I have a new Trek 2100 with Alloy Dual Pivot brake calipers. Should I be concerned with the quality of them and upgrade to the 105's or Ultegra's? Whhat is hte diffrence between the dual pivot's and the 105's? This is my first road bike so I am a little concerned.

Thanks,

ZZ

The upper level brakes are also Dual-pivot... same basic design but differences in materials, etc..

I wouldn't worry about it. Upgrade them if they wear out but the important thing is to keep the brakes well maintained with good pads, keep the cables adjusted correctly & in good working order, etc..

Dura Ace brakes suck just as bad if the pads are worn or the cables are out of adjustment.

Ben

They work fine for me, although I've never ridden ultegra to compare. I've only put about 100 miles on the bike, but I havent had any problems. I am still getting used to the transition from my mtb's v-brakes, but I'm getting there. :)

I thought that the brakes are the weakest part of the 2100, but when I asked a guy at a non Trek bike shop and the owner of my LBS they said that the performance of different brakes are similar, in that the main diffenence between our generic ones and let's say Ultegra is the weight. I was recommended to remove the residual brake rubber from the wheel by rubbing hair spray with a rag and to lightly sand the brake pads with a very fine sand-paper. Later Folks, 5KBob (Run and ride hard)
P.S. I love the smooth ride of the 2100 and the classic top tube look.