care of road brakes and rims for optimal winter braking

[scouserinlondon]

I got some new rims about a week ago and like the old one's they're shoot in the wet. I have Koolstop salmons on the rear and standard shimano blocks on the front. After my second wet ride on the new rims they were filthy and I gave them a I really good wipe over last night with baby wipes and kitchen roll. This morning was wet again and the braking was just as bad as ever before which all got me wondering.

What's your optimal wheel/brake care routine on your commuter bike? I tend to clean my chain and casette every fortnight in winter but had neglected to give the rims anything more than a quick wipe over.

Should I be degreasing my rims or will citrus degreaser make them slippery?

 

[tyred]

Baby wipes seem to work, or a rag with some WD40 sprayed on it (it does work, even if it sounds counter-intuitive). Clean the pads as well, and occasionally rub them flat with sandpaper and check for embedded grit.

 

[amaferanga]

It might be that you need to learn how to brake more effectively in the wet. You need to first clear the rims of water before you can expect decent braking power. If you just apply them hard only when you really need to stop then they won't stop you very quickly. Lightly applying them to clear some of the water before you need to apply them properly will probably make a big difference, but they'll never be as good as brakes in the dry.

FWIW I never do anything more than giving the rims a quick wipe every now and then to clear all the crap that builds up.

 

[Globalti]

Get a CX bike with disc brakes.

 

[potsy]

I got some new rims about a week ago and like the old one's they're shoot in the wet. I have Koolstop salmons on the rear and standard shimano blocks on the front.

Put the Koolstops on the front as that's where most of the braking is done, improved my braking no end when I did this but still takes a rotation or two of the wheel to clear the water from the rim.

 

[Kestevan]

I've just re-fitted a set of Shimano blocks cos I forgot to order new Koolstops. I'd forgotten just how useless they are in the rain, and how much sticky black crud they produce.

Put the Salmons on the front. Then go buy another set and put them on the rear.
Take the Shi*mano blocks and throw them in the bin, bloody things are dangerous in the wet.

 

[fossyant]

Clean your rims after wet rides - grit and dirt will help the pads eat the rims, especially the rear !!

 

[Smut Pedaller]

I've found some pads are better than others in terms of wet brake gunk. The koolstop salmons are pretty good, stock Shimano ultegra pads are pretty filthy from what I remember. Like someone else said, go for hub based brakes if you want consistent and reliable braking in the wet with much less cleaning.

 

[172traindriver]

I swapped to the koolstop salmons on my winter bike and would say I am a fan of them compared to the previous shimano pads.
But don't forget as previously mentioned braking in the wet is a different experience and takes a bit of getting used to.

 

[HLaB]

Only positive about my Ultegra blocks they seemed to last for ages without detriment to the rims, over 10k miles. I tried Koolstop Salmons but got sub 2k miles, they've been replaced by swisstop but I concerned about their wear already after less than 300 miles. I opted for the cheapest swisstop (black) however, maybe I should have paid the money and got yellow. Edit and to the OP on an old bike I used muc off degreaser and found it faded my rims but on this new bike I just use baby wipes.

 

[172traindriver]

Yellow swisstops are specifically for carbon rims, if I am not mistaken I think the green ones would be more appropriate

 

[Kestevan]

Halt Gooey pads are also pretty good.
Almost on a par with Koolstops but a lot cheaper.

 

[HLaB]

Halt Gooey pads are also pretty good.
Almost on a par with Koolstops but a lot cheaper.

How do you find the rim wear? From the reviews I read their wet stopping is good.

 

[potsy]

I got my Koolstops for £6 a pair, 2000 miles is about my experience too, not exactly expensive is it?
The rear pads are an old front set that were about halfway used, they still look the same now after another 2000 miles

 

[HLaB]

I got my Koolstops for £6 a pair, 2000 miles is about my experience too, not exactly expensive is it?
The rear pads are an old front set that were about halfway used, they still look the same now after another 2000 miles

It is when you are unemployed :-(