Front Disc Brake Fade Help

[alfa145uk]

Suffered from this pretty badly yesterday descending a steep & long hill. I'm pretty sure it's not my riding technique, I try and keep weight shifted to the back and use the back brake mostly but dab the front when required. The bike is a Mongoose Tyax Elite 2007, but maybe it was all 12 stone of me that it didn't enjoy as much as I was enjoying the bike and the reward of going down a steep hill. Now the front brake isn't quite as sharp, I'd imagine the pads are glazed.

They are 160mm rotors, I was looking to upgrade them to 180's, take it I just need a bigger caliper mounting bracket, would this be worthwhile? Also how do I find out what type of pads I need?!

[atom111]

What hoses are you running, in the Alps last year tests showed braided hoses resisted brake fade more than standard hoses. Seems the standard hose expand with the heat and can cause brake fade, where as braided dissipated the heat better.

Upgrading the rotor can also help, should only need the rotor and adaptor, check there is no limit on rotor size for the fork before doing so.

[alfa145uk]

Thanks for the replay, still on the standard cable, no hydraulics.

The fork is a Suntour XCM DA which shows a max diam of 185mm rotor.

How do I find out what type of fitting is on the fork for the adapter, I can't find any info on it:

http://www.srsuntour-cycling.com/SID=sifb2ceeeacda...

[pdV6]

alfa145uk said:

How do I find out what type of fitting is on the fork for the adapter

Can't tell from those pics but there are only 2 types and the differences are obvious:

Post Mount There will be 2 individual posts formed into the fork leg, each with a bolt hole in the end, i.e. the bolts would go in parallel to the disc. Looks nothing like the rear disc mount.

International Standard (IS) There will be a mount with 2 holes in it whereby the bolts would go in perpendicular to the disc. Looks just like the rear disc mount.

[alfa145uk]

Thanks for that PDV6, found the options when looking at the caliper adapters but didn't know what they meant.

Post mount then:





And most likely why the front brake wasn't all too good!

[pdV6]

Ah - no actually, what you have there is a fork with an IS mount.

Bolted to that is an adaptor to take your calliper, which is a post-mount version.

To upsize your front disc you need a larger disc (obviously!) and a different adaptor which will place the calliper in the right position relative to the disc.

[mk1fan]

Would they be Tektro cable brakes?? If they are then spares (pads, mounts etc..) should be readily available. As for rotors as long as the diameter is the same (eg 160mm, 180mm, 185mm) then rotors from different manufacturers are interchangabe.

Also get hold of the manual for the brakes too as this will show you how to adjust the brakes to account for pad wear.

Alternatively, you can stump up for a set of hydraulics.

[alfa145uk]

The caliper is a Promax TX107 (standard).

I did wonder about just trying to get some new pads, if they are seated correctly then they might actually work a bit - but this is proving rather tricky - I cannot find any pads that anyone can confirm or deny will fit.

The closest I can find are from Chainreactioncycles:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/SearchResults.a...

They can't confirm they will fit the caliper. For now I've ground the pad flat again so it at last as a good surface area of contact, but there isn't much meat left on it. Anyone know anything about these? I guess the inevitable upgrade won't be far off if not..

[mk1fan]

The cheapest method would be a set of Avid BB-7 cable callipers. They use the same pads as the Juicy's. I have a set on my commuter bike and they are very good.

BB-7's come up on e-Bay quite often but they're not that expensive new.

[pdV6]

mk1fan said:

The cheapest method would be a set of Avid BB-7 cable callipers.

Also, BB7's are renowned for being the only cable disc brakes that perform as well as (and better than some) hydraulic systems, so could be a worthwhile upgrade anyway.

[mk1fan]

Indeed,

CRC have them here http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?Mod...

[alfa145uk]

Hmmm very tempting, they've got some pretty good reviews, might just well order some, presume they will work with the existing levers (Shimano EF-50)?

[mk1fan]

They'll work with any 'V' brake lever.

Don't be tempted to buy the cheaper BB-5 brakes. They have different pads and adjusting them is harder.