Design and manufacturing collective The Hive has been better known for mountain bike gear to date but its new REVL brake calipers demonstrates its mettle in the road arena, too.
As is becoming increasingly popular, the REVL calipers blend the weight advantages of a single-pivot brake but the power of a dual-pivot thanks to a clever 'Rockarolla' leverage-enhancing linkage.
Unlike most such brakes though – with the notable exception of Zero Gravity – the REVL linkage can be interchanged between two leverage ratios to suit either Shimano Dura-Ace 7900/Ultegra 6700 brake levers or the more standard setups from Campagnolo, SRAM and other Shimano groups.
Braking performance is further enhanced by the deep carbon fibre caliper arms, which use no internal aluminium skeleton and are also mostly symmetrical and widely braced front-to-back to eliminate any unwanted bending moments.
SwissStop pads are included as standard equipment, too, and a slick quick release mechanism is also integrated into the tidy barrel adjuster.
Titanium and aluminium hardware helps to keep claimed weight down to an ultralight 116g per wheel – including pads.
Suggested retail price is a fairly reasonable (for the genre) US$225 per caliper and production brakes will begin shipping immediately following Interbike.
Avid Shorty Ultimate cantilevers edge closer to reality
Avid has rescued its elusive Shorty Ultimate cantilevers from the pitfalls of vaporware with the introduction of a new version set for release around the end of this year (too late for 'cross season, unfortunately).
Avid's new Shorty Ultimate cantilever brakes edge a little closer to reality - but consumers still won't be able to buy them until the end of this year.
The new brakes are still ultralight at a claimed weight of just 115g per wheel (including the road-style cartridge pads) and will be offered in either wide- or narrow-profile configurations to suit particular rider needs or course conditions.
Unlike the prototypes, though, the arms won't be convertible between the two geometries and they are now constructed in a sort of aluminium sandwich configuration instead of last year's bolt-together setup. Also, the original's cartridge bearing pivots are traded in for simpler aluminium bushings.
Spring tension adjustment has changed, too, from the original prototype's easy threaded arrangement (similar to what's used on the standard Shorty) to a simpler – and presumably lighter – cap system.
A convenient barrel adjuster is integrated into one arm, too, and of course, titanium hardware is used throughout. Swiss Stop pad inserts will come as standard equipment.
Pricing is yet to be determined but Avid estimates they'll run somewhere between US$150 and US$200.
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