Modern brake choices?
 

What are your favorite modern brakes?

I'm looking for something in a recessed dual pivot for a '91 era lugged steel frame.
I have an extra Suntour GPX brakeset, but the GPX's bluish-gray might not look so good with the frame's bright red paint.

I have RX100 dual pivots on my Bianchi. Very shiny and velobase says they are lighter than the DA dual pivots of the day!

If you're looking for recessed dual pivots that were kinda current in '91, the original Dura-Ace dual pivots are my faves. BR-7401? Kinda chunky compared to later versions, but very smooth and solid, and the shiny arms appear cold-forged. Being more than 20yrs old at this point, though, I wouldn't call them "modern," they fall into "vintage" for me. Do we have a working definition of "vintage" vs "modern" here?

I've got a 7403 DA set if you were interested. If you were going on a budget, you can't go wrong with Tektros.

On a red bike, the new FSA Gossamers on sale at nashbar may be a value....They're grey with red accents.

I believe the 7400 series calipers were single pivot, at least mine were, and the 7700 are dual pivot.
However, they could have changed during the 7400 years, since the 6400's did, too, from single to dual pivot.

For value, the dual-pivot polished 105 9-sp series and Ultegra 9-sp series can be had fairly reasonably.
For about the same price, the Tektros and the FSA's are out there, too, new.

On a red bike, the new FSA Gossamers on sale at nashbar may be a value....They're grey with red accents.

I believe the 7400 series calipers were single pivot, at least mine were, and the 7700 are dual pivot.
However, they could have changed during the 7400 years, since the 6400's did, too, from single to dual pivot.

For value, the dual-pivot polished 105 9-sp series and Ultegra 9-sp series can be had fairly reasonably.
For about the same price, the Tektros and the FSA's are out there, too, new.

I like GPX's...light, pretty, hidden-spring, but yep, a little off on the color.
If they'd have done the entire group in that color, I think they'd have sold a lot more.

What's around here ..

2 Hub: Avid BB7 discs and the speed-dial levers. .. UK Sturmey Archer Drum brakes .

Loaded tour:Magura HS33 hydraulic rim brakes.
Scott-Pedersen SE cantilevers.
Beauty of functionality, not 'pretty' per se, but work very well.

Mafac, cantilevers (got new 30 years ago) hard to make better..

Modolo cross, ..
and then Spooky, Cross Cantilevers ..
Like making Mafacs out of Carbon fiber sheet]

and Campag Classic single pivot side pulls ,

the Brompton's Dual pivot bottom side-pulls work fine too..

Looks like BR-7401/7402 were single-pivot, BR-7403 was the first dual-pivot, introduced with 8spd STI. BR-7700 were a newer design, introduced w/9spd STI.

The GPX calipers were nifty, the first high-end brakes that came from Taiwan (Polygon). Maybe they were originally supposed to come from Yoshigai/Japan, might have all been marked Made in Japan, but I was told they came from Polygon/Taiwan, "don't tell anybody..."

I don't think a change in finish would have sold more, at least on the OE side. Anything that wasn't Shimano wasn't selling well, so a nicer, more-uniform finish wouldn't have helped much. SunTour was spec'd on models you didn't intend to sell lots of, mainly to prevent Shimano from thinking they had a monopoly.

Tektro. Tektro, Tektro, Tektro.

...and...Tektro

Exactly. I had some Cannondale rebranded Tektros that were pull offs at a LBS for twenty bucks. They were work and are cheap plus look pretty decent also. I can easily do endo's with the stock pads. I still have them and their going on my Schwinn Circuit being built up. I just used some acetone and removed where it said Cannondale but still have a nice polished look to them. Even brand new they can be found pretty cheap.

+1. I've stopped spending money on more expensive brakes. There just is no reason to do it.

Thanks to all for the responses.

+3 On the Tektro replacement brakes the works good are readily available at online or at most LBS's and they relatively cheap $20-$30.

+4 on Tektro. They are awesome.

I find my tektro dual pivots to be incredibly spongy. On my Gazelle, I currently have a Tektro dual pivot up front and a 1st gen Dura-Ace single on the rear (I've been too lazy to change out the rear.). The difference in feel is insane. There is nothing at all solid feeling about the tektro.

Pads and properly finished cable housing maybe? There is a majority of people who use tektros and say they are just as good any big name dual pivot and I tend to agree.

I like the 7700/7800 DA, and the Pauls.

I know people on both sides of the tekro fence.
Some love them, some think they are just ok.

I also like Campy's line of dual pivot brakes, but they don't have the release on the side, you have to have a release on the brake lever.

Everything about them is fine. Brand new pads, cables are in new housing. I have no other dual pivots to compare them to, all my other brakes are hydraulic disc and single pivots. But compared to the single pivots, it's like squeezing a damp sponge.

You've done something wrong. Which model caliper? What levers are you using? Have a pic?

They're the nutted ones I bought from you. Levers are Campy Record 10. They travel fine until they hit, then everything just gets soft whereas with single pivots, I get a nice firm feeling that says if I pull more, I'll get more stopping power. I can see the brake arms flexing against the rim as I pull more with the dual pivot. Maybe I am getting just as much stopping power; it just doesn't feel like I am.

That's odd and I don't believe I could really diagnose it without physically seeing the setup.

I really like the looks of the Campy stuff with the skeletonized arms. I like the SRAM price better.

I concur with the Colonel, something is wrong. I've had several pair of Tektros and they were all great. You'll figure it out eventually!