Originally Posted by
city_cowboy
There's a thread about the Nashbar 105 Carbon Road bike which has led to a second, detailed thread, so I thought I'd create a new thread here.
The question is how entry level tektro's (tektro 312's) compare to a step up shimano caliper, tiagra.
I can't vouch for shimano tiagra brakes, but I was not impressed by the tektro 312's I tried (on a Giant Contend). For what it's worth, tiagra's received a 4.6 star rating vs. a 2 star rating on chainreaction. Seems like a nice upgrade for a fair price ($60).
A few thoughts either not yet mentioned or reworded…
- You want to know how an entry level product compares to a higher quality product. Well, as it should, the higher level product will be ‘better’. Either in weight, ease of use, reliability, wear…or perhaps all 4.
- There are a few calipers that would be viewed as ‘under’ Tiagra. There is Claris, a non-series, and Sora. So you are comparing an entry level Tektro caliper to a Shimano caliper that’s 4 up on their product line. Just mentioning this for clarification since it really just needs to revert back to my first point- obviously its meant to be better in one or more ways.
- Depending on use I view Tektro and TRP(tektro brand) as being better than Shimano, specifically long reach. Ive used models from all 3 brands and the TRPs feel best, but the Tektro are less wiggly than Shimano’s offering.
- I have come to the conclusion that my standards are low when it comes to cycling. I am the opposite of the princess and the pea. I am 230#, yet stop confidently with Shimano 600 brake calipers that are 30 years old. I squeeze the lever, the cable makes the caliper close, and I stop. Its really quite simple. 30 year old brakes that are single pivot and I don’t find them lacking in stiffness or modulation or whatever else makes a brake good. I could change them at any time to whatever caliper I want, but just havent found the want much less the need.
So take all the above comments with a grain of salt, knowing that I think 30 year old brakes are great.
Ooh- I rode a bike with Promax calipers for about 100mi this year and didn’t think twice about them either. No idea the model, or if Promax even has models above ‘generic caliper’, but they were just fine. I didn’t struggle to stop, I didn’t struggle to engage the calipers, etc etc. I bet they werent light though and the finish wasn’t as nice as higher quality brakes for sure.