Help I can't stop!

[bicyclebelle]

I've just bought a ladies Dawes tourer from ebay (Dawes Sterling 12 yrs old) I'm hoping to use this as my new commuter- I do 20 mile round trip so thought that this would be ideal. Picked it up yesterday and have spent the last day or so getting it into shape - it needed a really good clean, new tyres, brake adjustment etc etc. However, took it out for a spin today and whilst I'm really pleased with it, the one thing that is a concern is that I think the braking experience is pants! The brake pads aren't worn out although they are worn, but when braking from the hoods I can't really effect a dead stop; I have to go down on the drops and squeeze both levers hard at the bottom to stop dead at anything more than 5mph. Braking from the hoods slows me down but not quickly. This is my first experience with drops in many years and wondering whether my expectations have been raised by my experiences with my hybrid and my Brompton. I would be really grateful for your advice.

 

[Gerry Attrick]

I would suggest changing your brake blocks for something like Koolstop Salmons. The old blacks may well have hardened and glazed. Secondly, clean the rim braking surfaces thouroughly. I use baby wipes, but any moderate detergent should do providing you rinse it off well. If you want to go the extra mile, you can lightly use a Scotch brite pad to de-glaze the braking surfaces.

Also, make sure your cables run freely in the outers. If in doubt, replace them. They are not expensive.

Best of luck!

 

[marinyork]

I think what you've described is normal. The hoods on my bike you can break "slowly" as you put it but you can't brake ultra sharply like on the drops.

Of course you may have brakes that aren't working particularly efficiently on top of that but the above would still be true anyway on quite a few bikes.

PS something with drops might be a lot faster than your hybrid. It's certainly the case comparing my bikes. It's quite easy to forget how easily the drop bike rolls and how much faster you're doing v the hybrid before you have to brake.

 

[Gerry Attrick]

I think what you've described is normal. The hoods on my bike you can break "slowly" as you put it but you can't brake ultra sharply like on the drops.

Of course you may have brakes that aren't working particularly efficiently on top of that but the above would still be true anyway on quite a few bikes.

PS something with drops might be a lot faster than your hybrid. It's certainly the case comparing my bikes. It's quite easy to forget how easily the drop bike rolls and how much faster you're doing v the hybrid before you have to brake.

Its true that caliper brakes may not be quite as powerful as well set up V's, but I have no problems braking very sharply from the hoods on my road bike set up as described.

 

[hackbike 666]

I prefer Shimano 105 type brakes.

 

[Gerry Attrick]

Ah....of course, you probably have cantilever brakes. Cantis are generally, and I stress generally, not as powerful as caliper or V brakes, but it does depend on the design. I change nothing in my original advice, but If you have cantis, then braking may not be as good as other systems.

Having said that, I have Tektro CR520's on my tourer which are perfectly reasonable even fully loaded.

 

[hackbike 666]

My Dawes Super Galaxy got like that,crap brakes so I binned it.

 

[HelenD123]

I have the same problem on my Ultra Galaxy. Someone pointed out that the brakes are designed for slowing you down on long alpine descents rather than the quick response I'm used to on my hybrid but it takes some getting used to.

 

[hackbike 666]

Get the drift but it put me right off those sort of brakes.

I remember later in it's life I had to use my feet to stop a few times.

 

[BentMikey]

You should really be able to get close to doing an endo in the dry from the drops. I wouldn't be happy with much less braking power than that.

p.s. this is a timely post, I think I need to be changing the pads on my Fujin, as the front brakes have decidedly lost stopping power.

 

[totallyfixed]

Helen stated that "someone" pointed out that the brakes are only designed for slowing you down on alpine descents. Whoever this person is , is talking a load of , excuse my French, bollocks. All bike brakes are designed to stop you, and relatively quickly, the only time this was an abject failure was in the bad old days of steel rims combined with rain. I've never ridden a bike that didn't stop me quickly and I've had a few [too few to mention].
As has been pointed out check the whole system especially the bits you can't see, ie the brake cable is running freely inside the outer. This is very often the main cause of poor braking because it's out of sight out of mind.
Get someone experienced to have a look or your local lbs. Good luck Bicyclebelle.

 

[hackbike 666]

I have probs with the rear brake on bike 1 although I haven't on the front as I put a Shimano 105 on it and it works fine.

Can't do that on the rear as the carrier gets in the way.

I wasn't really impressed with the Dawes Super Galaxy brakes anyway.So I went for a bike with Shimano 105 sort brakes.

Braking performance is much better now...some of those old bikes had crap brakes.

 

[Davidc]

BentMikey's right, and that should be the target.

Crud on the rims doesn't help, old blocks lose their effectiveness, as has been said above.

If I had that problem and couldn't sort it out with new parts and rim cleaning it's something I'd pay the LBS to investigate and fix.

You don't have steel rims do you?

 

[bicyclebelle]

You don't have steel rims do you?

No they're alloy I think - they're too light to be steel. I've cleaned them up so that can't be the problem. I'm taking it to LBS tomorrow and get them to check it over generally - I'll get some new pads at the same time.

Thanks for all your replies.

 

[Browser]

Having now owned a bike with vee brakes for the past 8-9 years, I can't see the attraction of canti's or calipers on anything but a full on road bike where, I have been logically educated, a sudden stop whilst in the midst of a group of other riders will (a) make you a mite unpopular and/or (B) cause a pile-up. My old Emmelle Cortina (first ever new bike, bought when I were but a lad of fifteen for commuting to my first job on) had Polygon cantis fitted and I though they were pretty good after years of second-hand calipers-on-steel-rims braking .
As stated by several others, clean/scrub rims, check/renew blocks, verify setup is as factory.
Oh, and if you really want scary brakes, try riding a rod-braked Pashley delivery bike........







.....in the wet !!!!!!