Are Shimano R685 any good?

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User33236

Guest
In the hope that my bike gets written off tomorrow I've been window shopping online at replacements.

My requirements are a drop bar bike, 50/34 chairing, 11-28 or 32 cassette, 105 or SRAM equivalent, and disc brakes.

One that caught my eye is the Fuji Sportif 1.1 LE which has Shimano R685 hydraulic brakes. Is anyone using these and are they any good?
 

vickster

Legendary Member
What's your budget?

The PX London road looks good with SRAM Rival (in green or silver colour of course) http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXLDNRIV/planet-x-london-road-sram-rival-22-road-bike

The Fuji does look good in red, but personally I favour SRAM always
 
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User33236

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Budget is flexible but ideally looking at a not spending much over £1400 on the bike as I plan to change wheels and saddle to those of my choice. I've never used SRAM, all my bikes so far have been Shimano, but would not discount it.

The No 1 bike is already a PX. The one I'd be replacement was the commuting / bad weather bike.

The London Road does look great in black though :laugh:
 
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User33236

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Nowt wrong with the London road as a commuter

I rather like the Whyte range too
The London Road is a bit too similar looking to my RT-58.

As I am an impatient sod I was limiting my search to what local bike shops have in stock. As always though that is subject to change :-)
 
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User33236

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User33236

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Have fun test riding :smile:

Did you get that leg wound rechecked?
Yep, got a doctor along the corridor from my office to give it the once over yesterday.
 
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User33236

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Mrs SG has one of those and would be seriously unimpressed if I got one too.

Plus I don't rate the brakes on it. They are the same as on my poorly CAADX which I ended up swapping out for BB7. Mrs SG has recently had me do the same change on her Synapse.
 
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My commute bike went from BB5's to BB7's to Spyres to HyRd's and then finally to Shimano R685, apart from the cost of the upgrade I would say that you can't get better brakes on a road bike. My other "nice" bike has Ultegra with decent pads and there is no comparison.
If I had to choose only one bike for the future, then it would definitely have hydraulics on it.
 
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User33236

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My commute bike went from BB5's to BB7's to Spyres to HyRd's and then finally to Shimano R685, apart from the cost of the upgrade I would say that you can't get better brakes on a road bike. My other "nice" bike has Ultegra with decent pads and there is no comparison.
If I had to choose only one bike for the future, then it would definitely have hydraulics on it.
Thanks that is helpful.
 

smutchin

Cat 6 Racer
Location
The Red Enclave
Seconded to what tincaman said. One of two the bikes I've been riding recently has TRP HyRd brakes, which are very good indeed, but the other has Shimano R685, which are just soooooo much better.
 

SpokeyDokey

67, & my GP says I will officially be old at 70!
Moderator
Use to have all this years back in MTB World - this brake is better than that brake etc etc.

Tbh - they all worked pretty much the same. Pull the lever and you slow down or come to a complete stop.

Once you get beyond different pads, adjustment mechanisms and weight; a hydraulic brake is a hydraulic brake.

Much money will be spent on making consumers think otherwise...

...with considerable success too.
 
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