Review! The (updated) Tririg Omega X

In 2013 I reviewed the Omega (here) and said it was one of the best aero brakes ever. That was after having the thing for a couple of days.

Fast forward to 2015, I now own 5 Omega's (including the X I'm reviewing here) The original two I reviewed (now on my P3 after I retired my Planet X) impressed me so much I ended up buying two more when I updated my Zipp 2001. So when I wanted to get my Felt back on the road, there wasn't much of a choice to make as to what brake I'd be using.

So, in case you didn't see this coming, spoiler... I like this brake, a lot. With that out of the way, we can get down to business. How much better is the "X" than the old Omega. First, let's have a look at what has changed.

What comes in your box. Plenty of included adjustments

Overall Shape

Tririg touts this as a completely new offering, not just an update... and while I feel like that might be a bit of a stretch, I'll roll with it. It feels more like a "re-boot" than a true sequel, but as there wasn't a lot not to like about the original, why ruin the recipe. The brake is a little taller and a little chunkier than the original (by small amounts) but is clearly more refined. The extra space for vertical movement in the brake pads is a welcome addition, and the "stress crack free" (I'm sure Tririg has replaced their fair share of the original face plates due to over-tightening) magnetic face plate is both a much cleaner shape for the wind and more practical for home wrenching.

Front Plate Fairing

Speaking of the front plate... it's a huge improvement. The magnets are strong, and there is just enough other material sliding into place that I am confident that it will stay intact through even some of the most jarring roads.  Having no bolt holes does a huge amount of work for the eyeball aerodynamics of this thing as well... I remember people taping over some of the old TRP front brakes bolt holes back in the day, and while it's possible it didn't help at all, I always thought those people did a good job covering all the bases. (even the small ones) Being an quasi aero nerd myself, the cleanness of this setup will no doubt start to erode my sanity every time I look at the bolts on the front of my old Omegas.

The front profile on my Felt

The Improved "Wedge" and levers (how you stop)

I'll preface this with the following... 1.) I've only had it installed for a short amount of time, enough for a ride or two, and 2.) I never experienced anything but excellent braking performance from the original. (Which I use one set with a 3T Ventus and i-link cables, which has no return spring. Some people seem to take issue with that)

So it stopped all 160lbs of me. Pretty effortlessly really. It's no Hydraulic, disc, or even dura-ace level of stopping power, but it's damn good, plenty powerful enough to cause you to endo if you locked it up. I often question how many people really experienced poor braking performance with the Omega's and how many didn't properly set it up. Anyways, the Omega is far and clear one of the best stopping aero brakes ever made, and this one is said to be an improvement. (I can't tell... it stops well enough to make me happy, that's what I know) The setup certainly "looks" more efficient with the redesign.

From the side, fitting before the install.

Easier Compatibility 

No doubt about it, this thing is well situated to fit on a wide variety of bikes, regardless of what kind of mounting system they use. All of the major "standards" of mounting have been covered, and while it's (at least currently) a useless luxury for me personally, I can appreciate the extra hardware that came with this brake, especially on the off chance I buy a bike using one of these mounting systems in the future. It makes life infinitely easier (and I suppose cheaper to swap) for people who have multiple bikes that DO have different mounting hardware, as opposed to having to choose between the original design and the SV, now you just add an extra piece and go.

One thing I've always thought was genius about the Omega (and now the X) is that there is no need to specify front or rear. With the (included) different bolt lengths you can easily change your mind on the go as to which point you want each of your brakes, which isn't just nice from a design standpoint, (say you upgrade bikes and your new bike has an integrated brake/fork on the front... just change bolt length and throw it on the back) but also a great thing for the re-sale market (where rear only brakes usually sell for a good bit less) if you ever decide to unload your Omega.

The brake will also fit pretty much any wheel/tire you could imagine running. at 32mm max spread you can fit any aero fat wheel you want in there.

The bad

Unfortunately, unlike the original Omega, the X has a non-removable hanger/cable stop. To get the full "center pull" setup you now need to buy the separate "no hanger" back plate. That's not the end of the world, but adding $50 to an already near $200 brake is starting to sting the wallet of even the big spenders. It's the one stumble backwards in an otherwise good step forward from Tririg in my opinion. Perhaps if the original hadn't included a way to change it up I wouldn't be bemoaning it, but it did, and I am.

The X is also a small bit heavier from all accounts. Now being civilized and educated modern folk, we don't care so much about weight on our tri/tt bikes any more, but I suppose there is always going to be the weight weenie out there outraged at the gram change.

Those things aside, it's hard to argue against this as the king of the aero brakes. Good power, easier installation, (possibly) improved aerodynamics... a winning combination from Tririg. It will continue to be the brake I choose on my tri/tt bikes, and I don't know a better recommendation a person can give than that.

