On Test: Hayes CX-5 Mechanical Disc Brake Calipers

With the approach of cyclocross and disc brakes making their way to market, I started looking for options.  I'm not sure I'm ready to go to one of the converters on the market like the Hope V-Twin or TRP Parabox, maybe sometime soon, but not yet.

The Avid BB7 road and BB5 road are both fine, they really do their job well.  But they've been around for quite some time and have gone (mostly) without a challenger.  At the North American Handmade Bicycle Show this year, Independent Fabrication came in with a Ti Factory Lightweight disc cyclocross bike to show sporting the Hayes CX-5 mated to Shimano levers.

Mounting up the CX-5 was only slightly more difficult than the BB7, which is to say pretty darn easy.  Since you can adjust cable tension with the barrel adjuster as well as pad contact on the back side of the caliper all you really need to do is get them set up close initially and use the brake's own adjustments to dial them in.

Herein lies the major difference in setup between the BB7 and CX-5, the BB7 has a dial that's adjusted by hand where the CX-5 needs a 5mm allen.  Certainly not the end of the world, but I think it's noteworthy.

The first item of note when riding the CX-5 is how smooth they are.  The BB7 almost feels as though it has something dragging on the brake cable versus a Gore Sealed system for the CX-5.  The power isn't better on one than the other once the pads are broken in, so that's a wash.  I also wouldn't say modulation is any better with one than the other since they are both really quite nice.

My personal opinion is that the CX-5 looks a little nicer.  The silver polished finish with etched logos looks great and will match any gruppo well.  I think this brake on a Ti or stainless bike would be exceptional.

The stock BB7 I have in the store weighed in at 165g without hardware, the CX-5 came in at 190g without hardware.  The BB7 uses CPS washers from Avid that the CX-5 doesn't use, but I'd guess the BB7 would still weigh in a hair less.

On Test: Crank Brothers Egg Beater 11 Titanium Pedals

After spending a few years riding Egg Beaters I decided to give SPD's a try.  I had to return a couple pairs of Egg Beaters after breaking them, so I thought a change was in order.  Sure, Egg Beater pedals are light, and they shed mud incredibly well, but if they break in a race neither of those things matter.

When changing to SPD, I saw no reason to start mid-level and went straight to XTR.  They offered a secure engagement like nothing I had used before.  The audible click was almost as positive as the actual snap I could feel when clipping in.

A couple of years down the road, I felt the urge to get something lighter.  No, the XTR isn't a pig, but there are many lighter options out there.  With The Lumberjack 100 looming, I decided to go big and try out some Egg Beater 11 Ti pedals.

Since the pedals had been redesigned, my hope is that the few issues I had with the previous generation pedals had been remedied.  At a claimed 174g per pair (176g according to my scale) the new pedals are a full 130g lighter than my M-980 XTR pedals.  Yeah, they are close to half the weight of the XTR.  That's no small amount, by the way.

Out of the box, the fit and finish are top-notch.  The blingtastic nature of the Egg Beater 11 fit well with the theme of my Niner Air9 RDO which is built to be super light, and perfectly race-ready.

Mounting them was uneventful, as it should be.  Bad news would ensue if your $425 pedals don't thread in nicely.  Setting up cleats is a process for myself, I set up cleats for others frequently, but on my own shoes can be a challenge.  Once happy with the position, I started logging some miles.

To date I have about 600 miles on these pedals, almost entirely off-road.  The pedals haven't been subjected to too much mud, though they've seen a little water.  The pedals have seen a lot of dust, though, with the dry conditions we've seen this year.  600 miles in and they spin perfectly, adjustment is as it should be.

A true test of these pedals comes next weekend at The Lumberjack.  Until then I plan to log a few more short and sweet workouts to keep my legs fresh and my mind on the pedals.  Once Lumberjack is done these pedals will see cyclocross duty.

Much more to come....