Shimano Ultegra ST-RS685 Hydraulic Disc Brakes set review

If you're after a more reliable and powerful stopping solution for your road bike then Shimano Ultegra ST-RS685 Hydraulic road disc brakes could be just what you need

Cycling Weekly Verdict

Faultless system that gives any disc road bike better braking and sets a precedent for disc brake set-ups.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Impressive stopping in all conditions

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    Minimal lever pull

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    Instant response

  • +

    Comfortable feel

  • +

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Expensive

  • -

    Specific tools required for maintenance

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  • -

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

Disc road bikes have been doing the rounds for a while now and if you have already converted then you are probably already aware of the many benefits that disc braking brings to the road.

However, if you've always used a cable-pull system or you are still weighing up your options, then one ride with a bike equipped with Shimano's Ultegra ST-RS685 Hydraulic disc set will probably be enough to convert you to fluid stopping power.

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Hannah Bussey

Hannah is Cycling Weekly’s longest-serving tech writer, having started with the magazine back in 2011. She has covered all things technical for both print and digital over multiple seasons representing CW at spring Classics, and Grand Tours and all races in between.

Hannah was a successful road and track racer herself, competing in UCI races all over Europe as well as in China, Pakistan and New Zealand.

For fun, she's ridden LEJOG unaided, a lap of Majorca in a day, won a 24-hour mountain bike race and tackled famous mountain passes in the French Alps, Pyrenees, Dolomites and Himalayas. 

She lives just outside the Peak District National Park near Manchester UK with her partner, daughter and a small but beautifully formed bike collection.