Tririg's Omega X page

Thanks so much for reading! I really appreciate it.

- Christopher Morelock

The Zipp Strikes Back!

Part 2

cleaning up the mess. Hi Spider Man!

Last week I started breaking down the Zipp 2001 for a "refresher." Well I'm happy to say things are turning out even sexier than I had imagined they would. There have been a couple of "woo sah" take a breath annoying moments, but overall it's been a fairly straightforward and easy upgrade. The one thing of note that changed from what I had suggested as my final build last week is the extensions. I ended up using my Cobb Wrist Relief's over the Tririg Gamma's. Both are excellent extensions and both work pretty well for me, so in the end I chose the Cobb's because I've always liked the way the bend looks better than ski style... and for this bike cool was as big a factor as function. Likewise, cool factor was the deciding factor on whether to run bare cable or housing down to the front brake.

Everything coming together on the front end. The cable routing is insanely clean.

This post is not a review of the Tririg Sigma stem... but it would be criminal not to take a moment to praise it. I expected good stuff from Tririg in the first place, but the more I mess with the thing, the more I like it. You might notice that I've got two spacers under it, something I almost never do. Well, the Stem itself is so short I was afraid that if I cut the steerer tube any shorter I would never be able to use the fork again if I changed the stem... (which, you know, will probably never happen, but still) which is mainly an issue because finding a 650c 1" aero fork is not the easiest thing to do. That aside (and, that's actually a good thing 99% of the time) the thing is tight. I appreciated the hidden bolts and the "cap" to run the cables through works perfectly with the nokons. I'd love to see a negative ° stem in the future. I know there are reasons against it, but man that thing would sell!


Anyways, back to the Zipp. There were a couple of snags. First, the Cobb wrist relief extensions aren't the smoothest on the inside. Actually there is a lot of raw carbon just hanging out in there, so pushing the finicky Nokons through (without messing them up) was a challenge. Eventually I used an old derailleur cable and a lot of manpower to get it in correctly.

Omega installed!  400 front wheel showing that it was built to last ;)

Then of course there was the rear brake setup. I went back and forth a couple of times trying to decide whether or not to run the housing stopper on top of the Omega. Eventually I went with it, as I could get a little bit better power than I could running the noodle straight in. I'm not happy with the choice, but it's acceptable.

Everything else was pretty easy and straightforward. Lots of Vaseline at the cable entry points and around any bolt that is exposed to possible water/grime. (Important on all the Zipps) Now it's a matter of lining up the brakes with the wheels and putting the bad boy back on the road.

Also exciting is that the Cobb Mobb kits design is finished! Below is the two-piece. More interesting (to me at least) is the unique one piece design, which features an open stomach. It's the option I'll be going with most assuredly (more aero) and, secretly I've always wished it was easier to pee before a race in a onesie (hiking the leg up is awfully uncomfortable. ) Plus it should be much easier to stuff that "awakening" ice down the front in a hot race! Anyways, the kits will be made by COBB, so I'm expecting great things!

What you'll see me rocking in 2014!

Finally for this snowy day (it's 7° here today...sigh) I thought I'd mention some amazing blended whisky I bought last week. Hibiki 12 year is insanely smooth. Don't even say the word "mixer" in it's presence. The only thing you mix this with is whisky stones. (go home ice) Anyways, if "mid to upper" shelf whisky is something you are interested in, I highly suggest this stuff. It's on par with some of the better Scotch I've had.

One of the smoothest blended whisky's I've ever had... and I've had a couple ;) 

Anyways, it's time for me to dust off the rollers and get a workout in on my snow day!

Until next week, thanks for reading.

- Christopher Morelock

Review! The Tririg Omega

(Link here for the Omega X review)

I admit, I'm a bit behind the times on this one. The Omega has been out for some time now, and the only excuse I have is Apathy. That's unfortunate, because this brake is excellent.

First, let me say that I still like my Simkins Egg brake a lot. It's like an old friend, I'm used to it, comfortable with it's quirkiness, and that has led to some of my timidness in trying the Omega. I've had MANY center pull brakes (everything from Delta's and AX's to Zipp's to self made Cobb Hacks) and they all had a couple of things in common
- they were hard to adjust and center
- they were a pain when it came to switching between tires/wheels at times
- none of them stopped very well.

Simkins Egg brake was where I found myself. Good stopping power, only *some* annoyance installing and adjusting it, and tested well. I have ran it for two years on my Planet X (front only) and since I have had my Zipp 2001.

Finally, after a long time of lusting over the Tririg, I pulled the trigger on two (front and back) and this past week I finally got around to installing them and riding.

Lining up with the rear wheel was really simple, and it's fairly flush too.

You can see the way the Nokon cables run really tight to the frame. Go go expensive cable housing!

