Complete road brakes

How to choose a complete road brake

Replacing a complete brake avoids incompatibilities between lever, hose and caliper, and ensures a new, bled hydraulic system. SRAM, Shimano, Campagnolo and TRP cover road and cyclocross.

The lever also controls my gears: what should I check?

• On road bikes, the lever is a combined brake and gear shifter : it must match your groupset.
• The number of speeds must be identical to that of your cassette and derailleur.
• An electronic lever (Di2, AXS) only works with derailleurs from the same system.
• Mechanical or electronic, do not mix brands within the same drivetrain.

Which brake fluid?

• Mineral oil at Shimano and Campagnolo.
• DOT at SRAM.
• The two must never be mixed: an error destroys the system seals.
• Make sure you have the appropriate bleed kit if you are fitting it yourself.

Which mount and hose length?

• Flat Mount : the standard on almost all recent road bikes.
• Post Mount : found on some older frames and in cyclocross.
• Check that the supplied hose is long enough for your frame size and internal routing: extending it requires a connector and a new bleed.

See also: Road brake pads · Road brake rotors · Brake maintenance