Brake Caliper performance Dura-Ace vs. Ultegra

Hi All!

I was reading over an article on the Dura-Ace components and there was a snippet about how the Dura-Ace brake calipers significantly outperformed the Ultegra version...

The first thing I did was to compare images of the two side by side from various sources on the web and visually, I can see no appreciable design differences... What makes the Dura-Ace offering so much better than the Ultegra (other than weight)

It can't just be pad material, if indeed they acutally use differernt pads, otherwise I'd be reading and hearing much more along the lines of "Get ultegra calipers and just use Dura-Ace pads" THe amount of money saved in going that alternative would not be insignificant if it _were_ just pads.

Are their geometric differences in the angles of the arms? or bearings vs bushings? tighter tolerances?

I'll eventually go Dura-Ace STI levers and fr and rear deraillers because there is most definitely a difference in the feel and effort involved in shifting when comparing DA to Ult, but the calipers I'm still in the dark about...

Anyone have more info on the DA brake differences over Ultegra?

Thanks!

Feanor

I think the brake caliper design of the 2004 Dura-Ace has extra clamping force over the older models.. (or something? I read it in a magazine somewhere.)

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Peter
Cannondale Synapse Carbon Scalpel Cyclocross Ultra