Deep drop calipers

[User482]

Anyone have a recommendation for some that actually work in the wet? I have (I think) shimano A550 series bought about 6 years ago and find them to be useless in heavy rain. I've fitted Koolstop salmons, tried different wheels and changed the cables, all to little or no avail.

Is it worth upgrading to the R650 series?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Depending on your definition of deep drop I find Diacompe ones stop a lump like me very well, whilst tectro R358 are acceptable on the fixed, in both cases with koolstop dual compounds in

 

[mcshroom]

I'm pretty happy with my tektro 358s (not a lot of choice in nutted fitting brakes) using kool stop salmons front and clarks pads on the back.

 

[User482]

Thanks. The calipers are the 57mm type needed to fit guards and 28mm tyres.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

Anyone have a recommendation for some that actually work in the wet? I have (I think) shimano A550 series bought about 6 years ago and find them to be useless in heavy rain. I've fitted Koolstop salmons, tried different wheels and changed the cables, all to little or no avail.

What brake levers do you have at the handlebars? Do you have steel rims? What is the clearance between pads and rims?

 

[User482]

What brake levers do you have at the handlebars? Do you have steel rims? What is the clearance between pads and rims?

9 speed 105 stis, open pro rims (and I've tried two different sets with the same result). Clearance is pretty close.

Only thing I haven't tried is a different set of brake levers.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

9 speed 105 stis, open pro rims (and I've tried two different sets with the same result). Clearance is pretty close.

You are offering no clue!

With the difficulty in stopping was it because the levers were reaching the bar or because the levers bit hard but the bike keeps going?

 

[User482]

You are offering no clue!

With the difficulty in stopping was it because the levers were reaching the bar or because the levers bit hard but the bike keeps going?

It's the latter - the levers bite just fine but it seems as though the brakes only work properly once the water has cleared off the rims. Dry weather performance isn't as good as my ultegra calipers on my other bike, but it's acceptable.

I don't mind shelling out for new calipers, but I'm not convinced it'll solve the problem.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

It's the latter - the levers bite just fine but it seems as though the brakes only work properly once the water has cleared off the rims. Dry weather performance isn't as good as my ultegra calipers on my other bike, but it's acceptable.

I don't mind shelling out for new calipers, but I'm not convinced it'll solve the problem.

It is normal for the brakes to work better only when water has been wiped off the rims. If the levers bite hard, given you have correctly matched levers and brakes it can't be leverage mismatch (the difference in leverage/mechanical advantage caused by deep drop - I presume 700c for 27" wheel forks/frame - is only 4mm which is unlikely to be that significant), and it can't be the cabling or slackness in the system either (unless you don't have strong grips). Given all that I would say you are more likely to get improvement by having new pads than new brakes. The salmons are usually as good as they get, but I guess there is a small chance you have dud ones. What pads do the ultegra calipers have?

 

[User482]

It is normal for the brakes to work better only when water has been wiped off the rims. If the levers bite hard, given you have correctly matched levers and brakes it can't be leverage mismatch (the difference in leverage/mechanical advantage caused by deep drop - I presume 700c for 27" wheel forks/frame - is only 4mm which is unlikely to be that significant), and it can't be the cabling or slackness in the system either (unless you don't have strong grips). Given all that I would say you are more likely to get improvement by having new pads than new brakes. The salmons are usually as good as they get, but I guess there is a small chance you have dud ones. What pads do the ultegra calipers have?

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate that wet braking is always worse, but the deep drop calipers perform poorly when compared to the Ultegra calipers on my other bike. I also have salmon pads on that bike!

I think, as one last throw of the dice, I will swap the STI units over (I have a spare set of 9 sped ultegras I was going to fit anyway) and fit the pads from my other bike, as I know they're good, along with new cables. If that doesn't work, it has to be the calipers, right?

 

[hoopdriver]

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate that wet braking is always worse, but the deep drop calipers perform poorly when compared to the Ultegra calipers on my other bike. I also have salmon pads on that bike!

I think, as one last throw of the dice, I will swap the STI units over (I have a spare set of 9 sped ultegras I was going to fit anyway) and fit the pads from my other bike, as I know they're good, along with new cables. If that doesn't work, it has to be the calipers, right?

I suspect you might have them set up poorly.

I use the Shimano R650 deep drops and they are excellent.

 

[User482]

I suspect you might have them set up poorly.

For instance?