BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (BRAIN) — Rever, a new component brand from the owners of Jagwire, is now shipping its first product, a cable-actuated disc brake designed with the needs of U.S. cyclocross and gravel racers in mind.
Rever — pronounced like Paul Revere's surname — has been developing its dual-piston MCX1 brake for several years, both in Minnesota and Taiwan.
The MCX1 retails for $150 per wheel with caliper, 160mm 6-bolt rotor, Kevlar-reinforced compressionless cable housing, polished stainless steel cable and all other necessary hardware except the lever.
Rever has three employees in the U.S., who work from within QBP's facility in Bloomington, Minn. While QBP is the brand's exclusive U.S. distributor, it does not own Rever. Instead, like several other brands that QBP has distributed in the past, Rever is set up as kind of a long-term house guest at the company.
A Rever representative also emphasized that while Rever is owned by the same Taiwanese company that owns Jagwire, Chia Cherne LTD, they are being operated as separate brands — the Rever brake is not a Jagwire product.
Rever product manager Tanner Moffit said that during the brake's development, he spent "countless hours talking to mechanics and racers at all levels, to learn what they want from a brake, and what they need."
The company saw an opportunity to offer a highly adjustable, easily serviced cable-actuated system. Cables were chosen over hydraulics in part because if something goes wrong with a hydraulic line while traveling, racers sometimes can't find a shop with the necessary supplies and skills to fix it.
"But every shop has cables and knows how to work with them," Moffit said.
The caliper's adjustability allows it to be tuned for optimum performance with short-pull levers from Shimano, SRAM or Campagnolo.
And the caliper's pads are easily replaced, with the bike upright, the cable attached and wheels still in the frame or fork.
"You can change pads in 45 seconds," Moffit said. The pads are compatible with Shimano's G-type pads used in XT and XTR brakes. The Rever pad spring wraps around all sides of the pads, holding them in place and allowing the user to easily slide the pads-and-spring sandwich into the caliper with one hand.
The calipers are post-mount style and shipped with IS mount adapters. They are available now from QBP.
Moffit said other Rever products are in the works. Rever is focusing on aftermarket sales for the MCX1 initially, but eventually plans to offer the caliper to bike makers.
More information: riderever.com.
