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Shimano unveils Tiagra hydraulic disc brakes

Disc braking trickles down to fourth tier road groupset

Shimano has just unveiled Tiagra-level hydraulic disc brakes (called BR-RS405 brakes) for the first time, extending its hydro braking further down the lineup and making it more accessible than ever before.

You now get to choose between four Shimano road disc brake models: Ultegra-level and 105-level hydraulic disc brakes, these new Tiagra-level hydraulic disc brakes, plus the Sora-level mechanical disc brakes that were launched a few weeks ago. 

Tiagra sits below Ultegra and 105 and above Sora in the Shimano road groupset hierarchy.

Shimano Tiagra disc brakes 2016 - 1.jpg

Read Everything You Need to Know About Disc Brakes. 

The BR-RS405 has a flat-mount calliper and a mechanical hydraulic shifting lever (ST-RS405), meaning that the shifting is mechanical (as opposed to electronic which is only available for the road in the Dura-Ace and Ultegra groupsets so far) and the braking is hydraulic. 

Shimano Tiagra disc brakes 2016 - 8.jpg

The lever shape looks very much like that of the existing 11-speed 105 hydraulic lever, although the BR-RS405 lever is 10-speed rather than 11-speed. Tiagra is currently Shimano's only 10-speed road system.

Shimano Tiagra disc brakes 2016 - 7.jpg

The SM-RT81-S/SS rotors are available in 140mm and 160mm diameters and feature Shimano’s existing Ice Technology that’s designed to dissipate heat and provide more braking power. 

“Shifting through Tiagra’s 10 gears with the combined gear and brake unit is ergonomically pleasing for multiple hand sizes thanks to the smooth surface of the hood and the enclosed mechanism within,” says Shimano.

“VIVID Index Shifting on the 10-speed shifting system equates to a light shifting effort with a defined click engagement, so you always know you’re in the right gear. Furthermore, the reach of the lever can be adjusted by up to 10mm, providing added comfort.”

The BR-RS405 brakes use the same set up and maintenance procedures as Shimano’s other hydraulic brakes. 

Shimano’s BR-RS405 hydraulic road disc brakes will be available from July. The price has yet to be set.

For reference, a pair of Shimano 105-level ST-RS505 STI levers with RS505 callipers has an RRP of £399.99 (although you can find them cheaper), so you can expect an RS405 setup to be cheaper than that.

This chart shows a comparison of Shimano’s road disc brake systems:    

Shimano Tiagra disc brakes 2016 - 9.jpg

www.shimano.co.uk

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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16 comments

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VeloPeo | 8 years ago
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//s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e8/ed/98/e8ed989c2b40fc8299d048c9ac82d8e5.jpg)

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The _Kaner | 8 years ago
0 likes

BRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTERBRIFTER

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brooksby replied to The _Kaner | 8 years ago
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The _Kaner wrote:

BRIFTER...

I think you did more damage right there than myxamatosis...

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adamthekiwi | 8 years ago
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Does it come in a triple? 105 left hydraulic brifter doesn't...

Hydraulic disc braking would be a massive boon to touring cyclists, but Shimano seems to have decided that this won't be an option they offer. Not really sure I understand why...

Avatar
VeloPeo replied to adamthekiwi | 8 years ago
3 likes

adamthekiwi wrote:

Does it come in a triple? 105 left hydraulic brifter doesn't...

Every time you use this word, God kills a fluffy bunny wabbit

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epcp20 | 8 years ago
0 likes

Does anyone know when these will become available to buy? The article says they'll be available in July but it's nearly the end of October and they don't seem to be for sale yet!?

 

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surly_by_name | 8 years ago
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How about a flat mount to IS adapter?

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STATO replied to surly_by_name | 8 years ago
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surly_by_name wrote:

How about a flat mount to IS adapter?

No, no such thing exists to fit flat mount to your IS frame, your a generation of standards behind.

 

FYI for anyone else asking about adaptors, the convention is to state 'CALIPER to FRAME/FORK' mount, at least thats how the vast majority of adpators are listed.  But when talking about sizes its usually the other way around, i.e. 160 to 180 adaptor (increase).

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euanlindsay | 8 years ago
0 likes

Shimano make flatmount to post mount adaptors.

 

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TypeVertigo replied to euanlindsay | 8 years ago
1 like

euanlindsay wrote:

Shimano make flatmount to post mount adaptors.

I don't think so. They make adapters to install post-mount brakes onto a flat-mount frame, not the other way 'round.

I made the same mistaken assumption in the past.

