Can brakes be too good?

[MrJamie]

Probably a stupid question but here goes...

My (v)brakes on my hybrid were pretty good imo - using standard tektro? pads then cheapy replacements which seemed similar. Ive always kept them well adjusted close to the rims so theyd stop my oafish mass quickly and in the dry they worked very well, I could force a lockup, but safely emergency stop quickly when needed.

This time round i bought triple compound Ashima pads as the others were crap in the wet. Set them up nice as usual, cycled down the street to try them out at maybe 10mph and very nearly went over the handlebars! The previous ones couldnt get the rear off the floor if i tried. Im not even sure they slow me any faster at all, but seem to have a characteristic of easily biting the rim and locking. As a result Im quite scared of my front brake at speed especially down hill.

Do I just stick with it and learn their limits or try to make them less sharp before i land on my face? Other cyclists i ride with always seem to have their brakes set up for very gentle braking, how do you have yours?

Posted here as its more of a "how do you like your brakes?" than a technical question

 

[marzjennings]

I run 203mm discs front and rear and have my brakes set up so I can easily lockup either wheel with one finger.

I can't stand squishy or soft brakes and prefer a solid direct feel. There's is a learning curve on how to modulate your braking with harsh brakes, but as in a ride today, I can stop and hold my position on a +25% slope to allow another ride to climb up toward me.

 

[gaz]

It's a user issue rather than bike issue. You need to learn how to manage you weight to effectively brake and how to manage power to the brakes with your fingers...

Learning to do that in normal riding is key to being able to apply it in a split second to stop when you most definitely need to.

 

[Mushroomgodmat]

As far back as I remember I always used the rear brake first and backed it up with the front brake half a second later. I probably did this from the age of 12 or somthing. Even when I had a hybrid with disc brakes there was never and danger of going over the handlebars.

It's total instinct now, even in emergancys I seem to brake the rears a split second first.

 

[MrJamie]

Ive taken a teeny bit of tension off with barrel adjuster, to help take the edge off and avoid me going over the bars while i get used to it.

Im pretty confident with weight balance over the bike, its more a confidence issue that if i can "endo" all the way over at 10mph on the flat in the saddle then im worried that at 30mph+ downhill it might throw me over faster than i can react or be very very prone to front wheel lockup on dirty or wet parts of road.

I usually brake with a bit of both, but heavier on the front, because under heavy braking the rear gets very prone to locking up as weight moves forward. I think Sheldon Brown suggests mainly front brake normally, but on snow/ice or very loose terrain use more rear because you cant really control front wheel skid.

Thanks for replies, ill be careful