"Hi Christian,
In a thread a few weeks back you referred to Zero Gravity Brakes as ""crap."" Based on several positive reviews (the latest being Pez Cycling a few days ago) the 05 titanium version have demonstrated good braking power consistently being rated just under Shimano's newest Dura-Ace (7800) and just above Campy Record. They were reviewed to also modulate well and weigh in as advertised, 168 grams with the Corima cork pads used best with carbon rims and 180 grams with the Kool Stops for aluminum rims, about a 4.5 ounce weight savings over Shimano and Campy.
Honestly, what is it you don't like about them.
Thanks,
Jay"
Zero Gravity Brakes
Sat, 04/02/2005 - 3:12pm
Sat, 04/02/2005 - 3:47pm
#1
1. The fact that they're CNC machined, rather than forged.
2. The fact that the two people I know who have them say that the braking is worse than Campagnolo and Shimano, and switched back.
3. Given that the braking performance isn't better, and the construction method is worse, the insane price.
It seems to me that since it's possible to build a bike to the UCI limit using better brakes, that most (all?) cyclists would be better served by brake calipers from the big two, but if you're building a sub-12-lbs bike, I suppose every little bit helps. I just think sacrificing construction quality and function for weight is a bad compromise for most cyclists.
So don't get me wrong, if you are building a bike for Mt. Washington and absolutely must save 140g, and won't miss the $150 more they cost than DA or Record, get them.
If I wanted ligher brakes for everyday use, I think I'd look at the Cane Creek (Dia-Compe) 200 SL, which are cold-forged and weigh about 250g. Be aware, these are single-pivots, not dual-pivots, but they look really really nice.
Cheers,
- Christian
Sun, 04/03/2005 - 7:03am
#2
Mavic Brakes
You over look these fantastic brakes. They are lighter then Shimano and Campy and cost less. They have fantastic stopping power equal to or better then the big two. They are dual pivot.
Sun, 04/03/2005 - 7:26am
#3
They are fantastic, indeed.
I have a pair, they work well. But they weigh the same as Shimano and Campy brakes - go to the weight weenies page to see the numbers.
Sat, 04/02/2005 - 4:16pm
#4
BTW, Jay, I just read that Pez Cycling article. Looks like the Zero Gravity brakes have a non-linear response to lever movement, like Campy Deltas.
That would seem to make them quite unsuitable for very narrow rims.
- Christian
Sat, 04/02/2005 - 6:03pm
#5
Zero Gravity 05
"I have a set of Zero Gravity 05s and love them. There were some past issues that were resolved. They are a hot commodity and nobody on Weight Weenies seems to have an issue with them."
Sun, 04/03/2005 - 2:11pm
#6
Save weight on the brake calipers?? What for? Like it matters. With 304w norm power (5w/kg), I can pretty much drop all of you on a 6 minutes climb. All I have are a pair of 105 calipers.
Sun, 04/03/2005 - 8:54pm
#7
400 Watts
Someone known here once showed me a power meter file from the River Road climb with an average power of 400 watts. Not sure what his weight is, but I know he wishes it was less...
Mon, 04/04/2005 - 7:45am
#8
As in PT Barnum? Who needs brakes?
So what good are brake calipers on a hill climb?
Mon, 04/04/2005 - 11:57am
#9
Hello there, Victor Chan!
Victor,
Someone who is equally matched with you in norm power but weighs 25 or 30 lbs more than you would be at a disadvantage on a long climb. At 135 lbs or so, you can afford a few extra grams on your bike.
In racing, your power statistics are insignificant if you don't win races. But even if you won every cat. 4 race that you entered, there would still be plenty of local racers out there who are faster than you. Keep things in perspective.
Sat, 04/02/2005 - 9:21pm
#10
Hot Item
Hi John,
Yes, apparently they are a hot item. I just had them installed today up in Piermont after waiting for a backorder to arrive for the past 2 months (the 4 pairs they received were all spoken for). I was only able to do a quick spin around their parking lot today to make sure they were adjusted properly and they felt as reviewed; less grabby and slightly less strong than the Dura-Ace 7800 on my Look and a bit stronger than the Campy Record they replaced on this bike.
I had read about every review I could find on them and had read about the improvements in the 05 version. I was just curious why Christian, who seems pretty savvy technically, didn't like them.
Thanks,
Jay
Sun, 04/03/2005 - 4:26am
#11
Jay,
Let me know if you're interested in selling your D-A dual pivots.
My email address is christian (at) christianedstrom (punto) com.
- Christian
Sun, 04/03/2005 - 8:22am
#12
D-A calipers
Hi Christian,
Actually, I have been trying to sell the D-A calipers, unfortunately, they are attached to a Look KG 381 that I have been trying to sell, so you'd have to buy the whole bike (just kidding :-).
As suggested in the post above, I replaced the Campy Record (04) calipers on my new bike. I will probably be interested in selling those after I make sure in the following week that I like the 0-G's. They were used for about 3-4 months on my new bike.
Thanks,
Jay
Sun, 04/03/2005 - 8:39am
#13
Thx, but Campy brakes won't work for me - I use Shimano brake levers, which don't have an internal quick release.
- Christian
Sun, 04/03/2005 - 11:46am
#14
Nokon Next? (nm)
Sun, 04/03/2005 - 1:07pm
#15
Nokon
Hi John,
Housing is not something I have been as yet tempted to change, but I never say never.
Honestly, I dread making any changes to the bike as it seems whenever I have any bike shop do anything to any of the three bikes I've had over the past 3 years, I get some amount of damage to the bike.
Yesterday, I was praying as I watched them with tools near the frame/fork trying to install the 0-G brakes and sure enough, when I got home I discovered a chip in the lamination of the fork, the first damage to this 6 month old carbon Fondriest.
Jay
Mon, 04/04/2005 - 2:31pm
#16
Nokon
"I know someone who tried Nokon housing - he's a serious weight weenie, always looking to shave a few grams here or there, someone who goes to bike shows with a digital gram scale in his bag and will weigh every available sample of an item to find the absolute lightest. He weighed the housing and found that with the full-length liner it weighs the same as standard housing. He also found two serious defects: a) hundreds of tiny little pieces - it's a wicked PITA to install, and b) after dirt from normal wear&tear starts to get between the sections the housing begins to creak. He cut the liner so it didn't continue past the cable stops in order to save those few grams, which could be the reason for the problems.
Sooo, I shelved the package of IRD Metawire brake housing (think of it as generic Nokon) I bought and never installed it. Anyone who doesn't believe the caveats is welcome to try it, cheap. Email me at the above address (remove the ""at"" and ""dot"")."
