Brakes

After some years in the wilderness, Miche are back with a bang and the Primato dual-pivot brake callipers combine inspiring design, superb performance with a price tag and build quality set to delight enthusiasts and worry the competition.

Miche enjoy a just reputation for high quality track produce and while their dual pivot Performance brakeset is competing at the lower end of the market, there’s nothing bargain basement about their build quality or performance. Sure you wouldn’t pop them on a Stork or Cervelo but with upgraded pads they’re great budget stoppers-especially for club mounts and/or road fixers.

TRP stands for Tektro Racing Products and is basically the firm’s elite component range. I'd definitely recommend the 920s for those seeking topflight performance on a mid price budget. The lack of increments on the quick release might annoy puncture prone racers who regularly perform roadside wheel swaps, but other than that it's all good news.

Acor’s long reach dual pivot stoppers are a good choice for those seeking inexpensive but dependable braking on winter trainers, fixers or commu-tourers. They won’t spoil the classic lines of an older bike built for 27" wheels but running modern 700c hoops either.

The dual pivot callipers have a modified arch which, Shimano say, gives you a more linear response. Possibly – although you’d have to run them alongside the old model and concentrate really hard to notice much difference there. More significant is the brake block compound that provides significantly stronger power in both wet and dry conditions with a single trigger finger, giving you the confidence to ride faster into bends and brake later.