Stop! Look! Listen! Time to take a break and have a little look at the latest offerings from our friends at Funn MTB with regards to their Drop-In Brakes.
Funn MTB have been making quality parts for longer than most of you have been riding. There products have been the product of choice on many a pro's bike. So let's look at their new disk brake offering.
Sam Hill's been running their low rise bar and direct mount Boxxer stem for a few seasons now and Greg Minnaar in his Honda days had the bars spec'd on his bike. Rennie ran the Soljam Viper Pedals when he wasn't even sponsored by them. Plus the Athertons ran most of their range including their signature "AAA" (triple A bars) back in the day.
Now we have Funn's latest product range of disk brakes to tease you with, which is headed up by their DH model the "Drop In" in glorious white!
I personally don't think Carrie Bradshaw from SATC will ever write about these in her New York publication. These levers are never going to win a fashion award. Yes they're in white which ticks a lot of boxes for many of you fashion gimps out there, they're just a little industrial looking. That said they work like a true machine. Smooth, predictable, reliable and maintenance free. These were on my bike for the Megavalanche and worked every time, even in the extreme cold and wet conditions up top to the baking hot sunshine at the bottom. In fact they're still on my bike now, ready for a hard winter ahead.
2 bolt clamp
Changing bars over is an easy job, even easier when the brakes have a double bolt clamp. Thus meaning no need to take off the shifter and grips. Also especially handy at Interbike Demo days at Boulder Canyon. We drive on the left hand side of the road here in the U.K, so that means back brake goes on the left. Why? Because we need to control the back brake when stopping at a junction and turning right. With our right hands waving in the air signaling, then braking would be very difficult wouldn't it?
Weight: 340g
U.K uplifts are a disaster (
check Diamond Back Decision Race Repo) as we have to stack our bikes together on an uplift on the back of a farm tractor and trailer up a bumpy road. Whilst we are seated separately. Hence plenty of uplift damage with scrapes and scratches to say the least. This is where we might like the hose to be less exposed and terminate on the inside of the caliper, would that make sense?
Caliper - Two Piece forged Color: Are you blind? White! O.K they also come in grey as well.
Two big pads in there. Who needs multiple pads? Even Peaty kept getting ticked off from Hope when he rode his single pads instead of the latest four or six pot ranges.
In summary they work! What else do you want to know? O.K so the hose isn't braided, that's heavy anyway. Fluid? DOT 4.
They work every time and it's up to you to decide whether you like the feel of them or not. I mean how many times have you heard "I love me Avids, Shimano's etc.." whilst the next man inline at the uplift screams, "Oh I hated them, they felt awful.."
Where can you buy them from? Contact your local distributor as listed here: make sure you get some original Funn spare pads (Pads -Sintered metallic) at the same time as ordering them. Not that they wear out quickly, I'm still on the original set! Just note the third party manufacturers haven't yet started making them.
Funn MTB Distributors.
Price in the U.K for one lever, one rotor, six bolts, hose and caliper:
160mm £99.99
180mm £104.99
203mm £109.99
Never, ever clip in..
Si Paton.
www.Descent-Gear.com THE 2009 Helmets Instock £129.99 incl p&p.