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Initialised | 8 years ago
4 likes

What's the difference between the Ultegra, 105 & Tiagra Calipers?

Tiagra - Pictured above looks like Deore, The bottom image is the mechanical RT3000

105: http://road.cc/content/tech-news/171416-just-shimano-105-hydraulic-discs Looks like Tiagra/Deore http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/news/article/shimano-deore-2013-2014-mtb-gr...

Ultegra: http://road.cc/content/review/114970-shimano-br-r785-road-hydraulic-disc... like XT: http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/news/article/shimano-deore-xt-m8000-11-spee...

Flat Mount looks like a nice way of making them non-interchangable with things like four pot Saint or Zee and removing backward compatibility because you cant adapt a Flat Mount brake to a post mount frame - it works the other way and shimano fluid is the same.

It also looks like the Sora Mechanical caliper has been designed so that Shimano's finned pads wont fit, while the Tiagra/105 will accomodate them.

So for an older bike with post mount fittings and a 10 speed drivetrain buy the brifters and your choice of mineral oil (not SRAM) calipers as the Tiagra Flat Mount will not fit.

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TypeVertigo replied to Initialised | 8 years ago
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Initialised wrote:

So for an older bike with post mount fittings and a 10 speed drivetrain buy the brifters and your choice of mineral oil (not SRAM) calipers as the Tiagra Flat Mount will not fit.

Indeed. That's my frustration as well. My bike's a Giant TCX SLR 2 with 10-speed 105 5700 and post-mount hardpoints on the frame.

The fork is also post-mount, and it can be replaced for a Flat Mount one, but really I wouldn't want to swap it out while it's still perfectly functional.

I'm wondering if there's going to be some sort of market for aftermarket adapters to install Flat Mount brake calipers onto a post-mount frame and fork?

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STATO replied to Initialised | 8 years ago
0 likes

Initialised wrote:

Flat Mount looks like a nice way of making them non-interchangable with things like four pot Saint or Zee and removing backward compatibility because you cant adapt a Flat Mount brake to a post mount frame - it works the other way and shimano fluid is the same.

It also looks like the Sora Mechanical caliper has been designed so that Shimano's finned pads wont fit, while the Tiagra/105 will accomodate them.

So for an older bike with post mount fittings and a 10 speed drivetrain buy the brifters and your choice of mineral oil (not SRAM) calipers as the Tiagra Flat Mount will not fit.

 

Bike company designs new product for new bikes that doesnt fit old bikes shocker. 

But as you say calipers are interchangeable with the levers so just buy the levers and whatever caliper fits.  You can buy levers and calipers separate anyway.

Im confused why you'd want to fit finned pads to a mechanical brake though, no fluid to heat so not required.

 

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newtonuk replied to STATO | 8 years ago
0 likes

STATO]</p>

<p>[quote=Initialised wrote:

Im confused why you'd want to fit finned pads to a mechanical brake though, no fluid to heat so not required.

 

Do the finned pads dissipate heat from the fluid?  The contact between the pad and the fluid must be very minimal through the brake caliper pot.

 

I bet it does a better job of dissipating the heat from the rotor and pad directly.

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STATO replied to newtonuk | 8 years ago
0 likes

newtonuk]</p>

<p>[quote=STATO wrote:

Initialised wrote:

Im confused why you'd want to fit finned pads to a mechanical brake though, no fluid to heat so not required.

 

Do the finned pads dissipate heat from the fluid?  The contact between the pad and the fluid must be very minimal through the brake caliper pot.

 

I bet it does a better job of dissipating the heat from the rotor and pad directly.

 

Finned pads were developed to dump heat as any heat build up in your pads passes through the pad backing into the piston and hence heats the fluid, causing the brake to become unreliable and potentially fail, thats why shimano (and others) use fancy ceramic pistons too. Anyone who ever ran old hope mtb discs in the Alps will know that you can suddenly have no brake if they get too hot. 

Yes heat build up can cause an issue the mechanical friction in the pad/rotor interface but not to the same extent or lack of braking that losing hydraulic pressure does. Thats why these products only became a 'thing' once road bikes started using hydraulic discs. Shimano does state you can run the RT81 ice-tech rotors though so obviously looking out for us brake draggers on their next alpine sportive yes.

 

 

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fustuarium | 8 years ago
2 likes

Woooo hoooo ​I've been waiting for this to come out and had almost given up.  It semeed crackers to change to 105 or SRAM hydro when all I want is the brake.

Right then Merlin, do your usual price magic lol!

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