The installation on these things is the first thing that struck me as ingenious. Straight from the box I could tell this thing was well thought out and as practical (the bolts used are, for the most part, exactly what you can buy at home depot.) as a brake designed to one of the most unpractical demographics in history (triathletes) can be. The brake easily breaks apart so that you can install the right length screw for your fork / rear (I did have to go to Home Depot to buy a shorter bolt for the rear) and goes back together equally well. Not much room to mess it up, fairly idiot proof.

Picture stolen :) But this is what comes in your package.

The adjustment was the second thing that I quickly came to love. Once the brake is centered there is a set screw in each arm that allows for individual adjustment! That's huge!  I was really able to dial in the brake to what I felt like was the absolute optimum setup. Other aero brakes (especially center pulls) could be pretty tricky, especially if you were running a wheel that isn't 100% true (in my case my HED3) No problem with the Omega.

In the background... Softride, Zipp, work bench... tons of junk. Foreground... a clean front end!

Ok, ok... it slices, it dices... but does it stop?

When you go out of the garage at my house there is a fairly long hill that spills out into a 4 way stop. It's not super steep, but there have been times (mainly the first time I rode on my Zipp bike before I changed the front brake from the stock setup) when it was a harrowing (read: nearly life ending) experience. It's a good test as to whether the brakes would stop me or not. So, not without a little bit of anxiety (I mean... it is a center pull brake at it's core) I start down the descent. I test the brakes early, and speed is shaved. As I get towards the bottom I apply force to the front brake (Have I mentioned this thing comes with Salmon Pads! That's awesome, I refuse to use any other pads for my aluminum wheels.) and... low and behold... I stop.

Another picture of the front profile. This thing lines up great with my fork! Plus a shoutout to my Airborne Guardian.

Not dramatically. Not in any special way. Very unforgettably and unceremoniously. Which is exactly what I want my brake to do! Allow me to put it out of my mind.

So what are the negatives?

Well, at $175/each, they most certainly aren't cheap IF you just want to stop. A pair of race quality brakes are easily attainable for under $50 if that's your thing... but if you are considering this brake... it likely isn't. A quick check on the interweb has this for comparison.

Omega - $175
Simkins - $220
Hooker (ebay bin price) - $500 (set)
Weinmann Delta's (ebay bin) - $349 (set)
Campy Delta (ebay bin) - $300 (rear only)
Zipp 2001 Brake + Carbon Cover (ebay bin)  - $400 (rear only - wuuut... anyone want to buy one :D )
Random Side Pulls (Oval, TRP, Campy) - anywhere from $80 - $120

Dura Ace 7900 Calipers will set you back around $100 each. (I consider DA brakes the standard by which all brakes stopping power should be compared.)

Of the above listed brakes, only the Hooker is faster than the Omega. (source: Dr. Coggan's mini-wind tunnel brake test - on the Omega White Paper)

Of the above listed brakes, Only the Dura Ace and Simkins are on par with stopping power. The hooker I used to have also stopped fairly well (for how old it is especially) but has it's own limitations (the pads being a big one) All delta brakes I've owned I would consider downright dangerous.

Still the king of the mountain, but at what cost?

Other minor gripes include the fact that the set screws on each arm are 2m hex. This is a moderately obscure size for anything... making digging for the right wrench a pita.

Using a full on center pull setup also requires you to buy a hanger (like used on cross/mtn bikes) that fits as a spacer under your stem. Unfortunately, due to both the extreme angle of my stem and the fact that I don't use spacers under it, is an impossibility for me. On the plus side, my nokons and the exit from under my bars make the front brake cable pretty much invisible anyways. Overall, this one is a non-issue for most people, and the part needed only costs a couple of dollars if you want it.

So IF you want/need a new brake for your TT/Tri bike, there isn't a lot of reason to pass on the Omega. This thing gets the thumbs up from me.

I'm excited to ride my Time Trial tonight using them, hopefully my neck will forgive me for not riding my position since Augusta last year. Otherwise I'm going to look pretty funny tomorrow morning. :)

Oh, here's a picture of my crank cover, used to disguise my ancient Dura Ace 7400 crank. (I am using the old crank because of how narrow the Q-factor is. It's actually so narrow I had to shave a path into the crankarm to allow the front derailleur to move onto the big chainring without hitting.)



Yes... DA7400 crank... Record Carbon front derailleur... 7800 pedals.  Custom cover.

And, as I slowly work my way towards IMLou, I've also been messing with new hydration setups since the trip to the wind tunnel told me that my torpedo bottle mount sucked with my Praying Landis position. I haven't tested this guy out enough to be certain (more to come) but I'm fairly confident it's going to end up pretty nice. All you get is a teaser, although it shouldn't be too hard to figure out what's going on.



Front Profile with the bottle setup I'm testing.

As always, thank you all for spending a few moments sifting through my thoughts. Again, love the brake, go get one! DO IT.


-Christopher Morelock