Friday, December 4, 2015

Dura-Ace 9000 vs Ultegra 6800: Road Brake Calipers

Finally, after comparing the many different components of Dura-Ace vs Ultegra on the Merida Scultura 5000, the next component to compare would be the brake calipers. Prior to this, the rear derailleur, front derailleur and crankset were compared.

I had also previously compared the Ultegra 6800 brake calipers against the 105 5800 brake calipers. This time, the Dura-Ace 9000 brake calipers will be compared against the Ultegra 6800 brake calipers. Let's find out what are the differences and similarities!
  
Dura-Ace 9000 brake calipers, only 298 grams per pair!

Ultegra 6800 brake calipers are heavier at 341 grams per pair

More similarities than differences, especially in terms of construction and design. The surface finishing is of course different.

Slightly different design of the center brake arm. The Dura-Ace design is slimmer.

Titanium pivot bolts on the Dura-Ace brake caliper, as compared to normal stainless steel on the Ultegra brake caliper

Different brake arm design. The Dura-Ace design has the bolt and connecting parts going through the middle of the brake arm, while the Ultegra design is reversed, with the connecting parts going around the outside of the brake arm.

Black finishing on the Dura-Ace main axle, and a different anti-loosening washer design.

The quick release lever for the Dura-Ace brake caliper is actually behind the brake arm, together with the cable fixing bolt, while the Ultegra design has the QR lever at the front.

Titanium cable fixing bolt and magnesium brake pad holders on the Dura-Ace brake caliper, as compared to stainless steel and aluminium on the Ultegra

Similar resin cable adjust bolt used

Design of the rivets and axles looks more high end on the Dura-Ace brake caliper

More standard looking bolt and axle design on the Ultegra brake caliper, but still looks better than the 105 brake caliper with external bolts and axles.

What I found is that there are actually more similarities than differences between these brake calipers. Most differences are cosmetic, and do not actually affect the function. The Dura-Ace brake caliper uses expensive titanium, magnesium and other specially designed hardware that are more costly, which is why it has a much higher price and also lower weight. The tire clearance is similar for both models.

The Dura-Ace brake calipers feels just a little bit smoother than the Ultegra brake calipers, but I am not sure if it is really the case, or is it just because the Dura-Ace brake caliper is newer than the Ultegra brake caliper. In any case, the difference in performance is very small. I would recommend the Ultegra brake caliper as the cost effective choice, as it is half the price of the Dura-Ace brake caliper, and yet has practically the full function of Dura-Ace.

6 comments:

  1. Hi,

    Are the brake shoe fixing bolts (that hold the brake shoe to calliper mount) on the ultegra 6800 the same as the dura ace 9000. on the pic the ultegra items look like stainless whereas the dura ace look duller more matt. ideally I'm trying to locate some black ones but if i can't the 9000 and new 9100 ones look darker (maybe ti) - any help appreciated. Thanks Mark.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think they are both stainless steel, probably with a different grade or surface finishing.

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  2. Thanks does one look blackish in real life?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As shown in the picture above, it has a matte silver look.

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  3. Thanks; I now know that the bolt i mean is the 9100 bolt not the 9000. The 9100 has a dark bolt. Thanks

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  4. Just for people that might be interested, Dura Ace pivots have bearings, whereas Ultegra and lower are bushings, which is why Dura Ace feels smoother.

    ReplyDelete

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