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Tektro 538 Road Brake Calliper Set
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Rim brakes for bikes use the sidewall of the rim to reduce speed, this is done by a pad on either side applying friction against the rim, which reduces your momentum. Road brake callipers have been redesigned over the years and now use a system called 'dual pivot' which means the brake arms pivot off centre to apply a higher amount of pressure on the rim to increase your stopping power. Most manufacturers use dual pivot callipers on the front and rear, but some Campagnolo brakes use a traditional single pivot on the rear to 'balance' the braking power, the logic behind this is that as you brake your weight shifts on to the front of the bike and as much as 75% of the braking force is applied to the front.
Tektro manufacture high quality braking systems for a wide range of bicycles. Tektro are trusted by many large bike manufacturers to provide reliable brakes on their complete bikes.
Tektro's R538 long drop callipers are aimed at big-tyred tourers and town bikes and they're a good quality unit with a couple of nice touches. The bolts get rusty quickly, and the pads are a bit scratchy, but they're pretty well-made for the money.
The R538s are a forged Aluminium dual pivot affair, and a fairly standard design with long drop arms that accomodate pad heights of 47-57mm, ideal for tourers and other bikes designed to take a big tyre. My set have been fitted to a town bike with a Kinesis training fork and full 'guards, and they're just the ticket in terms of reach. At 164g a wheel they're not heavyweights either.
The quick release has been redesigned on these brakes to allow a wider opening to remove your chunky tyres, and it works really well. The brakes will easily accomodate larger rubber, I've had up to 35mm tryes in the frame with no problems and they could go bigger depending on where the pads are set in the arms.
The pads themselves are probably the worst bit of the R538s - they feel cheap, hard and scratchy. They still stop you, but you'll be glad when you've worn through them so you can fit something a bit less noisy. My other main gripe is that a month of wintry road grim has already started to rust the bolts. It hasn't affected the performance of the brakes but they don't look so good any more, not that that's a major concern with a town hack.
Rate the product for quality of construction:7/10
Rate the product for performance:7/10
Rate the product for durability:6/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:7/10
Rate the product for value:7/10
Did you enjoy using the product? Great for a town hack or tourer
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Tektro have a reputation for offering good value braking kit, and the R538s are no exception. In terms of performance they're not outstanding but they do the job and they're a good option for a workhorse or tourer.
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