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Getting decent brakes for your bike is quite indispensable. The braking efficiency and the stopping power that a high-quality brake will offer is incomparable to what average brakes can offer.
On the note of high-quality brakes, the brake manufacturers that are dominating the market at this time are Shimano and Tektro.
Most of the bikers fall in a dilemma in between that brakes that both the manufacturer are offering.
And the topic Tektro Brakes vs. Shimano rises up quite frequently when it comes to choosing brakes in between the bike riders.
Are you in the same dilemma too? Well, you have just stumbled upon the right source in that regard.
Hopefully, we will be able to get you out of the predicament that you are in.
Tektro Brakes vs. Shimano
Tektro Brakes
The manufacturer Tektro has been in the brake market for quite a while now. It has been more than thirty years since they were first founded.
They have been around since 1986. From that alone, you can guess the level of experience that they have when it comes to manufacturing brakes.
They are mostly known for offering high-quality brakes to the market. All their brakes go through extreme quality control, in which they are tested, and the build quality of the brakes is scrutinized.
By doing so, they ensure that the brakes that are going to find their place in your bike can perform optimally and offers you the optimal amount of stopping power that is required to put your bike at a halt.
Apart from that, they have extensive lineup brakes. That means there is an offering for all.
No matter if you require a hydraulic brake or a caliper one or a disc brake, Tektro has got you covered.
Recommended Tektro Brakes to Buy
As we mentioned, the manufacturer has a wide range of brakes. In our opinion, not all of them are worth the price tag that they have on them.
Well, we do not want you to get less for the money that you are going to spend on the brakes.
And for that reason, these are the brakes that we would recommend to you:
Tektro LYRA MD-C500 Cyclocross CX Road Mechancial Disc Brake Set Front and Rear, Silver, MH1874-N
One of the problems that most of the mechanical disc brakes have is not being able to center the caliper.
Well, Tektro kept that in mind while they were manufacturing this set of brakes for road bikes.
Unlike some of the brakes that are in the market, this set of brakes come with automatic centering calipers.
That means you will not have to fiddle around the brakes while you are installing just to make them centered.
Apart from that, the single-piece aluminum construction that these features make them extremely durable.
The aluminum also keeps the weight to an extreme minimum, which is at 107 grams for the rotor. You will not have to worry about it adding excess weight to your bike.
Other than that, the caliper also comes with floating plates. Those plates will automatically adjust the angle of the pads.
Also, you will be able to adjust them by using the built-in pad adjustment mechanism that it comes with.
On that note, the pads that it comes with are of metal-ceramic. This material will provide excellent braking performance.
The stopping power that these can offer is quite something that you can boast about.
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Tektro HD-M285 Hydraulic Disc Brake Syste with 160mm Rotor
Hydraulic disc brakes are one of the brakes that are quite difficult to work with.
For that reason, most of the bikers tend to take them right to a mechanic to install them on their bikes. However, you will not have to do that if you get this one.
To begin with, these come featured with open system design. This design will make the installation task effortless for you.
You will not have to take it to a mechanic for getting these installed. Besides installation, the design makes it quite easy to carry out maintenance and adjustment tasks.
Apart from that, the caliper that these comes with is of forged aluminum. This material does not only make the entire unit durable but also keeps the weight low.
The overall weight of the brakes is 285 grams for the front and 305 grams for the back, which is quite low for a hydraulic brake.
On the topic of hydraulic, the fluid that these comes with is mineral oil. It is non-corrosive, which means you will not have to worry about maintenance that much.
The liquid also has excellent expansion properties. That means you are going to get exceptional performance out of it.
The pads that these features are of an organic compound. However, there is a metal-ceramic version available.
No matter which one you choose, both of them are going to relatively easy to replace.
The lever is also quite durable as it is of aluminum and the brackets of it are of cast aluminum.
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Tektro Auriga E-Comp, Hydraulic disc Brake with Control Sensor for Electric Bike, Rear, Black
As we mentioned, the array of brakes that Tektro has to offer is quite extensive.
They are also offering brakes for Ebikes. And this one that we are looking at is the one that we thought is worthy of being recommended.
Much like the one that we talked about prior to this, this one also features an open design.
This open design makes installing the braking system feel like taking a walk in the park.
Not just the installation, the maintenance and the adjustment tasks also get easier because of the design.
Unlike some of the brakes that are available for the Ebike, this one comes with a designated sensor control mechanism. You will not have to get a separate one to do a complete installation.
The overall system is exceptionally well built too. It comes with an aluminum lever, and the bracket that the package comes included with are of cast aluminum.
Lastly, the pads that these come with are of the metal-ceramic compound. They are also compatible with some of the Tektro pads that are out there.
And the fluid that they come along is non-corrosive oil.
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Shimano Brakes
The bicycle part manufacturer that has been counting days to celebrate its 100th anniversary is none other than Shimano.
They have been around since 1921, and from the very beginning of their adventure in the bike parts market, they have been offering quality parts. The headquarter of Shimano Inc. is in Sakai City, Japan.
