The total reach of a standard Shimano road brake caliper is 51mm, which works great with most road bike with up to 700x25 tire, and possibly 28's depending on design and manufacturer variance. But if you have frame clearance for a little more tire, or are running a older fork designed for 27" wheels, having a longer reach brake caliper design is the way to go if you are running contemporary brake levers. Shimano ensures you can still get powerful braking, with feel and control from the BR-R650 Brake Caliper, which has a 57mm max reach. This Super SLR Dual Pivot caliper works ideally with road shift/brake levers that were designed for the Super SLR cable pull ratio (5600, 6600, 7800 and earlier), as well as Shimano's flat bar (mountain bike style) BR-R550 brake levers, which were designed for brake calipers with the Super SLR ratio.

The BR-R650's sit between 105 and Ultegra in overall performance and quality, with Ultegra design and mechanicals, with 105 level finish. Given that Shimano's dual pivot brake calipers from Dura-Ace through 105 deliver some of the top braking performance in the industry, you can trust that you are getting the level of braking and feel you require. You see the Ultegra-level detail in features such as the quick release lever, which is plated zinc, versus the resin version used by 105. The anodized aluminum finish is silver, and the easily adjusted replaceable cartridge shoe and holder can be adjusted for any rim/wheel set-up that has a 19-26mm external width, and requires caliper arm length from 47-57mm. The brake pad is the standard Shimano road R55C2, which means any of the R55C pad versions (carbon rim, ceramic, etc), as well as numerous aftermarket options with the Shimano standard are available for use as well.

Now get the caliper arm length and legitimate Shimano performance you need for your older steel road bike, newer bike with more tire capacity, or the flat bar/road brake townie you are building up from the Shimano BR-R650 Brake Caliper. Choose the front or rear version as needed, these calipers are sold individually Return to Top