--- title: "Brembo Brakes Are Going on Mountain Bikes Now" description: "[Brembo](), popular purveyor of [high-performance brakes]() for cars and motorcycles, is jumping into a new market and arena of sport: downhill mountain biking. The [Formula 1]() and [MotoGP]() brake supplier will now be making cute little brake calipers for Specialized's…" date: "2025-06-18" modified: "2025-06-18" authors: - name: "Andrew P. Collins" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/andrew-p-collins" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/brembo-brakes-are-going-on-mountain-bikes-now" categories: - "Aftermarket" - "Car Tech" - "News" - "Racing" --- # Brembo Brakes Are Going on Mountain Bikes Now ![Brembo brake on Specialized racing bike.]() *\Billy Lebelge\* [Brembo](), popular purveyor of [high-performance brakes]() for cars and motorcycles, is jumping into a new market and arena of sport: downhill mountain biking. The [Formula 1]() and [MotoGP]() brake supplier will now be making cute little brake calipers for Specialized's 2025 UCI MTB World Series race bike. And yes, they are red. There have been some one-off custom bicycles with Brembo brakes in the past, but this is the first proper OE application on something with pedal power. The [Specialized Gravity Team]() will be running Brembo's new bike brake system (it's not just the calipers) on its race bikes starting with the Val di Sole event, coming up June 20-22. It makes sense—downhill bikes don't hit MotoGP speeds, but absolutely go fast enough to justify extreme braking performance. Especially at the highest level of competition. I did a couple of downhill mountain bike races in my youth as an amateur—never did a full day of downhill riding without damaging a significant component (usually bent wheels). ![Specialized Brembo brake rear caliper.]() ![Specialized Brembo brake lever.]() ![Specialized downhill race bike for 2025.]() New business relationships also surely had a hand in making this happen. Specialized has run Öhlins suspension (another brand that also does elite equipment for motorsport and road vehicles) on its race bikes for many years, and [Brembo acquired Öhlins]() just a few months ago. The Swedish company is still providing suspension for Specialized's race program (and some of its consumer bikes, too). As for the mechanical details on Brembo's new bike brakes, here's what the brand shared: "The braking system, both front and rear, includes an axial brake master cylinder with a floating diameter of 9 mm and a triple lever adjustment (lever ratio, lever reach, and free stroke), allowing riders to customize the braking feel according to their preferences. The brake master cylinder is paired with a post-mount caliper featuring four “isolated” aluminum pistons with 18 mm diameter to provide high braking power. The master cylinder and the caliper are connected by a braided steel hose to ensure consistent and precise lever travel. The system is completed by a fixed brake rotor, specifically designed to match the caliper, with an enlarged braking surface to optimize heat dissipation during extreme use." ![Brembo bicycle brakes front lever.]() ![Specialized Brembo brake rear caliper.]() ![Specialized Brembo race bike.]() ![Brembo bicycle brakes.]() I asked my Brembo contact if the brake kit would be available as a standalone consumer option at some point, and the answer wasn't a yes or a no. As they shared via email: "Brembo has decided to enter the cycling sector with an initial supply in the Racing applications world: this is the first step into the realm of competitive bike racing and a new sector for Brembo and our racing business unit. We cannot speak to future potential in the bicycle industry right now, but this is not an opportunistic partnership - it is strategic. Brembo and Specialized have just embarked on a journey that we hope will lead to further innovations in the near future." Specialized's factory riders usually have special prototype race bikes they use in competition, so I doubt you'll be able to grab one of these off the shelf right away. But of course, the brand goes racing to move merchandise, so I'm guessing these brakes, or at least a version of them, will trickle down to production status eventually. You can buy the [Specialized Demo Race bike]() for about $7,100 right now, that model's not sporting Brembos yet but it does have Öhlins suspension. This makes me want to get out and ride—my own Specialized has been collecting dust in the garage; I'll roll it out again if it ever stops raining here in NY. *Know about any other car-brand/mountain bike collabs? Drop the author a line at andrew.collins@thedrive.com.* ## Author As Executive Editor, Andrew touches everything on the site from daily news coverage to feature stories, sponsored content, product reviews, road testing vehicles, ecommerce, and more. He's held pretty much every role there is to have at an automotive news site and has been with The Drive's publisher Recurrent since 2020. Andrew's a lifetime gearhead and longtime writer with a particularly strong penchant for road trips, off-road adventures, and archaic vehicles. His passions outside of the automotive world include skiing, obsolete video games, and his dog Bramble who occationally helps review cars. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()