Discussion
What is it with road bikes and shocking brakes. Coming from the world of mountain biking im used to disk so when i got my first road bike a few years back was dismayed that they were still using, ineffective and shoddy to setup single pull brakes.
Anyway, i cant seem to get my front brake to sit centrally, have had it up on the stand and ive tried centralising it. You cant do it up too tight against the frame or it wont work . If you have it too loose it just seems to go over to one side causing it to rub.
I know weights a factor on road bikes, but i think its about time they made proper lightweight disks, carbon style
Anyway, i cant seem to get my front brake to sit centrally, have had it up on the stand and ive tried centralising it. You cant do it up too tight against the frame or it wont work . If you have it too loose it just seems to go over to one side causing it to rub.
I know weights a factor on road bikes, but i think its about time they made proper lightweight disks, carbon style
ge0rge said:
I know weights a factor on road bikes, but i think its about time they made proper lightweight disks, carbon style
There is a genuine reason why road bikes rarely run discs. 1st, they were banned by the UCI for racing... I don't know if this is still true. 2nd, it's easy to overwhelm a skinny road tyre. You wouldn't want to be locking up everywhere. I think ratbane has a good point here. I'm not sure how good you need road brakes to be given that if they are too powerfull you will just flatten your tyres when you lock up.
I've had some hairy moments not being able to stop when I first started with a road bike, but i now use the swisstop pads, and things are much improved despite using the unbranded callipers fitted to my trek 1.2 If i had the sam2 180mm disc that sits on my mountain bike I suspect the wheel would fall apart or the fork would snap ;-)
I've had some hairy moments not being able to stop when I first started with a road bike, but i now use the swisstop pads, and things are much improved despite using the unbranded callipers fitted to my trek 1.2 If i had the sam2 180mm disc that sits on my mountain bike I suspect the wheel would fall apart or the fork would snap ;-)
ge0rge said:
. You cant do it up too tight against the frame or it wont work . If you have it too loose it just seems to go over to one side causing it to rub.
Sounds like you are missing a washer (number 4 on the exploded parts diagram)http://techdocs.shimano.com/media/techdocs/content...
Mr Gear said:
ge0rge said:
I know weights a factor on road bikes, but i think its about time they made proper lightweight disks, carbon style
There is a genuine reason why road bikes rarely run discs. 1st, they were banned by the UCI for racing... I don't know if this is still true. 2nd, it's easy to overwhelm a skinny road tyre. You wouldn't want to be locking up everywhere. Having experienced brake fade in the Alps and the Lakes a few times I think I'd be an early adopter!
The OP should try some upgraded SwissStop Green or KoolStop Salmon pads though performance is as likely to be effected by the rims.
okgo said:
105 brakes, correctly set up, are going to be as good as the higher ranges of Shimano. I have ultegra and they're no better, both as good as each other. I use £10 pads off ebay, they work fine in all conditions, certainly haven't needed more braking.
I noticed an improvement in braking power with Ultegras over 105s, but to be honest, I think the wheel rim is the most important bit of the mechanism. If it's plastered in black brake residue, then the brakes don't work. I have an issue with disc brakes for such thin section rims too. The rim brakes create a point of stiffness, whereas a disc brake applys forces to the hub. There will therefore be a lot of stress on the rims if braking hatd with discs. I really think discs for road bikes with be a fashion, and not a necessity. Different for MTBs as discs work better in gloop.
okgo said:
105 brakes, correctly set up, are going to be as good as the higher ranges of Shimano. I have ultegra and they're no better, both as good as each other. I use £10 pads off ebay, they work fine in all conditions, certainly haven't needed more braking.
My Dura Ace brakes are significantly better than my 105s. The set-up and/or the wheels could contribute to this too. In the 105s I've tried Kool Stop pads which are a marginal improvement in the wet but wear very quickly. I have just switched to Swissstop but haven't ridden the bike since I fitted them.
ge0rge said:
What is it with road bikes and shocking brakes. Coming from the world of mountain biking im used to disk so when i got my first road bike a few years back was dismayed that they were still using, ineffective and shoddy to setup single pull brakes.
Anyway, i cant seem to get my front brake to sit centrally, have had it up on the stand and ive tried centralising it. You cant do it up too tight against the frame or it wont work . If you have it too loose it just seems to go over to one side causing it to rub.
I know weights a factor on road bikes, but i think its about time they made proper lightweight disks, carbon style
No problems here - Ultegra with original pads. There has been no reason for me to fiddle or fettle with the brakes since I bought the bike. If anything they are too sharp, as I have caused minor damage to the tyre surface by locking up the rear (unplanned stop - not my fault). I did buy some Swisstop pads to upgrade the brakes, but have not yet felt the need to fit them - they are being held in reserve for when I wear the original pads out. Trouble is, these don't show much sign of wear even after nearly 4,000 miles.Anyway, i cant seem to get my front brake to sit centrally, have had it up on the stand and ive tried centralising it. You cant do it up too tight against the frame or it wont work . If you have it too loose it just seems to go over to one side causing it to rub.
I know weights a factor on road bikes, but i think its about time they made proper lightweight disks, carbon style
As others have mentioned, one key thing is to ensure that your rims are free from grease and road filth, and if you have neglected this area, you may have contaminated the pads, especially on the rear wheel. Try a piece of very fine 'wet'n'dry' paper, and gently 'sand' back the surface of the pads (off the bike).
Another thing to look at is the return spring at the back of the calliper - if you've done a lot of winter riding on salted roads, you may find that the spring gets either clogged with muck or the salt can corrode it. If this is the case, remove the calliper, and give it a good clean with WD40/GT85, then lightly re-grease it before re-assembling. While your at this, try cleaning your inner cables, or replacing them, as stickiness/stiffness in the cables can cause centering issues with brakes.
I just cannot see the point on a road bike. Unnecessary weight IMO.
I did the blue and red routes last week up at Keilder on my winter MTB fitted with v brakes. On the back was a child seat and my 3 year old son who is not small. I weigh 17.5 stone - at least - so there was probably 20 stone on the bike and not once did I struggle for braking power. And there are some long steep twisty DH sections on those runs.
My full sus bikes runs discs because of the higher speeds you can do on them and one finger braking is nice, but on a road bike, it seems like overkill as the forks will need beefing up a hell of a lot to cope with the torsional forces they'll see.
I did the blue and red routes last week up at Keilder on my winter MTB fitted with v brakes. On the back was a child seat and my 3 year old son who is not small. I weigh 17.5 stone - at least - so there was probably 20 stone on the bike and not once did I struggle for braking power. And there are some long steep twisty DH sections on those runs.
My full sus bikes runs discs because of the higher speeds you can do on them and one finger braking is nice, but on a road bike, it seems like overkill as the forks will need beefing up a hell of a lot to cope with the torsional forces they'll see.
The one time I'd like to have disc brakes on the road is in the rain when commuting.
In the dry, I can lock up the tyres on my commuter without a problem on rim brakes. When it's raining, London roads kick up so much greasy crap that I can't lock up, even though there is obviously less traction on the tyres as well.
The outcome is that I've just decided to cycle more slowly when it's raining, rather than go to the expense of getting a road bike with discs, or the pain of cycling my full susser 15+ miles each way through London.
In the dry, I can lock up the tyres on my commuter without a problem on rim brakes. When it's raining, London roads kick up so much greasy crap that I can't lock up, even though there is obviously less traction on the tyres as well.
The outcome is that I've just decided to cycle more slowly when it's raining, rather than go to the expense of getting a road bike with discs, or the pain of cycling my full susser 15+ miles each way through London.
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