Review on 🚴 Black Shimano R451 Front Mid-Reach Road Brake Caliper by Darrell Beecher

Get a Trek aluminum bike with V cantilever brakes. Because. I wanted this because my cantilever brakes didn't stop well even after changing the pads. After much research I read that the caliper brakes are stronger and more responsive. I didn't want to switch to disc brakes as it felt like overkill. I saw that my frame had a center upgrade hole and decided the Trek holes would be universal. So I went ahead and ordered. Well, here's the good news: The calipers themselves were of high quality and well padded for transport to avoid scratching the black painted surface. The installation itself went well, but I wasn't ready for all the custom work of parts, tools, and instructions. Here's a list of things I've been through. The manual only contains a link to a downloadable PDF file. But the PDF is only part of the assembly scheme. But there are no installation instructions. Of course, the installation instructions seemed obvious. But I was able to look up how to install a dual pivot caliper on YouTube. I had to do custom things 1) The cantilever brakes I had previously were easy to remove, but there were two cantilever posts that had to be removed from the fork. This turned out to be a really difficult task. The only way to get it off (by turning it counter-clockwise) was with a vise. (Search YouTube for remove console posts and you'll see what I mean.) Every other wrench just ripped off console posts. (1 1/2 inches long). 2) The hole for the caliper axle was too small so I used a 6mm or 15/64 US metal drill bit for the hole on the front. But the nut on the back is a countersunk nut which requires the hole on the back to be larger than the hole on the front. This hole turned out to be 8mm or 5/16 US. DO NOT drill 8mm into both the front and rear of the fork. only one side with 6mm and one side with nut for 8mm 3) To remove the cantilever brake I had to cut the brake cable to remove the cable cap. I was able to use needle nose pliers to cut the cable without buying wire cutters. 4) After the new brakes are installed you need to cover the cut wire. I didn't have lids so I had to buy a 100 pack for $5 here at Revain. After cutting the cable with pliers, the metal cable was frayed, making anyone who grabbed the bike near the brakes a hazard. So I really felt like I needed to steam the cable. 5) Finally, the rear brakes are angled for the mounting hole so that the seatpost will prevent you from drilling the rear hole. So the only solution was to buy a right angle drill adapter for my heavy duty drill press that would fit drill bits up to 8mm/17/64. Costs $23 on Revain. Make sure the drill adapter you buy will at least fit drills up to 8mm in diameter and that the angle is short enough to fit. Some were too long when I checked their sizes. 6) optional - some people commented that the brake pads in this kit could be better. Even if many do not express themselves. I went ahead and bought $7 Origin 8 pads here at Revain as the reviews on Facebook were great and they weren't too expensive. So after all that. I hope this gave you an idea that going from cantilever to these dual pivot calipers is no quick project without some prep. In truth, it's doubtful whether upgrading from another manufacturer would be any easier. So it's not Shimano's fault. But only the type of upgrade. If you have a center pivot caliper you can just use the nut from the old kit without having to drill an 8mm hole. I've seen some instructions from people that made it work fine. These Shimanos are inexpensive and look really good. Second, there's a snap-on rotary switch tab that you flip when you remove the hoops. Not something mentioned anywhere that I could see.