New brakes for an old bike?
Discussion
Hi All,
I'm usually a casual to keen mountain biker and do my daily commute on a Specialized Rockhopper comp. However I have an old Velo Schauff Tri Delta road bike sat in my garage gathering dust (vintage circa 1987 or so) and I'd like to use it for my commute and for a bit of a change on my weekend rides every now and again. I know it's a bit of a dinosaur, but I am not likely to use a road bike enough to justify buying a new one, and I don't want to waste what is more or less a perfectly good bike.
The only problem is that the brakes on it are a bit dodgy, especially compared to the discs on my MTB! So, my question is are brakes on road bikes pretty much generic? Could I just buy a new set of calipers from one of the websites and expect them to fit? Or am I barking up the wrong tree here - are a new set of brakes likely to make no difference to the stopping power of the bike (which is frankly terrifying at times!!!) and be a waste of money?
Also do you guys have any tips on getting the brakes to work better - the wheel rims are looking like they have been discoloured by the brake blocks over time and I suspect that's doing no favours to the stopping distances.
Thanks guys!
I'm usually a casual to keen mountain biker and do my daily commute on a Specialized Rockhopper comp. However I have an old Velo Schauff Tri Delta road bike sat in my garage gathering dust (vintage circa 1987 or so) and I'd like to use it for my commute and for a bit of a change on my weekend rides every now and again. I know it's a bit of a dinosaur, but I am not likely to use a road bike enough to justify buying a new one, and I don't want to waste what is more or less a perfectly good bike.
The only problem is that the brakes on it are a bit dodgy, especially compared to the discs on my MTB! So, my question is are brakes on road bikes pretty much generic? Could I just buy a new set of calipers from one of the websites and expect them to fit? Or am I barking up the wrong tree here - are a new set of brakes likely to make no difference to the stopping power of the bike (which is frankly terrifying at times!!!) and be a waste of money?
Also do you guys have any tips on getting the brakes to work better - the wheel rims are looking like they have been discoloured by the brake blocks over time and I suspect that's doing no favours to the stopping distances.
Thanks guys!
Road bike brakes can be had with 2 lengths of arms, one for 700c wheels (most common these days) and one for 27" wheels, so just make sure you get the calipers to match your wheel size. The quality of brake pad and cables can make a big difference in braking performance, as does the rigidity of the caliper arms. I've always had great success with Aztec pads and Avid cable sets, The higher end Shimano cable sets work very well too. Ideally you want a cable that stretches minimally, for the best performance.
As far as any rubber left on you rim sidewalls goes, leave it, don't clean it off, as it actually improves braking. Rubber to rubber offers more friction.
Edit to add: It would be best to purchase brake levers and calipers as a kit as the amount of pull your current levers offer my not be the best match for a more modern brake caliper.
As far as any rubber left on you rim sidewalls goes, leave it, don't clean it off, as it actually improves braking. Rubber to rubber offers more friction.
Edit to add: It would be best to purchase brake levers and calipers as a kit as the amount of pull your current levers offer my not be the best match for a more modern brake caliper.
Edited by Trooper2 on Wednesday 15th August 17:58
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