Life from an outsider's perspective…

FSA K Force brake calipers review.

FSA Full Speed Ahead Logo.I recently purchased a pair of FSA K-force dual pivot brake calipers. I hadn’t heard much about them and nobody seems to have them… anyway I have been very pleased with their performance over the last few weeks so I decided to write this quick review.

FSA K Force brake calipers review.Contrary to what other people have said about FSA products, I think these work brilliantly! I have found that both modulation and power are excellent. They’re on par with another set of highly-rated dual-pivot brake calipers: Mavic SSC. They feel stronger overall than shimano ultegra calipers, possibly due to the I-beam shape of the arms. I can’t be 100% sure of that, because I’ve been testing the new vertebrae ceramic brake housing (also pictured).

These feature orbital pad adjustment so setup was very easy. I didn’t even need to adjust the spring tension. So far I haven’t needed to make any further adjustments since the initial installation.

FSA uses Titanium fasteners, so you don’t have to worry about metallic corrosion. This helps to reduce the overall weight of the brakeset. They come standard with carbon fibre brake pad holders, further reducing their weight. At 274 grams for the pair, they are light – almost as light as SRAM Red and cheaper than Campagnolo Record. They’re also a darn site prettier than the new meaty Shimano Dura Ace 7900. Sure there are plenty of other lighter single pivot brakes available, but these are neither too expensive nor incredibly ugly (unlike some).

They have black-anodised finished with prominent «FSA K-Force» lettering. I was originally hoping to get the earlier model with more subtle graphics, but I got a great deal on this set. I think they look much better once mounted on a bike. If it isn’t perfectly clear already, I think they are one of the best looking brakesets currently available. The only trouble is that they’re not the easiest brakes to get hold of because not many places stock them.

One last thing. The quick release mechanism reminds me of the aperture ring on an older SLR film camera; it makes a similar ratchet noise and is a pleasure to use. I absolutely love it. Nothing comes close to that.

Note that I’ve only had these brakes a few weeks, so I’ll continue to use these brakes and update this later with a long-term review.

Discussion Area - Leave a Comment