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On test: Sampson Stratics Brakes, April 28, 2005
White smoke from the chimney: carbon-wrap is the new chrome
Sampson's new carbon-wrapped brake calipers are put through their paces by Cyclingnews 'carbonista' Steve Beletich.
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Sampson are one of a growing breed of boutique frame makers who also manufacture selected bicycle components. Conceived in 1988, the Denver Colorado company offers a range of carbon/aluminium/titanium road bike frames, handlebars, stems, seatposts, cranksets and, more recently, brake calipers.
Although they look all-carbon, the Sampson Stratics calipers are actually fairly conventional aluminium units, cleverly wrapped with a black carbon fibre weave which is intended to add stiffness and save weight. Both front and rear calipers are identical dual-pivot design, although the fronts have a longer bolt to allow for the thicker front fork. Other features include a balancing screw to keep the pads symmetrical, along with steel cable guides and cable clamps.
Sampson claims weights of 159g for the front and 151g for the rear caliper (310g total) which compares to 308g for Record and 305g for Dura-Ace. You might as well say they're equal weight - what's 5g amongst friends? Blow your nose and you'll shed more weight than this. The real point of difference, aside from the carbon wrap, is the price. The Sampsons are around US$60 cheaper per set than both Record and Dura-Ace. Not bad for components of equivalent weight. In an altogether different stratosphere are the Zero Gravitys - a mind-blowing total weight of 168g, with price point to match.
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Of course weight is isn't everything - brake calipers have a vitally important safety role to play. But before we get to that, let's get the superficiality out of the way. The Sampson Stratics are definitely the business when it comes to looks. Let's face it, carbon fibre weave is currently the finish of choice for road bike components. The new chrome you might say. As I rode with Stratics installed, or sipped espresso adjacent to Stratics, the heads of fellow riders turned and their eyes bulged.
Enough said on this topic.
After several weeks of riding with the Sampson Stratics calipers, and thinking long and hard about how brakes are supposed to perform, I concluded that there are two identifiable braking conditions under which your brakes must function effectively. For simplicity let's call these two conditions yellow phase and red phase.
Yellow phase is moderate braking - you want to reduce your speed gradually in order to avoid an obstacle, another rider, or to slow down approaching a yellow traffic signal in the distance. Red phase is hard braking, including emergency braking. You need to slow dramatically, or come to a complete halt, in order to avoid a collision or to stop at a red signal (which we all of course do, unfailingly).
Brakes must operate reliably and predictably during both phases. Yellow phase braking demands a high degree of control - you want to be able to alter the stopping force accurately, over a wide range, in order to adjust your speed precisely. You don't want the brakes to grab but you want some stopping power on demand. Modulation is the key word here, rather than brute force.
Red phase braking means decelerating as quickly as possible and damn the consequences. However of course you do not want to go over the handlebars or lock a wheel.
I found that the Stratics were very effective in yellow phase. Modulation was good and I had the same fine level of control I am used to from my previous high-end calipers. Red phase braking was a little different however. When asked the big question, the Stratics did not have quite the same answer that my other brakes had. It's not as though I couldn't stop as rapidly as I needed to, it's just that the amount of brake lever effort required was greater with the Stratics.
By way of illustration, I envisaged for the Stratics a curve of brake lever effort (horizontal axis) versus resultant stopping power (vertical axis). I would expect the plotted line to rise at an angle, until the extreme right-hand side of the graph, where it tends to level off somewhat. Not that the line would go horizontal - there was still more stopping power available if I squeezed the lever harder. However the level of squeeze required was increasingly disproportionate to the amount of stopping power produced. 'Brake fade' is probably a suitable term for this phenomenon. It's the opposite of the brakes 'grabbing', which the Stratics did not do, and which is probably a less desirable outcome. I've seen the chin scars that can result from this kind of acrobatic activity.
So, whilst the Stratics modulation and control were good under moderate braking, extreme yanking on the levers did not quite produce the expected amount of stopping power. Although it has to be said, the Stratics are significantly cheaper than Record or Dura-Ace, by around 25 percent. I did also find them to be more effective than my old 1999 Shimano 105 calipers. Hence I would put them somewhere in between these two reference points - not as effective as the megabuck jobs, but still quite respectable performance. The good news is that they weigh roughly the same as Record and Dura-Ace, and they look schmick. At a price point of US$189, they stack up to be good value. And let's face it, they're something a little different that's definitely going to turn heads. Carbon wrap is the new chrome. Amen.
Suggested retail price: US$189
Claimed weight: 159g front + 151g rear = 310g
Measured weight: 315g/pr
Materials: Aluminium, carbon fibre
Pros: Good control under moderate braking, weight, looks
Cons: Performance during severe braking
More information: www.sampsonsports.com
Cyclingnews Rating: 
Steve explains: A 'fashionista' is a journalist who reports on fashion and a 'Vaticanista' is a journalist who reports on the Vatican. Ergo, a 'carbonista' is a journalist who reports on the latest in carbon fibre bike componentry - in this case the Sampson Stratics brake calipers.
