A road technology that reached MTB
Normally it is MTB technologies that, in one way or another, end up applying to road cycling. There is a long list of examples that demonstrate it: the tubeless, disc brakes or even cars. However, it was road cycling that developed the support for the brake clamp flat mountwith the idea of saving weight. The MTB adopted it later, especially Xco bicycles, but its future in the sector seems increasingly uncertain.
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A standard presented by Shimano in 2014
2014 marked the presentation of the system flat mount by Shimano. It was a new anchor standard for brake tweezers, specifically designed for road bicycles. This system allowed to integrate the clamp directly into the painting, without the need for adapters, which helped to reduce some grams of the total weight. With these credentials, the flat mount He quickly popularized on the road and, later, made the leap to the MTB.
Although on the road there is a wide range of brakes with anchor flat mountIn MTB the offer has never been especially extensive. This has caused many brands to bet on range of range with support flat mountwhile they reserve the post mount For cadres oriented to cheaper assemblies, given the difficulty of finding brakes with anchor flat mount and competitive prices.
The new SRAM Motivate have no flat Mount version
Now, it has been SRM who seems to have paved a decisive blow to the future of flat mount In MTB. The American brand has completely renewed its range of mountain brakes, and one of the main novelties has been the disappearance of the family Levelreplaced by the new series SRAM Motive. These new brakes are designed for use XC, but with characteristics that make them suitable for more demanding disciplines. However, in this new range there is not a single model with a clamp flat mount. Thus, any manufacturer who wants to mount the latest generation brakes in a support box flat mount You cannot do it.
In the worst case, you can use Post Mount clamp with an adapter
Shimano, meanwhile, maintains versions flat mount Of its XTR and XT brakes, while Magura also has some compatible models. But beyond these brands, the offer is very limited within the most recognized manufacturers.
Today, there are still very relevant pictures that use this system. Models such as Orbea Oiz-one of the most popular XC bicycles in the world-, the Canyon Lux or the Mondraker F-Podium continue to bet on the flat mount. In any case, all these paintings can ride tweezers post mount Through an adapter, so the worst possible scenario is the need to incorporate additional support to use more common brakes.
