Advice on Braking Technique before I come a cropper !

[mikeyw]

Guys,

I’ve had my Trek 1.2 about a month now and am using it for a 12mile round trip commute a couple of times a week. Generally I’m loving the road bike experience after 10years on MTB’s however I feel much more vulnerable on the road bike, the wheels are so incredibly narrow that any gap in the road surface parallel to the wheel seems like a crevice. However the one area I’m really uncomfortable with is the brakes, the stopping distances are dreadful and have caused me a couple of very hairy moments already.

Can anyone give me some advice on Braking techniques on road bikes ? – I’ve already replaced the rear pads as the defaults on the Trek were far too hard. It seems the only way to get any sort of decent stopping is to force both brakes on together very hard but then the wheels lock up and the bike skids losing control.

Here are the components on the Trek :-

• Front Brake : Promax RC459 w/cart pads
• Rear Brake : Promax RC459 w/cart pads
• Brake Levers : Shimano 2203 STI

Would I really notice any difference with better brakes, assume the wheels would just lock up sooner - need some ABS technology for bikes

Any advice here greatly appreciated – maybe it’s just a winter problem with the rims and roads so greasy and wet !

Mike.

 

[peanut]

If you have recently changed your brakes then it will take probably several 100 miles of cycling before the new blocks bed in and take up the contour of the rims. Just like car brake shoes they take time to bed in.
I suggest you experiment with different brake shoes. If your brakes feel that bad they probably are.
The softer brake blocks are generally more grippy especially in the wet .Modern blocks have a hard composition. They take time to bed in and I'm not entirely convinced they are better . I sometimes wonder if the modern brake block is made to wear out the rims so we spend more on wheels.

Make sure that the brake pads are slightly angled so that the leading edge (front) touches the rim first and prevents 'grabbing' Line up the brake pads carefully with the rim so that the maximum area of pad touches the rim surface.
You can check this by inspecting the pad surface to see if the whole of the pad has even wear or there are high spots

 

[HLaB]

I find these days I'm using the rear to control but to actually stop I use the front. If I'm wanting to stop fast I pull the back brake then almost instantaneously apply the front the mechanism are a lot better than the brakes I had on a road bike as a kid. I guess the not locking up thing comes with experience unfortunately and reading/ anticipating the road ahead so you don't have to.

Edit: I still toe in my brakes too but I read somewhere that makes no difference after a few hundred miles as the pad is worn flat anyway

 

[chris667]

If it's a brand new bike, take it back for its first service.
No need to spend money yet.

 

[jimboalee]

Every bike type sold has to pass a 'Stop test'. British Standards Institute take an OE bike from the manufacturer's stock and test it.

The OE brakes should have passed the test, or you would not have been able to buy the bike.

You are either:-
1/ Braking too late.
2/ Not braking early enough.

 

[tyred]

If it's a brand new bike, take it back for its first service.
No need to spend money yet.

I'd have to agree. The brakes on a road bike should easily stop the bike. Even on my 30+ year old relic with Weinmann centre pulls, the brakes are excellent. Compared to the cantis on my MTB, they may not be quite as powerful but I find them easier to control than the cantis.

Try braking a little earlier. You are probably going faster than you were on your MTB. If you want to experience genuinely poor brakes, try a Raleigh Twenty in the rain

 

[Kestevan]

I have to agree that the standard brake pads that come supplied with Treks are almost completely useless.

Replace them with new pads (I now use Kool stops, black on the back, salmon on the front) and the brake response and stopping distance is greatly improved - even for a fat bugger like me on steep hills

 

[Fab Foodie]

I have to agree that the standard brake pads that come supplied with Treks are almost completely useless.

Replace them with new pads (I now use Kool stops, black on the back, salmon on the front) and the brake response and stopping distance is greatly improved - even for a fat bugger like me on steep hills

+1
Totally agree. I think there is a lot of bollocks talked about brakes. But, one thing that makes more difference than anything else is the brake-block compound. Good soft blocks like Koolstop Salmons make a huge difference compared to standard issue types supplied on many bikes. You shouldn't need soft compounds on the rear as virtually all braking of any value is done via the front brake anyway. As Kestevan I run Salmon Front, Blacks rear. It allows both levers to be grabbed with equal pressure without fear of the rear-end locking-up.
Rear-brakes are useful for gentle feathering or low-speed control only.

