Product Review: TRP R970SL Brakes
By Frank Sarate, SoCalCycling.com
7/29/10 - TRP is one of the best known brake manufacturers for after market brakes for road, mountan bike, triathlon, time rrial and 'cross bikes. TRP specializes in making brakes and brake levers and are leaders in the industry. Recently, they introduced the ultra lightweight R970SL magnesium dual pivot brake calipers that are forged and then machined to weigh in at an amazing 104 grams per caliper. This lends to making for a more expensive material to process to achieve a finished dual pivot caliper. The TRP R970SL brakes are topped off with titanium hardware and machined brake pad holders to ensure for the lightest most efficient dual pivot brake on the market.
The TRP R970SL ultra-light magnesium dual pivot brake calipers.
photo © SoCalCycling.com
I have been using the TRP R970SL brakes with SRAM Force levers for the last few months. Besides being lightweight and super cool looking, the TRP R970SL brakes don’t lose stopping power where some of the other high priced calipers may stop short on braking power. The TRP R970SL brakes are very smooth and responsive.
The R970SL calipers also come with SwissStop brake pads that can be used with carbon and aluminum rim surfaces to ensure that you get the highest quality pads that are versatile when it comes to switching from carbon or aluminum.
One of the many trick features of the R970SL brakes is that they do away with the standard quick release mechanism. This allows TRP to reduce the material weight by having a sliding quick release.
The TRP R970SL ultra-light magnesium dual pivot brake calipers.
photo © SoCalCycling.com
The TRP R970SL brakes are not the least expensive calipers on the market with a retail price of $ 599.99, but they are an excellent upgrade for anyone looking to shave off those extra grams without sacrificing stopping performance. They come in a nicely finished white or black that will pimp out any bike.
These brakes can be purchased from bike shops including InCycle. For more info please visit trpbrakes.com.
The SoCalCycling.com Elite Team is proud to have TRP as a sponsor.
