Just collected bike ftom LBS - brake still rubbish!

[itboffin]

I must be missing something then because the four disc braked bikes I have I just fitted and rode them all, mix of hydro and cable, road & MTB and they all work perfectly stop and slow as you’d expect, only one bike has very slight rubbing but then it’s had the same rotor and pad for 12 years so might be in need of a replacement

 

[screenman]

Never bedded in pads, also never had a problem, another thing why do you guys not mention brake cleaner as it works better than anything else mentioned and is extremely cheap to buy, £2.59 I pay for a 400ml aerosol.

 

[itboffin]

May people write off mechanical disc brakes but the Shimano CX and the TRP I have are great okay not hydro good but more than equivalent to the best calliper setup and stay working in heavy rain and mucky roads. I’m running a hydro front and mech rear on my rigid MTB and fully TRP mech on my CAAD12, then Hydro SLX for the real off-road stuff.

 

[si_c]

If it's barely braking at all then it might be worth cleaning the rotors and the pads off with a disc brake cleaner and a microfibre cloth and then start the bedding in process again. This should remove any contaminants and allow the pads to bed in properly.

 

[DRM]

If they are the type with just one piston, and a fixed pad on the other, they’ll never be good, I think you need to bite the bullet and fit either TRP Spyres, or suitable Juin Tech cable operated hydraulic callipers, all the single piston callipers do is bend the disc, and I fear all you will be doing trying to get them good is passing urine into a very stiff breeze, I have TRP Spyres on my gravel bike which are quite capable of locking up the rear wheel if applied clumsily

 

[berty bassett]

totally unimpressed with my venture into disc brakes
no matter what i did , i couldn't get the back brake to stop the bike - surely the main reason for it to be there !
tried cleaning everything with the right fluids , replacing pads and eventually replacing whole unit ( better but still no good )
just my opinion but cable disc brakes are just not good at stopping - may well save your rims from wear - but shorten life of wheel as you plow straight into the wall in front of a sharp bend

 

[C R]

My Triban RC500 has promax single piston calipers and they provide plenty of stopping power, just last night I was a bit overenthusiastic and locked the rear wheel on a wet road. Reviews of bikes with those brakes have generally shown surprise at how good the brakes are, they just need setting up properly.

 

[Tom B]

You can't beat these for the price

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/mt200-brake-kit-id_8565542.html

A set of decent pads is approaching a tenner.

 

[itboffin]

You can't beat these for the price

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/mt200-brake-kit-id_8565542.html

A set of decent pads is approaching a tenner.

absolutely agree I’ve just replaced the Shimano CX front mechanical with one of these, super easy to fit and great stopping power.

 

[boydj]

totally unimpressed with my venture into disc brakes
no matter what i did , i couldn't get the back brake to stop the bike - surely the main reason for it to be there!
tried cleaning everything with the right fluids , replacing pads and eventually replacing whole unit ( better but still no good )
just my opinion but cable disc brakes are just not good at stopping - may well save your rims from wear - but shorten life of wheel as you plow straight into the wall in front of a sharp bend

It's generally accepted that the back brake is for regulating the speed and the front brake is for stopping, especially if you need to stop quickly. Under heavy braking, the rear should lock up easily, but I wouldn't expect rear-only braking to stop the bike quickly.

 

[berty bassett]

It's generally accepted that the back brake is for regulating the speed and the front brake is for stopping, especially if you need to stop quickly. Under heavy braking, the rear should lock up easily, but I wouldn't expect rear-only braking to stop the bike quickly.

thank you - i have a rough idea how brakes should work
the brakes on that particular bike imho were shockingly bad ( cannondale synapse ) even with new pads that were binding on the disc , there was no way the wheel would lock and i am only a lightweight - i could even push the bike backwards while brake was hard on
this is only my opinion and i may have missed something simple but i couldnt help thinking if this is the best that it can do , its not good enough , plus if i went through an oily puddle it would mean no stopping , if i caught a stone and bent disc then i would be in trouble again
i know an oily puddle also spoils rim brakes but at least you can clean them on the go
i know i may be old fashioned but i will stick with rim brakes or try hydraulic - but won't try cable disc brakes again

 

[boydj]

In a roundabout way I was agreeing with you that your rear brake is rubbish if it can't lock up the wheel.

Also your lbs can't be up to much if they couldn't improve the situation. I've had cable operated discs - TRPs - and they can be made to work ok but tricky to get the cable adjusted correctly. I've never used Promax.

 

[Brandane]

i know i may be old fashioned but i will stick with rim brakes or try hydraulic - but won't try cable disc brakes again

If you don't like cable disc brakes, it's unlikely you'll like hydraulic either. I have (or have had) bikes with Shimano hydraulic, TRP hydraulic, TRP cable, and Avid BB7 cable discs. The cable brakes are every bit as good as the hydro's IMHO.. Although good rim brakes with quality pads (Swiss Stop or Kool Stop) are as good as discs. The usual obvious downside of rim brakes apply of course - black gunk in wet weather and rim wear.

 

[confusedcyclist]

It's generally accepted that the back brake is for regulating the speed and the front brake is for stopping, especially if you need to stop quickly. Under heavy braking, the rear should lock up easily, but I wouldn't expect rear-only braking to stop the bike quickly.

I always send people here! https://sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html

 

[CXRAndy]

I bought a mechanical disc brake bike a year or so ago.

I rode it once then ordered a set of hydraulic brakes. All my other bikes are hydraulic, so knew what decent braking performance is like.
Mechanical disc brakes are patchy at best

Once fitted I could lock the rear wheel instantly, that never worked with mechanical