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trp r960 calipers
i am just as guilty of looking ahead to the months to come before i've even taken stock of the days that are happening right in front of my eyes. but come spring-time (yes, that far ahead) the thousands of sheep that frequent the island's pastures produce happy little gambolling offspring. and it is a fact of agricultural and rural life, that sheep are the most predictably unpredictable animals in the universe. a farmer once told me that sheep were born with a death-wish, and i have seen nothing in the years since that would prove that statement wrong. not being of a farming background myself, i have done no serious research into the average number of offspring that each ewe produces, but a quick poll amongst the vc d'ardbeg peloton generally reckons on two. and that's what provides the perennial dilemma.
if mother and one lamb are on one side of the road, while number two son/daughter grazes or gambols on the other side, it's a dead certainty that one party, startled by approaching carbon and lycra, is going to cross to the other. if i'm on a really unlucky day, both will make inroads to the white line in the centre and decision time becomes panic time. panic time, and to a lesser extent, decision time, means handfuls of braking power and one or two swerves along the way. good brakes make it a lot easier to return home with that sportwool in the pristine condition it left. and currently affixed to a very nice colnago cx-1 (review before christmas) are a pair of red, cnc machined and forged trp aluminium alloy calipers.
much as it probably goes against my self-made image as a connoisseur of all things bicycle and with an extensive knowledge of same (indeed, who am i kidding?), i have always been of the opinion that a set of brakes is a set of brakes, is a set of brakes. just goes to show how wrong it is possible to be. even more surprising is the background of the manufacturer of same: trp is an acronym for tektro racing products, and up until now, i have spent much of my cycle repair career replacing duff cantilever brakes with cheap, but very efficient tektro substitutes. to then find out that tektro have both ends of the market covered came as somewhat of a surprise.
the r960 calipers are anything but cheap, in every sense of the word. they are beautifully machined from 6061 aluminium with titanium hardware, and in keeping with their mass market accomplices are of the dual pivot persuasion, with a well placed titanium bolt to adjust the centreing. even the brake pad holders have small bolts fitted to the trailing end allowing adjustment of the pad angle. however, after removing the campag record calipers that arrived on the colnago, i cabled and fitted the 960s, and without any further adjustment at all, the brakes worked perfectly straight out the box. there is a quick release mechanism built in, unfortunately made from black plastic, but if you're a fan of vicenza, you'll be happier using the quick release mechanism built into the ergopower levers.
doubtless much of the stopping credit must go to the swissstop pads in very stylish and functional pad holders - in freezing rain, gritty roads and on what are new fsa rims, there was never even the hint of a squeal. but let's face it, if you bought a set of bog standard brakes you'd expect the same (though whether you'd get it is another matter), so why pay a king's ransom to do likewise. as with everything that weighs less and costs a lot more, one must always accept the law of diminishing returns. it's a bit like a ten watt amplifier - if you want it to sound twice as loud you have to square the output (100 watts): for seemingly infinitesimal improvements in performance, looks and feel, the numbers after the pound/dollar sign tend to get a lot larger.
like a decent pair of merino socks, the finest recommendation that can be levelled in the direction of these brakes is that they were almost unnoticeable in operation. i say almost because completely would be a total lie. the smoothness by which these calipers slowed or stopped the colnago, was quite remarkable - total control at all times in all conditions. no locked wheels at all. fortunately, by way of comparison, i had covered a number of kilometres with the original campag calipers in place, so there was something to compare with. and while it's not noticeable at all, at least directly, the trp r960s weigh less than the campag record skeleton calipers. these are very, very good brakes, achieved with no shouting or kerfuffle. they were very easy to fit, and on a red and white bicycle (i tested the red anodised version - also available in black) colour co-ordination was peachy keen.
if you're a weight weeny, style guru or just plain want a pair of brakes that gives you as much smooth control as you can handle, these are them. i'm kind of wondering how i've managed without them till now.
trp r960 calipers are available in red or black anodised finish, weigh a scant 120 grams per wheel and cost £269 ($417). distributed in the uk by upgrade bikes, to which many thanks for the test pair. you can check their site for a list of dealers
trpbrakes.com | upgradebikes.co.uk
posted on wednesday 17 december 2008
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