Brake upgrade, worth it?

[Cuchilo]

I swap things because im a tart

 

[S.Giles]

Why do people swap tyres of similar geometry then I wonder?

Or any other component. Surely you don't think they are all the same...

An attempted explanation? Or just a re-statement of my question? I can't tell which.

 

[John the Monkey]

I can see how different brake pad and rim materials, condition, the presence or absence of water, and maybe even temperature would have a bearing on brake performance, but the rationale behind swapping brake callipers of similar geometry escapes me. Maybe someone could explain the thinking behind this for my benefit. Thanks.

Try a pair of Tektro 521s on your road bike, fit any pad you like. Run them for seven years, if you want.

Try a pair of BR-650s, fit any pad you like.

This, essentially, is what I've done (although I've only used stock pads in the 650s).

The BR-650 are better. They stop the bike more reliably, they reduce its speed on descents with fewer, shorter applications of the brake.

Now, I've not sat down and figured out just why all this is so; I've just ridden the bike, taken it up (and perhaps more significantly, down) Mow Cop a few times. The BR-650s are better.

I'm making a bit of an assumption that the op has similar brakes to my original Tektros on the demo bike he tried, admittedly, but if that's supportable, upgrading the brakes now (rather seven years after purchase, as I did) would be worthwhile.

 

[S.Giles]

Try a pair of BR-650s, fit any pad you like...

...(although I've only used stock pads in the 650s).

Why do you claim that any brake pad will produce superior results in the BR-650 brakes when you haven't tried them?

Have you tried the stock 650 pads in the Tektro brakes?

 

[John the Monkey]

Why do you claim that any brake pad will produce superior results in the BR-650 brakes when you haven't tried them?

Have you tried the stock 650 pads in the Tektro brakes?

Nope. I'm not putting those bloody Tektro brakes back on either - you'll need to be the experimenter here, all I have is experience of both brakesets, after all.

I am quietly confident that I have the right of this, though.

Pads I've used in the Tektros include; Tektro stock, Koolstop Salmon, Koolstop Dual Compound, Shimano Ultegra "All Conditions" (a once only deal) and Fibrax X-Treme (a Koolstop Salmon-a-like, which the bike had fitted most). I rode the bike for seven years, after all, with the brakes Giant put on it. Best braking from those was with the Salmons, and X-Tremes, and if the op wanted to try something before changing calipers, swapping the stock pads for those would be my suggestion.

Although none of that made the Tektros as good as the 650s on my SCR2.

I reckon the stock pads in the BR-650 are close enough to those Shimano pads I bunged in the Tektros to make no difference, fwiw. Further, I suspect I could eke more power out of the 650s with a Salmon,or X-treme pad - I don't feel that they need it, personally.

 

[S.Giles]

I am quietly confident... I reckon... I suspect... I don't feel...

All very subjective. You could be wrong.

This could just as easily be used to 'prove' how good the stock BR-650 pads are, could it not?

I'm not claiming you are wrong BTW, but providing some kind of objective basis for this sort of claim would be a good thing, IMO.

 

[John the Monkey]

All very subjective. You could be wrong.

Classy quoting there.

This could just as easily be used to 'prove' how good the stock BR-650 pads are, could it not?

Yep.

It could be that the stock pads in the BR-650 are better than the ones Shimano sell as Ultegra level spares. Or than Koolstop Salmons, or Fibrax X-treme.

Of the conclusions we could draw, that seems the least likely. And it's a bit useless, as a conclusion, because you've got to buy the brakeset to get the stock pads (the conjecture being, seemingly, that they're different, and better than Shimano's aftermarket pads at Ultegra level). Might as well fit the brakes anyway, eh?

I'm not claiming you are wrong BTW, but providing some kind of objective basis for this sort of claim would be a good thing, IMO.

Sure, all I have is seven years of riding with the Tektros Giant fitted to my model year of the SCR2, and about a year with the BR-650s. Same bike, same wheels, same levers, same brand of outer and inner brake cable run for both brakesets.

As I've said before, I'm not fitting those Tektros to my bike again, so that'll have to do.

 

[bpsmith]

An attempted explanation? Or just a re-statement of my question? I can't tell which.

My post is self explanatory.

You state that All brakes of "similar geometry" are the same, which is bonkers. I asked if you also think that goes for tyres, and all other components.

 

[Arrowfoot]

• At stake £50
• Tektro is just fine, try it, tighten the cable, maybe then change the pads
• 105 is better and aesthetically completes the picture,
• Use the £50 for something else - great lights, jacket, etc

 

[John the Monkey]

• At stake £50
• Tektro is just fine, try it, tighten the cable, maybe then change the pads
• 105 is better and aesthetically completes the picture,
• Use the £50 for something else - great lights, jacket, etc

Whilst I hate to go over the same ground, point 2 is just what I did.

For seven years.

Now, my Tektros may not be your Tektros, or the op's Tektros, but the BR-650 are better than the ones Giant fitted to my bike as stock[1]. In function, that is.

Although they look quite nice too.

Trying the pads and brake setup first makes a lot of sense. But my experience is that the Tektros Giant fitted to the SCR2 aren't improvable to the point that they outperform the BR-650. You'll need to anticipate more, keep speed lower on descents and in dodgy conditions, &c &C

[1] Caveat - unless the Shimano stock pads are better than all the other pads I tried in the Tektros, (see previous posts for list).

 

[S.Giles]

You state that All brakes of "similar geometry" are the same.

Where did I do that?

 

[bpsmith]

...the rationale behind swapping brake callipers of similar geometry escapes me. Maybe someone could explain the thinking behind this for my benefit. Thanks.

Explain this then?

 

[Cuchilo]

You two need to get a room

 

[S.Giles]

Explain this then?

Which part of it don't you understand?

 

[bpsmith]

Which part of it don't you understand?

Bored now.