Looking to get a brake, possibly 2 for my steamroller. I searched & found some stuff but wanted to ask as well. Most of the opinions & such that I found were older. What are you guys liking & disliking & why? Those 2 different Tektro brakes seem pretty nice.

john

I am a fan of Shimano 105s, I use them on my 12-sp road bike. Running fixed, relying largely on back pressure, a Tektro seems fine (I have one on my Kilo), but if you're going freewheel, I think Shimano 105 or better is ideal.

EDIT: my only Tektro experience is with their lower end models, the ones you mentioned might be great.

Thanks, I'll look em up.
-john

Now I'm thinking Shimano 105 vs. Tektro. What say you??

Best,
-john

It may come down to a model-by-model comparison. Shimano has several tiers of products, and for brakes, I'd think you'd wanna go 105 or better. I am not as familiar with the Tektro line, there may be some higher-end ones that are great.

Well I'm running a Tektro R530, which is not their cheapest stuff, but on the lower end I guess. Works just fine to me, although I never use it anyways.

I don't really understand what the hoopla is about, a dual pivot brake is a dual pivot brake. The biggest difference among different manufacturers and tiers is weight and style. Tektro brakes look cheap, but they work as well as anything else out there as long as you put on decent break pads.

Tektro brakes are fine if you don't mind a slightly "mushy" feeling lever and having to replace the pads, if you want a more defined feeling when you pull the lever you'd want to go 105 or better.

Just about any older Shimano lever should be fine.
I have RX100's on my road bike, feel the same as 105's to me :/ I'm pretty sure they are the same to be honest...

I've got Tektro R200 levers with R538 (I think) dual pivot calipers on my SS and am extremely pleased with the performance. The pads won't have a long life, but are easy to replace with something better.

Of course 105 stuff is great, but it's much more expensive.

Make sure you get a long reach brake for the front of your Steamroller. Not sure about the rear. Tektro brakes are fine. I honestly can't tell the difference between Shimano Ultegra and Tektro. (Except for the price)