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One for the hive mind.
Are Shimano flat mount calipers all the same? I thought they were and was about to pull the trigger on a new set of brakes but the retailer is saying they are out of stock of rear calipers. Can I just buy 2 "fronts"? I have all the mounts etc already so no worries there.
Is it due to the hose length?
Fronts are usually 1000mm and rear around 1700mm? Unless this was just the caliper?
I bought a full set ready bled and needed to get back and front so know brakes inside out now after having a field day with mine!
I'm buying just the calipers. I'm pairing GRX calipers with Dura Ace levers, so buying the components separately.
Do they have different parts numbers? Are there pictures on the Shimano website that you can use to compare? You could also try buying one caliper and seeing if it fits both ends of the bike ok.
They are the same, as in the calliper is the same, but as stated above, dependent on series (DA vs. GRX for example) either the callipers or the levers come with the hoses. For GRX it’s the callipers, for DA it’s the levers or it was for 9100 and 815 respectively.
just fitted some 105 ones that I'd separated from the levers (and labelled!)some time ago as I needed post mount for that build...I'm not 100% sure but I think the front ones come with a reversible mount 160/140 disk sizes, you have to fit the mount and comes with the standard bolts for fixing to the fork. The rear doesn't have an intermediate mount and the standard bolts it come with may or may not fit the frame.
Yeah rear bolts through the chain stay directly into the caliper, whereas front needs the adapter bolted to it so the adapter can then be bolted to the fork.
Think that's the only difference.
Use of the adaptor depends on the spec of the frame for a size of rotor. Direct mount callipers are sized for 140mm rotors as standard when used on a frame/fork sized for that size rotor. The adaptor up front allows for 160f and in use on the rear, 160r. But many (most?) frames these days are sized for 160mm front and rear, especially for gravel, so the rear doesn't usually need an adaptor, but the front often still does. Open have a 160mm front and rear frame and fork which uses DM callipers without any adaptors. My Carbonda and Litespeed both need adaptors (or they would were they not using HOPE RX4+) to run 160mm rotors.
Just buy the Hope ones, they are amazing and come with 2 pairs of pads each so at £80 well worth it.
The confusing world of flat mount disc brakes! I'd be happy if they got rid of them tbh, I find them annoying without any benefit
Great info, thanks all, especially Daffy. I'm all set with adaptors already and it sounds like I might not even have to buy hoses. Winner.
I hadn't considered the Hope calipers but, thankfully, I'm in NZ and nobody stocks them here so that decision is made for me.
Looking to mine the callipers are identical but the adapters are completely different.