07.15.2008 // 0 Comments

MAGURA LOUISE BAT $161 per wheel 618-395-2200; MAGURAUSA.COM Now in their 14th year, Magura’s Louise brakes benefit from some significant improvements for 2008. First, the brakes now feature a hinged-back clamp, which makes for easy-on/easy-off action and allows the lever to be mounted on either side of a SRAM or Shimano shifter. I ran mine [...]

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Tested: Hope Moto V2 Disc Brakes

01.31.2008 // 0 Comments

WHAT: Hope Moto V2 disc brakes WHERE: 936-582-2411; hopetechusa.com HOW MUCH: $325/Wheel Brakes are undoubtedly the most visceral point of interaction on the bicycle. Right there, in the finger, their performance and reliability is a crucial element of a good ride. More often than not, unfortunately, we notice our brakes. They’re pumping up, squealing, jacking, [...]

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Avid Mechanical Disc Brake Review – Stronger than Dirt

08.29.2005 // 3 Comments

WHAT: Avid BB7 Mechanical Disc Brakes WHERE: www.sram.com/en/avid HOW MUCH: $120 (suggested retail price per wheel) I distinctly remember testing the first generation of cable-actuated disc brakes—back in 1998. We had a set that came spec’d aboard a Giant full suspension bike we were testing at BIKE and, man, they were nothing short of terrifying. [...]

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A Contender to the Avid Throne?

08.17.2005 // 0 Comments

WHAT: IRD Dual Banger Mechanical Discs WHERE: www.interlocracing.com HOW MUCH: $99.99 per wheel (includes cable housing) Most mechanical disc brakes operate in the following fashion—pulling brake cable causes a piston to push the outboard brake pad against the rotor. The rotor then bends and rubs against the stationary inboard pad, which bring your bike to [...]

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Powerful, Adjustable…The El Camino Lives Up to its Hype

07.01.2005 // 0 Comments

WHAT: Hayes El Camino WHERE: www.hayesbrake.com HOW MUCH? $250 per wheel Can’t decide whether to go with more power or better modulation in your next set of disc brakes? Hayes might make your decision a little easier with the new El Camino. The brake levers feature dials that can modulate power on the fly, even [...]

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Hayes in a Carbon Flavor

05.11.2005 // 0 Comments

WHAT: Hayes HFX Mag Plus HOW MUCH: $250 per wheel WHERE: www.hayesdiscbrake.com There are a few disc brakes on the market right now that everyone is talking about and the HFX Mag Plus is not one of them. This is unfortunate, but I suppose, also a bit understandable, as the HFX Mag Plus does not [...]

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