The Accura brakes are CNC machined from solid aluminium billet. The deeply cut-away arms are finished superbly with a full complement of titanium hardware, helping to keep the weight down to 208g (claimed 211g).
The brakes are unlike those from SRAM, Campagnolo or Shimano – they have a single pivot design. This requires a little more care to set up, and because it has less leverage than a dual pivot system it can suffer from less braking power. To combat this, Token has designed the cable anchor with a rotating pivot. This makes it easy to disconnect the brakes for wheel removal and also adds a little more bite by effectively lengthening the leverage.
Setting up the Accura is critical, with the minimal design meaning that a small spool-shaped anchor is attached to the cable by means of a 2mm hex pinch bolt. This must be clamped tight to prevent the cable slipping through, but not so tight that it’s crushed, which in the long term could lead to fraying and breaking.
Once we’d got the setup sorted, we were impressed with the braking. Despite the lack of mass (they’re about 60g lighter than the benchmark SRAM Reds) they’re remarkably free of flex. The rigid stiffness is mirrored by the action from the lever, with less feel through its travel than with Campag, SRAM and Shimano. The soft gummy pads included with the callipers offset some of this solid, rather dead feel.
We like the minimal design and can see them finding a place on a lightweight or time-trial bike.
If you’re not a gram-shaving obsessive looking for a featherweight brake, we can’t really recommend the Accura over options from the big three. That said, if you’re looking for a low-weight choice that doesn’t cost a king’s ransom then they’re well worth your consideration.
