How much braking power should I expect?

[indysteel]

The calipers can matter a lot but Mirage are modern dual pivot short reach calipers. These should be plenty stiff.

Remember that those calipers would have been Record calipers only a few years back.

BTW, were you smiling as you were descending? I ask because it helps you relax. I wonder if you had your hands tensed even if you weren't squeezing the levers. Just asking because I certainly empathize.

Yeah, I thought your fit would be good.

Smiling? Probably not. For some reason, these downhills in particular had me spooked because they had sharp turns at the bottom that the ride organizers warned us about. Plus, some of the roads were kind of torn up. I felt more uneasy than I normally do. I'll watch my upper body tension next time.

Frankly, I was tense all the way around for at least half of this ride. I had the hot foot from hell and it made for a very long day in the saddle.

I'll make sure everything checks out. The more I think about it, the more I have to wonder if my cables have stretched since March. That seems like a likely issue.

Thanks for all the helpful input.

[aicabsolut]

Calipers matter. In my experience trying to stop from slow speeds (anticipating the stop) on a steep downhill grade (almost always catch a red light at the bottom), Ultegra calipers are a huge step above 105. I will probably upgrade my 105 calipers to Ultegra or Ultegra-SL before I upgrade my shifters because they bother me so much. I can lock up a wheel without too much effort on the flat by grabbing hard, but there's something about these calipers where some added gravity is just too much for them.

I know that some other manufacturers (SRAM, Campy), tend to have similar functionality in lower end models as higher end for all components, and weight and design are the primary advances made with more $$, but perhaps not with everything, like your calipers.

[SadieKate]

Campy has traditionally brought in new designs at the Record level and then moved everything down a level (last year's Record is relabeled as current year's Chorus). Those Mirage calipers should be the same as the Chorus brakes I rode from 1999 to 2007, and were plenty powerful.

Campy has also been known for stiffer arms across the levels as opposed to Shimano, which has had noticeable differences between levels.

Indy, I betcha that the tenseness had a lot to do with it. I've done the same thing.