This brake, which Tektro calls the R538, should be on the cover of every self-respecting cycling magazine in the cowboy world, because it makes a huge contribution in an area that Shimano, Campy, and SRAM totally ignore. If you ride sidepulls and fatter tires and currently use Shimano 47-57 reach brakes, this Tektro Bigmouth 57 will improve your life like there's no tomorrow or the week after that.

All other road-bikeish sidepulls are designed for tires no larger than 28mm. You open the quick-release to take out or put in a wheel, and the brake shoes widen about 4mm. If your rim is a typical 19.5mm rim and the brake adjustment is normal and your tire is a 32 or larger, you have to deflate the wheel to get it out; or adjust it with the barrel adjuster all the way up, and lower it all the way down and hope that's enough, and it might be, but no guarantees.

This bigmouth brake has the same kind of quick-release the Silver sidepull has. When you open it, the calipers open wide-wide. Not from here to Antarctica, but 9mm is nothing to sneeze at when it lets you remove a much fatter tire than a Shimano will. If you adjust it with the barrel UP, then open it up and screw the barrel DOWN, there's probably a 11.23 mm difference. That's colossal, and it's a good colossal.

That alone should sell this brake, but there's even more. The calipers are better-shaped to handle fenders. You know how, with a Shimano sidepull, when you apply the brake, the underside of the calipers push the everlovin' fenders into the tire? These are less likely to do that and probably won't, because they're rounderjust like the silvers.

They are, for all intents and purposes, mini-Silvers.

Fancy slip in cartridge brake pad holders (compatible with these inserts).

These are an ideal and true upgrade for any Rambouillet, Romulus, custom Rivendell that currently uses the 47/57 Shimano sidepull, or any brake that now has a "long reach" sidepull on it (47-57 reach) and allen fittings.

This is tremendous news, a real breakthrough. It lets you ride fatter tires on your Rambouillet (etc, see above) without having to deflate the friggin' tire just to put it in or take it out.

Price is for the pair (one bike's worth).