Shimano Light Action (BR-L490) NOS Vintage Front Brake Caliper

Shimano Light Action (BR-L490) NOS Vintage Front Brake CaliperOriginal part produced in the 1980s New old stock! Still unused after all these years Lightweight for the era just 168 grams Worldwide shipping Shimano Light Action brake caliper, hailing from Japan and in production during the 1980s (yet still new & unused after all this time!). Made from aluminium and weighing in at 168 grams pretty lightweight for a brake caliper at that time. A fine choice for keeping your vintage bike authentic, but also great

✓ Original part - produced in the 1980s
✓ New old stock! Still unused after all these years
✓ Lightweight for the era - just 168 grams
✓ Worldwide shipping

Shimano Light Action brake caliper, hailing from Japan and in production during the 1980s (yet still new & unused after all this time!). Made from aluminium and weighing in at 168 grams - pretty lightweight for a brake caliper at that time. A fine choice for keeping your vintage bike authentic, but also great for any other compatible bike too.

OVERVIEW

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Condition - New Old Stock*
Model ID - BR-L490
Production Era - 1980s
Country - Japanese
Material - Aluminium
Weight - 168 g
Stock Code - D-CPS15V

*New old stock items may have marks from storage over the years, and as we often have multiples they can vary from piece to piece, but they are always genuine new & unused items.

TECHNICAL INFO

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Position - Front
Caliper Type - Single Pivot (Side Pull)
Brake Drop - 39 mm - 49 mm
Brake Fixing - Recessed Allen Key

▼SHIPPING, TAXES & RETURNS

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We've been safely sending orders around the world since 2010. There's a handy shipping calculator on the shopping cart page so you can see the cost of postage as soon as you've added it to your basket. Your order will be carefully packed and sent with tracking & insurance, we despatch most orders within 2-3 days but larger items and orders placed before the weekend can take an extra day or two to process.

We accept returns, please notify us within 14 days and ensure the item arrives back with us no later than 30 days after the order was received.

EU Customers – for orders under €150 (excluding shipping), VAT will be collected at checkout, but from 1st July 2026, due to new EU import regulations, there may also be a customs duty payable to the carrier. For orders over €150, all import fees will be payable to the carrier, with nothing collected at checkout.

USA Customers – import fees are now collected at checkout for all orders to the US, so there won’t be any surprise charges when your order arrives.

Other International Customers – local import fees may still apply, charged by your customs office or courier before delivery. These are not collected by us, so please check your local rates before purchasing.

Any applicable fees will appear at checkout.

▼HELP SECTION

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Position - this determines whether the brake is designed to be used on the front or rear wheel of the bike.

Caliper Type - side pull calipers (single or dual pivot) require nothing more than a brake hole to fix them to as the cable feeds straight into one of the arms, whereas centre pull calipers require a brazed-on or fitted cable hanger to allow the cable to be pulled from the centre.

Brake Drop - measured from the centre of the brake mounting hole to the centre of the wheel rim, measured in a straight line. Your measurement must be within the range of the caliper's given brake drop.

Brake Fixing - this refers to the way the brake is secured to the bike. For recessed allen key fixings the hole to the rear of the the fork crown/brake bridge should measure around 8mm, allowing the allen key head to be inserted and fixed to the brake bolt. External hex nut fixings require a hole of around 6mm, the hex nut is fixed to the protruding part of the brake bolt.

For a more detailed guide on getting the right brakes check out our journal.