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Brakes
Acor ABR602 long reach calliper brakeAcor ABR602 long reach calliper brake

Acor ABR602 long reach calliper brake

7
by Shaun Audane
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published May 21, 2009

6
£12.95

VERDICT:

7
10
Great value stoppers for older bikes and budget builds.
Weight: 
180g
Contact: 
www.greyville.com
How we test

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Acor’s long reach dual pivot stoppers are a good choice for those seeking inexpensive but dependable braking on winter trainers, fixers or commu-tourers. They won’t spoil the classic lines of an older bike built for 27" wheels but running modern 700c hoops either.

Forged 6061 arms might not be the stuff of dreams but the high lustre finish is generally very good. As might be expected the detailing’s generally pretty good but a few corners have been cut: they’ve been able to cheat discreetly on the polish here and there but nowhere you'd notice. Elsewhere you get nicely machined Allen key fittings and a smooth, shapely quick release lever which takes care of wheel removal and allows a bit of breathing space in the event of a buckle. Modulation and feel are surprisingly good, even with inexpensive levers, giving plenty of warning before they’d come close to pitching you over the top.

Beefy arms and springs and dual pivot technology mean stopping power is more than a match for older centre-pulls and light years ahead of single pivot side-pulls, inspiring confidence when tackling laden descents even without a pad upgrade. However, heavier riders or those regularly riding in the wet would be advised to substitute the hard pads supplied for something softer.

Longer callipers mean they’ll entertain larger clearances, stout rubber and full-length mudguards without looking “gappy” or spoiling the clean lines of minimalist builds. You wouldn’t spec them on a Storck but they might be just the ticket for cost conscious builds or modernising older trainer/tourers.

Verdict

Great value stoppers for older bikes and budget builds.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Acor ABR602 long reach calliper brake

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

These are a medium to long reach dual pivot calliper designed to accomodate bikes with bigger clearances and for this reason are a simple and inexpensive way of improving the stopping prowess of older machines.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

6061 Forged alloy construction, coupled allen key fittings, quick release and all weather pads.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10

Surprisingly good - better still with uprated pads.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

Solid construction given the asking price.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10

180g each

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

These perform suprisingly well coupled with excellent modulation and feel, even paired to fairly inexpensive levers: a definite plus for older but worthy winter/club mounts.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Excellent rigidity, power and modulation. They look reasonably fetching to boot.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Finish could've been better in places.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? For older bikes, yes.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 35  Height: 1m 81  Weight: 70 kilos

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

callipers
brakes
Acor
Shaun Audane

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

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6 comments

Avatar
dave atkinson | 15 years ago
0 likes

you could try running a set of BMX callipers? reach might be an issue though as they tend to be much longer than road ones. plenty of room for the tyre though 1

Avatar
Shaun Audane | 15 years ago
0 likes

Hello Jules,

I have a fondness for the Steamroller having run one for a short time. You don’t indicate whether you are running it as a fixed or single-speed. However, in my experience 40mm rubber is pushing things a bit- 38 is about as big as I’d go.

Riding the Surly as a fixed with designs on 40mm, I would replace the stock fork with a budget cro-moly cross/touring model paired to a single V/cantilever on the grounds of clearance.

Looking at the Acor as tested I can imagine you’d encounter similar problems as per the Tektro. However, it has a 48-64mm sibling, which could be worth a punt given the asking price.

Might be worth getting in touch with the distributor (www.ison-distribution.com)and asking if they've experimented with similar configurations...

Avatar
Jules Brown replied to Shaun Audane | 15 years ago
0 likes

Thanks, Shaun.

I'd like to keep the frameset complete, because I like it, so I'll keep hunting for some large clearance calipers. Even though I use a fixed gear I prefer to have both wheel brakes working properly.

I tried to find some better pictures from the ACOR website but there wasn't much there. If you by any chance have any more info about the other product you mention I would appreciate it.

Cheers,

Jules.

Avatar
Shaun Audane | 15 years ago
0 likes

A valid point John, although depends how we are defining an old frame- they were fine fitted to a couple of frames from the late 70's/early 80's. However, I can appreciate the thought of filing the seat-stay bridge on a 50's classic might make the blood run cold.

Avatar
Jules Brown replied to Shaun Audane | 15 years ago
0 likes

Hi,

I'm trying to solve a problem with large tyres mechanically interfering with brake calipers. Could these long reach Acor's be the answer?

I have a Surly Steamroller with Tektro calipers. I can just squeeze in a 700 x 35c tyre but I would like to use even bigger tyres (e.g. 40c, with studs) during the winter.

The interference occurs between the top center of the tyre and the underside of the caliper arms. With the Tektro's the underside of the arms is considerably lower than the line of the mounting bolt. How is the same dimension with these Acor's?

Thanks for any help!

Jules

Avatar
John_the_Monkey | 15 years ago
0 likes

If they're allen key fitting, you'll still have to do some bodging to get them on an old frame though.

tektro's nut fitting long reachers would be a better bet unless you're happy drilling the frame you're restoring.

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