Braking is no longer just pure power, modulation and cutting-edge technology: it becomes a distinctive style detail that defines the identity of the rider and their machine.
The occasion for this extraordinary stylistic debut is the most prestigious stage of the season: the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Championships.
To understand the uniqueness of this event, it is essential to distinguish the World Championships from the traditional World Cup:
- World Cup: Riders compete throughout the season representing the colours of their respective commercial teams and sponsor brands.
- World Championships: It is the year's one-off race, where team affiliations are set aside and each rider officially represents their own country to win the rainbow jersey, which they will wear for a year.
It is the event where riders wear their national team jersey and the bikes display unique, customised liveries dedicated to their country.
To celebrate this unique event, Brembo created a customised braking system for the four athletes of the Specialized Gravity team: Loïc Bruni, Finn Iles, Jordan Williams and Rosa Marie Jensen.
Custom Brake Master Cylinders: Each brake master cylinder is finely painted and decorated with the graphics of the respective national flags (France, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Denmark) with a special glitter finish.
Matching Brake Calipers: The brake calipers have also been customised for this occasion in a distinctive white glitter finish. Since white is the common chromatic feature present in all four national flags, the brake calipers have all been created in an elegant white look paired with a second coordinating colour, creating a stylish and elegant point of connection between the different combinations.
Custom Brake Levers: Laser-engraved with each rider's identifying logo.
Beyond the visual impact and the graphic customizations designed for the World Championship, these systems maintain 100% the same functional features and the technical architecture of the system supplied to the Specialized Gravity team during the World Cup.
The 2-piece forged caliper is designed to increase structural rigidity and ensure precision and consistency from the first to the last braking action. The 4x18 mm diameter pistons deliver precise, stable braking with no residual torque, so you always get maximum performance and consistency under braking.
The steel rotors, available in two diameters, dissipate heat without losing consistency in response. The design of the rotor spokes is derived from the motorcycle world to increase heat resistance, ensure mechanical strength, rigidity, and optimize weight.
The pump integrates three independent adjustments that let you build your braking feel — rather than adapting to someone else’s:
- Lever ratio - 3 pivot positions (soft, medium, firm Soft. Medium, Hard) to choose how much force you want to apply before the brake bites and manage braking modulation;
- Lever-to-bar distance - 40 adjustment positions. Every hand is different, every riding position is different. Here you’ll find yours
- Free stroke - 7 levels to define exactly where you want braking to begin. The bite point becomes a choice, not a coincidence.
The result is braking that blends with your movement: more fluidity, more confidence, and that feeling of freedom that makes the difference on every trail.
Unfortunately, due to injuries sustained in recent weeks, Loïc Bruni and Finn Iles will not be able to take part in the competition or use their respective custom braking systems featuring the French and Canadian flags.
Jordan Williams (United Kingdom) and Rosa Marie Jensen (Denmark) will therefore be Brembo’s exclusive ambassadors showcasing these customised systems along the steep and dusty rock gardens of the legendary Val di Sole track, once again demonstrating how, at Brembo, the pursuit of absolute performance goes hand in hand with a passion for beauty and design.