I want to brake free...

It's always a "problem" for a simple single speeder.  There's very little technical innovation to get us excited.  I listen to scads of bike-related podcasts, but sometimes I find myself listening to an hour long conversation about something like the new Giant Anthem, and I'm really wondering is this is a good use of my hearing parts.  I know more about the Campagnola Super Record 13 and SRAM XPLR than I know about US presidents or basic geography, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing.

That said, every once in awhile, I get something to chew on.  The Fox 34SL.  Industry Nine SOLiX wheels.  A cosplay steer pipe.

32" wheeled rigid single speeds...

I was pretty stoked when Shimano updated their brakes back in June... although I had to listen to a lot about the new wireless shifting stuff... which while seeming pretty nifty neato, it's just not my bag.  I never really gelled with the 9120 brakes I had on the Epic (and for awhile the Radimus), and just stuck with the 9020 version which is (ZOMG) twelve years old?!?  They worked fine, were plenty powerful, I could adjust the reach on the fly (and in my sleep), and I adapted to the quirks of occasional two brakes/one cup bubble bleeds.  I became pretty proficient at maintaining them, and was also pretty familiar with the innards and had plenty of spare parts.

And I didn't wanna commit to upgrading three redundant single speeds to the new-new because I hate different brakes on (sorta) different bikes that get used for a similar purpose.

But since I was selling the Radimus and a whole buncha parts at the same time, I thought mebbe now was the time to embrace the future which is now.  After speaking with a couple people I hold in high regard, the term "game-changer" kept getting tossed about.

You win, Shimano.

Since I'm YOLO'ing the big wheel project, I decided I could at least up my brake game on the two bikes I'll probably end up riding the most, the Optimus and the future Biggus Dikkus.  I feel bad about abandoning my "no Vertigo left behind" policy, but if the 32er works out, the Vertigo is mebbe gonna see the few garvel single speed bike cycle sport races I might do, and...

Dunno.

I'm hoping I don't have to come to terms that it's relegated to bar bike/grocery getter duty, but it has to stay in the house more than the Stickel does, as it is even less future-proof than the Vertigo.

I did make the mistake of only glancing at the install manual, because what coulda changed over the past decade plus?

What dat?

Enough changed for me to make some dumb assumptions, and I ended up with fluid squirting all over the floor, and I had trouble finding the rubber boot hiding right in front of my eyes in its special boot-hole in the box, but fortunately my ignorance only cost me an olive and a sore butt from kicking myself repeatedly for being so dumb.

I opted for the 9220 lever paired with the 9020 caliper.  That's enough brake for a four apple tall man quickly approaching his sexagenarian era.  I rode them Saturday.  They did feel... good.  They are noticeably different, but in a good way.

I gotta get used to looking at them tho.  The lever bits are way bigger (to me)...

and look a little Robocop'ish aesthetically speaking

So there's that.

I can't convince myself to upgrade to the new pedals tho... being that I have a new set of now "old pedals" in a box on the shelf.

SO TAKE THAT, SHIMANO.

Now... SOMEONE BUY ALL MY OLD BRAKES... or the barely used XTs that are up on that same shelf... or that Santa Cruz crabon flat bar I'm too ashamed to put on the marketplace... or...