They stated with the production of single freewheel for bikes, which at that time required a high amount of technical skills to produce.
Now, they are one of the go-to options for most of the bikers. From brakes to wheels to other parts of the bicycle, they have it all.
Aside from that, they are also in the fishing tackle market and in the boat rowing industry.
The company is gradually expanding its business and is progressively growing fame in all parts of the world.
Many of their parts are now being used for major bike touring events. And they are now even highlighted in many of the grand international tours.
Recommended Shimano Brakes to Buy
Just like Tektro, Shimano also has a wide array of brakes to offer for bicycles.
However, not all of them will be worthy of your time or the money that you are going to spend on them.
For that reason, we went through the most popular ones and picked only the ones that are recommendation worthy. They are:
JGbike Shimano MT200 MTB Hydraulic Disc Brake Set
Are you out in the market looking for a worthy upgrade over the mechanical-disc brake that you might currently have on your bike?
Or are you just looking for a decent hydraulic disc brake in the market? Well, look no more! Cause Shimano has got the right set for you.
First of all, let us talk about the value proposition of the set. The set comes with everything that you are going to require for installing a complete braking mechanism to your bike.
And the overall package costs relatively less than what the other name brands are offering.
Apart from the value proposition, all the parts that are in this package are quite well-built.
The pads that the package comes with are of B01S resin, which is well known to last for an extended amount of time.
That means you will not have to worry about replacing the pads that frequently too.
One thing that makes these brakes stand out the most is the stopping power that they can offer.
It is significantly better than most of the mechanical brakes that are out there. You will be able to make the wheels of your bike stop in a second or two.
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SHIMANO BR-M8020 Deore XT Disc Brake
Just because hydraulic brakes offer a substantial upgrade over mechanical disc brakes, it does not mean there are no decent disc brakes worthy of looking into.
This one can be an excellent example of the decent ones that we are talking about here.
Unlike some of the disc brakes that are out there, this one comes with piston calipers. These calipers are of ceramic, which makes them exceptionally durable.
That means you can expect to have the same stopping power as you had when you unpacked it for the first time after prolonged use.
The oil that the brakes utilize is non-corrosive mineral oil. This oil has excellent heat expansion capabilities.
And as it is non-corrosive, you will not have to worry about the maintenance process that much.
Apart from that, the unit is compatible with the Shimano XT M8000 lever. After attaching them to the braking system, you are going to get a plethora of tuning options. You will be able to customize the brake according to your preference.
Other than that, the pads that these come with are of resin. This resin material is extremely durable and will be able to withstand the heavy braking workload without any issues at all.
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Shimano M820 Saint Disc Brake Set
Some of the disc brake kits that are out there do not come with bleeding kits.
As a result, the installation process for them can be a bit challenging. Well, Shimano kept that factor in mind and implemented a unique overall design for this kit.
To begin with, it comes pre-bled. That means you will not have to worry about not having a bleeding kit after getting this kit.
It also features a one-way bleeding mechanism, which will make the bleeding tasks much easier if you still want to bleed it in the future after installing them.
The kit comes with calipers that have four pistons. These pistons are of ceramic, which will be able to offer a substantial amount of stopping power.
You will be able to put the wheels at a halt in seconds by activating the braking mechanism.
Other than that, the pads that these features are from the latest Ice Tech Pads lineup.
These come with radiation fins, which extends the overall lifespan of the pads.
Apart from that, the Servo-Wave design that the brakes implements offers a short amount of stroke.
That will allow you to quickly engage the brakes and stop your bike with the maximum amount of stopping power.
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Tektro or Shimano Bike Brakes?
Even though both the braking manufacturers have many high-quality brakes, they do have some differences between them.
The significant differences that lie in between them are:
Installation
In the case of Tektro brakes, they feature an open design. This open design makes the installation process look like a piece of cake.
Even if the biker does not have that much of mechanical skills, they will be able to get most of the brakes that are offered by Tektro installed on their bike easily.
Unfortunately, the same thing can not be said for the brakes that Shimano is offering.
The installation process tends to a bit tedious for the brakes that they offer. That means it is highly likely that the biker might have to get some professional help to install the brakes on their bike.
Build Quality
When it comes to the overall build quality, both of them are of quality materials that will be able to make the braking system last for an extended amount of time.
However, Tektro seems to take things a bit further in the case of build quality.
They include organic and ceramic-metal pads in their brakes. These pads are well known for the slow wearing process.
With those, you will not have to get your pads replaced that frequently.
Maintenance
In comparison, the brakes that Tektro are offering are easy to maintain because of the open design that they feature.
Apart from that, adjusting the calipers and the pads also get easier for that design.
Conclusion
Both the manufacturers are offering quality brakes for the money that will be able to offer you more than enough amount of stopping power.
However, if you want a hassle-free installation process and long-lasting pads, then you should opt for the ones that Tektro is offering.
With that being said, we would like to conclude our take on the topic Tektro Brakes vs. Shimano here by wishing you good luck.