Shimano Dura-Ace or Zero Gravity Brakes?
Larry Norpoth has Shimano Dura-Ace brakes fitted to his Cervelo; he has seen some Zero Gravity brakes and wants our advice on whether he should spend a lot of money on them. Is it worth it? Is his question
Question: I am considering to replace my Dura Ace st 7800 brake calipers with the latest zero gravity brake calipers and have read both positive and negative reviews. I am a very competitive cyclist and do not want to sacrifice braking power, efficiency, nor encounter vibrational squeaking in order to reduce weight. My DAs work well with both aluminum ksyrium es wheels and my zipp 303 full carbon tubular wheel sets. What do you recommend. I have the Cervelo R3 with Dura Ace components and a FSA k-force mega exo crankset. My weight is 165 pounds, height 5 foot 9 inches.
 Zero Gravity |
Hi Larry,
Your bike sound very good, I’m jealous! The Cervelo is a fine bit of kit and you have chosen well with the Zipp wheels and the FSA crank set, very nice indeed. The Zero Gravity breaks are very light and they do work, but if you are racing you need dependability, I’m not saying that the Zero Gravity brakes are not dependable, but how many Pro teams do you see using them?
There is no point in having a light bike if you are not able to finish the race due to a breakage. Dura-Ace are the best brakes that Shimano make why go for a few saved ounces and maybe lose the braking performance that you are so happy with. The Zero brakes are very expensive and beautifully made, but is it worth it?
 Dura-Ace |
I think what I am trying to say is stick with what you know and are happy with; it’s hard to beat the Shimano Dura-Ace brake set. As Sean Kelly once said “your brakes only slow you down!” So there you have it, save your money on the brakes and spend it on coaching or a training plan, fitness and training is worth much more than a few ounces saved. Your fitness and mental approach will overcome any extra weight on your bike and your bike must be close to the minimum weight as it is, a little bit less will not make much difference to your performance, but changing to new equipment could make a bad difference to your riding and results. Stick with what you have and what you know.
