leicanthrope

I've got a set of RX100 brakes that came with my latest project bike. I have pretty much no real frame of reference when it comes to dual pivot brakes (heck, indexed shifting is still new-fangled and novel to me). What's the general consensus of these brakes? Should I be thinking of putting these on the "to upgrade" list ultimately?

mountaindave 

I used a set for two weeks until I wrecked that bike. They've been sitting in my parts bin ever since. They worked fine for me even wig well worn pads. I think they're decent dual pivots. The workingman's dual pivot.

degan

If I remember correctly, RX100 was 105 with a different finish. I had them on a Trek for some time and they worked very well.

Jeff Wills

+1. Polished rather than painted. I don't think the Ultegra or Dura-Ace are that much better, so use them in good health. Ditch the Shimano pads first, though.

ThermionicScott 

+2. Got 'em on my go-fast bike and they are great, especially with Kool-Stops. They don't have anything to apologize for.

Lascauxcaveman 

Compared to Campagnolo Deltas (or pretty much anything else, for that matter) they are a very good bang-for-the-buck value.

Still, I dunno. Are they cool enough for my vintage bike?

thinktubes 

They function really well.

icepick_trotsky 

They'll stop you, but aesthetically meh. Depends on the bike.

bikemig 

Yeah take a positive testimonial about the quality of the brakes from the guy who wrecked his bike while using them! Oh yeah those brakes worked really, really great . . . .

lol, sorry couldn't resist.

rustystrings61 

I put a set of these on my custom Mercian Vincitore fixed-gear - replaced the pads with a set of Scott-Matthausers. They work great!

noglider 

They're fine. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise.

triathloner

I kinda like the RSX gear. And it sells for cheap, so win win for me. When I'm putting together a rider, not for showing off I look to RSX.

Dave Mayer

RX100 dual pivots are great brakes. I've been riding one of these on the front for the last few weeks. Mid 1990's vintage; they appear to use the same geometry as the great Dura-Ace 7403 dual pivots.

The finish is good, the hardware is good, and they are stiff and powerful stoppers. The stock Shimano brake pads were horrid, and seem only useful for covering your rims in black muck during wet rides.

RSX is a different brake.. Different castings and much cheaper hardware and finish than RX100. Nevertheless, the RSX brakes are powerful stoppers as well.

I've used all of these, and the nice Shimano 600 dual pivots, and the contemporary 105 brakes. They all perform about the same, with the same setup and pads. They are all far superior to the single pivot brakes that preceded them.

leicanthrope

I may ultimately upgrade them, just for vanity, if I can find a good enough deal. I'm not so worried about period correctness with this bike, honestly. It's a 1991 Schwinn Paramount PDG that I was able to get for free off of the local Craigslist, which seems downright modern to me, compared to everything else I've ridden. I came out to Georgia to take care of an elderly / sick uncle, and after a month of being bikeless, the lack of endorphins really started to get to me. Eventually I'll get the rest of my fleet out here. This will ultimately be my rainy day bike, commuter, and general purpose around town bike for those days that I don't want to leave a vintage bike locked up somewhere. For now though, at least I get my fix.

It was a frankenbike when I got it, but with some nice upgrades: Mavic Open Pro / Ultegra 6500 wheelset, Ultegra 9 speed 11-25 cassette, and a Ultegra 6500 rear derailleur. The rest was stock RX100. The stock 7 speed downtube shifters, obviously don't index right with the 9 speed cassette. I picked up a cheapo 7 speed SRAM 11-32 so that I have some hope of dealing with North Georgia topography. Amazingly enough, it worked with the RD. (Friction downtube shifters on a 9 speed with these hills sucks, for the record.) I got lucky with a Dura Ace 7700 front derailleur on eBay, and I've got a set of freebie Tiagra brifters that I'll be picking up in a couple of days from a local contact. Back home in California, I've got a shinier Shimano 600 crankset that I'll swap out with the stock one eventually. The 11-25 isn't viable with a standard crankset in this environment, so I'll try to grab a 9 speed cassette with a bit more range. There's a long cage M737 XT derailleur in my parts box in California that may be pressed into service, if the Ultegra derailleur protests once I go to 9 speed on it. The brakes though, are probably about last on the list. (Even a prettier seatpost is higher on the list.)

kroozer 

My wife's Klein has RX100 brakes, derailleurs, hubs, and pedals. It all works great.

RoadGuy

Shimano First Generation dual pivot brakes were all pretty much the same brakes with the exception of the finish. RX100 A550 is silver (has a tough clear finish, may be anodized), 105 1055 is painted champagne gray/pink, and Ultegra 600 was dark gray with silver accents. Parts are interchangable, different length mounting bolts are available so you could convert bikes with through bolts to recessed bolts, and there were short and long reach versions.

The RX100 versions are my favorite for appearance purposes. The silver finish is pretty bulletproof. Even when the calipers have been neglected, when the chrome hardware and spring are all rusty, you can shine the alloy parts back up like-new with a simple wipe of car polish, no sandpaper or buffing wheel necessary. the only thing I don't care for on the First Generation dual pivot brakes is the cheap plastic knob fit over the cable adjuster, they come loose, and while replacements are available for the complete adjuster assembly, they typically cost $10 each, plus shipping. For a plastic knob?

The First Generation Shimano dual pivot brake calipers are also wider, and provide more clearance for wider tires and fenders (if that is the way you lean), than the newer Generations (which are slightly lighter, and only accept narrower wheels and tires) of Shimano dual pivot brake calipers.

The Shimano Ultegra 6400 crankset look good in combination with RX100 components, and the Ultegra crank is the only part from that Generation that is significantly lighter than the R100 part/crank.

Dura Ace dual pivot brakes of the same time period also had a silver finish. When you're moving, no one will be able to tell whether the brake calipers are RX100 or Dura Ace, if vanity is the only reason to change brake calipers.

Oldpeddaller

Got a pair on a new bike, upgraded to Ultegra - not sure there was much difference in braking or feel. They've been in and out of the parts bin ever since, being fitted to a lot of newly-built bikes to road test, then swapped for matching 'gruppo' brakes as I find them. They are good, solid, no frills components.

RobbieTunes

Hah! Are you?

Lascauxcaveman 

OMG! Now that you mention it...

Man, you really know how to hurt a guy. (snif)

mstateglfr 

Ive refurbished 2 bikes outfitted with full RX100 components and thought both were fantastic. The braking was solid on both. Plus, I think the fit and finish of RX100 components is excellent.

noglider 

The truth is that the cost to make high end components is barely any more than low end. Even the wholesale prices are almost the same. The difference is profit. Bicycle brakes were well refined decades ago, and improvements have been small. For a long time, manufacturers have known how to make excellent brakes cheaply. If you think Dura Ace brakes are better than RX100, you've been had. The difference between different levels of brakes is even smaller than the difference of other components.

bike_forever

RX100 was a cheaply finished version of 105. So, they are descent brakes.

jimmuller 

Are they decent for ascending?

leicanthrope

To be fair, I have tried some that I would only trust for ascending.

Jeff Wills

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