Make sure rims and block surfaces are clean from time to time, they can build-up a bit with grit (especially hard pads) and greasiness.
1 Pair Koolstop Salmons or equivalent soft compound would be a good investment.

 

[RedBike]

If you're locking the wheels then you're at the limit of your stopping power. Better brakes will just make it easier to lock the wheels.

Better brakes do offer better modulation. That is it's easier to control how much power you use so you're less likely to accidentaly lock the wheels.

It is intresting that you can lock the wheels using relatively low end parts. I've only been able apply sufficient force to lock a front wheel since i've moved onto the likes of dura-ace; and only then if the road conditions are bad. Most of the time when braking that hard it's all I can do to keep the rear wheel on the floor.

 

[punkypossum]

I have to agree that the standard brake pads that come supplied with Treks are almost completely useless.

They can't be that bad, I almost went over the handlebars on my test ride, because they worked loads better than I had anticipated. Somehow had this idea in my head that roadbike brakes weren't very good....

 

[Randochap]

+1 for the Kool Stop salmons.

 

[jay clock]

I have the very same bike, and agree that for anyone coming from MTBs, drop bar bikes are rarely quite as good at braking. In fact I replaced my tourer last year for a flat barred bike and cannot believe how much better it brakes on long descents. But my summer bike with drop bars does brake fine. I think most of your problem is that the pads on the 1.2 are shite. I replaced them with Decathlon ones but will try Kool stop next time as I had them before, and being softer, they grip well.

The added cause I think is that a new bike with new rims, means lots of loose alloy dust in the pad surfaces. So I think if you combine new (softer) pads with a clean of the rims with a scotchbrite pad or similar and some Muc Off, you will probably see a massive improvement. I certainly did.

When you replace the pads DO NOT undo the bolt holding the brakepad shoe in place. As someone said, they need "toeing in" and hopefully the position is already ok (massive screeching generally occurs if not). Undo the tiny little screw or allen bolt that stops the pad from sliding out. Pull the pad out rearwards with pliers, then slide the new pad back in and redo the screw. see piccy here http://www.bikedock.com/custom/1802/Ashima/ASAR70C.jpg

Make sure you adjust the brakes as close as possible to the rims, and centre them. If the wheels are straight you should need little pull on the levers to get the brakes on.

It is a few weeks since I put the new pads on, and as performance has got worse, I just sanded the surface of the pads. If they have a shiny glaze on them, they will be pretty bad.

Finally, clean the rims and pads as often as you can....

Julian

 

[peanut]

I guess the not locking up thing comes with experience unfortunately and reading/ anticipating the road ahead so you don't have to.

Edit: I still toe in my brakes too but I read somewhere that makes no difference after a few hundred miles as the pad is worn flat anyway

anticipation is the key to safety isn't it.
I have never thought about the toe in on pads but I guess you're right but might be worth doing once when new

 

[JonGW]

I'm used to hydralic avid 8" rotor brakes with 2.5 42a compound tyres at 15psi, So it took me a while to get used to how awefull road brakes are, But once you get used to them, you just brake earlier, and modulate the pressure applied to slow the bike down instead of lock the wheels up. Also, keeping the rims clean helps alot!

 

[spence]

Hi guys, apologies for jumping on your thread with my first post but I have the same concerns. I came across this while searching for info on Promax RC459's.

I purchased a 2008 1.2D yesterday, bit of an impulse buy and it was heavily discounted. I've damaged the ligaments in my hand around the thumb (silly crash in Woburn) a few weeks back so can't ride my mountain bikes as I can't grip or use the shifters so was looking for a cheap road bike just to keep some miles up.

Now the issue. While riding up and down after putting some spd's on and trying to adjust the set-up yesterday I was thinking these brakes are crap. Again used to well setup hydo discs. Looking at the calipers, the aforementioned Promax RC459, there is an awful lot of flex and movement after the blocks contact the rims. Is this normal for this type of setup.

Wiggle have some 105's for about £50 quid. Would they be a better option???

Now thinking I should have spent a bit more initially

Thanks for listing.
Spence