Miche Primato brake callipers

After some years in the wilderness, Miche are back with a bang and the Primato dual-pivot brake callipers combine inspiring design, superb performance with a price tag and build quality set to delight enthusiasts and worry the competition.

Made from cold forged, brushed aluminium, their 49mm drop is just the ticket for undressed road, audax and posh winter bikes with close clearances wearing Salmon type mudguards. Despite my preference for silver, the high lustre black anodising looks suitably refined and likely to retain its beauty in the longer term. Firm, stainless springs and fittings are very much of the Italian tradition and won’t succumb to the salt monster.

Straight from the box, these firm springs and stout callipers inspire confidence while set up is both pleasingly quick and intuitive to anyone remotely familiar with dual pivot design. Shapely nylon barrel adjusters and a slicker quick release allow fine-tuning on the fly and are a marked improvements over the budget “Performance” siblings tested a few months back. Paired with mid range levers, stopping prowess is superb as are modulation and feel, thanks in no small part to the soft compound pads which are anything but generic.

Screaming full pelt into swooping descents and hauling the levers fully home hasn’t once threatened to lock a wheel in either wet or bone dry conditions- great for avoiding those ungainly touch of wheels in the bunch and equally useful when negotiating the urban jungle. I'm used to riding well-honed cantilevers and traditional European groupsets, I felt immediately at ease. However, those weaned on the very light action of Japanese callipers, particularly Shimano’s venerable 105 and 600 groups may find the Primato’s more positive action demands some adjusting to.

Verdict

Sexy stoppers with superb modulation and feel.