Brembo 'brakes' into the mountain bike scene: Specialized announces partnership with premium car braking specialist
This year's downhill circuit is full of poorly kept secrets, with spy shots of Brembo's MTB brakes plastered around the internet. Now it's official
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Joining the likes of Ohlins, HEL, Yamaha, and a whole bunch more, Brembo is the latest brand to bring its motorsports know-how to mountain biking. Seen on Specialized's already fairly secretive downhill bike, the Demo, amongst the elite-level downhill circuit, the partnership is now official as both Specialized and Brembo promise to 'revolutionise' braking.
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Comparing the partnership with Brembo's efforts in the 1970s with Ferrari, the Italian manufacturer aims to bring that level of championship-winning performance to Specialized's Gravity athletes. It makes a lot of sense, as in recent years brands have been putting more of a focus on braking as part of the formula of going faster — SRAM's recent Maven brakes are a great example.
2025 spesh brembo 2.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Throughout the 2025 season, Specialized's downhill racers will be running prototype Brembo brakes, and while we have very few details about the brakes themselves, we know that they're not likely to be available to the consumer any time soon. At least, not this year.
We can take a few things away from the images supplied in the press release. We know that they follow the current trend of placing the reservoir close to the bar, which results in a tidy cockpit and should keep the levers out of harm's way. There's also what we can assume is a tool-free reach adjust dial, as well as a tooled bite point adjust. Those reservoirs are large too, similar to the Mavens.
2025 spesh brembo 3.jpg, by Liam Mercer
As for the caliper, it looks to be a rather traditional four-piston affair. However, we definitely know that they're going to be very red, so you'll certainly be seeing a lot of them, slowing the likes of Loic Bruni.
Brembo's Motorcycle Global Chief Operating Officer, Andrea Paganessi states, "Today, we can confidently say that thanks to Brembo's technological advancements, braking has been taken to an entirely new level."
Big claims, but do they stack up? We'll be very intrigued to give the Brembo/Spesh brakes a go when they eventually become available to buy.
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