New bike on the way ...!

[jowwy]

It may be that your pads/discs are contaminated. If you fancy an experiment before you splash out - you could swap front to rear and see what happens.

Its the render promax disc - they are utter pants

 

[ColinJ]

It may be that your pads/discs are contaminated. If you fancy an experiment before you splash out - you could swap front to rear and see what happens.

That did occur to me, but I don't think it is due to that.

The rear brake doesn't feel brilliant either, but I can lock the wheel without having to pull the brake lever to the bars, so that will do.

I was struggling to stop with the front lever pulled all the way to the bars!

The brake cable outers are Jagwire which are supposed to be ok, so I don't think they are the source of the problem.

I will have one more front brake fettling session to see if I can sort the Promax brake out. I have downloaded the service manual which explains how the brakes should be set up, and I did not do it that way at my first attempt so perhaps doing it the official way will be more effective.

I can get a Hy-Rd replacement for about £90 so it wouldn't be too bad to go down that route if I have to.

 

[mythste]

That did occur to me, but I don't think it is due to that.

The rear brake doesn't feel brilliant either, but I can lock the wheel without having to pull the brake lever to the bars, so that will do.

I was struggling to stop with the front lever pulled all the way to the bars!

The brake cable outers are Jagwire which are supposed to be ok, so I don't think they are the source of the problem.

I will have one more front brake fettling session to see if I can sort the Promax brake out. I have downloaded the service manual which explains how the brakes should be set up, and I did not do it that way at my first attempt so perhaps doing it the official way will be more effective.

I can get a Hy-Rd replacement for about £90 so it wouldn't be too bad to go down that route if I have to.

I had a mid-ride contamination to deal with the other day and changing the pads was the only way to stop it. I have pretty basic Shimano Mechanical disks on my Focus CX and when properly adjusted they perform wonderfully. Dont underestimate the difference adjusting cable tension vs inner pad distance can make. A good fettle might be worthwhile.

Failing that, I did try some of the Hy-Rd brakes on a more expensive model and they were seriously lovely, and I hear they dont require quite the amount of adjustment.

 

[mythste]

Oh, and of course, Enjoy!

 

[bikingdad90]

I have had this problem before and found that

A) could be that they need re centering on the rotor. Back off the mounting screws then spin wheel. Apply the brake and hold while tightening the screws back up.

B) tighten the cable up for more feel and less pull on lever

C) the pads are worn and need replacing as they are down to the final few mm

D) slicks = less rolling resistance = less grip to stop. If you apply weight over the front when braking does it still happen?

 

[ColinJ]

I have had this problem before and found that

A) could be that they need re centering on the rotor. Back off the mounting screws then spin wheel. Apply the brake and hold while tightening the screws back up.

B) tighten the cable up for more feel and less pull on lever

C) the pads are worn and need replacing as they are down to the final few mm

D) slicks = less rolling resistance = less grip to stop. If you apply weight over the front when braking does it still happen?

A) That was pretty much what my mate and I were trying to do. There is the question of where to have the static pad when doing this though. The user manual I downloaded explains a similar technique but iterating towards the ideal position. (Basically if the brake doesn't work properly where the pad is, move it slightly and repeat.)

We discovered that the front rotor was slightly bent and used a large adjustable spanner to straighten most of the wobble out of it. (We don't have a proper tool and I don't intend to spend money on one unless I have to.) I think we might be still able to improve the rotor further. If necessary, The rear rotor may be smaller than the front but If they are the same diameter then I might try swapping them since the front brake performance is way more important than the rear's.

B) I was thinking about cable tightness earlier because the rear lever seems to act a lot sooner than the front.

C) I checked the pads - they look ok.

D) I don't agree with that comment. On clean tarmac - slicks can provide enormous grip. On loose surfaces, yes - tread is essential.

I had nearly all my weight on the front of the bike because I was descending a 15% hill at the time! On the CX Cannondale, I could barely stop. I did the same descent the next day on my road Cannondale and I could have locked the front wheel with a single finger pulling on the brake lever - many times the brake power for a fraction of the effort!

It is worth trying again to improve what I have, but enough people have suggested that the brakes are crap for me to believe that it won't make much difference. I will try again in the morning - watch this space!

 

[outlash]

Looks a good'n there . In hindsight, I should have bought my CAADX with discs, you think your brakes are bad! FWIW, the Sammy slick tyres are pretty decent, I only swap mine out when it's properly muddy. Keep an eye on those wheels though, I've had two sets of those maddux wheels on both my cannondales and they go out of true at the drop of a hat. I recently bought a pair of fulcrum 7 CX's and so far they've been rock solid .

 

[ColinJ]

Looks a good'n there . In hindsight, I should have bought my CAADX with discs, you think your brakes are bad! FWIW, the Sammy slick tyres are pretty decent, I only swap mine out when it's properly muddy. Keep an eye on those wheels though, I've had two sets of those maddux wheels on both my cannondales and they go out of true at the drop of a hat. I recently bought a pair of fulcrum 7 CX's and so far they've been rock solid .

I'm not keen on mud so I will not be doing too much riding in muddy conditions, and when I do I will probably ride my mountain bike instead.

The back wheel does have a bit of a wobble on it. Not quite enough to require immediate attention, but now that I have spotted it I will add that to the list of things to sort out.

I had another go at the front brake tonight now that I have got my head round how to adjust it. The bent front rotor causes dragging friction and noises if I have the pads as close together as they should be. If I separate them enough to stop the rubbing then I do not have enough pull left in the lever. I checked, and the rear rotor is 140 mm so I can't swap it with the 160 mm front rotor. I will try to straighten the bent rotor more but TBH, I think I should just get a TRP Hy-Rd front brake, which would come with a new rotor. I am wasting valuable summer riding time trying to fix something which will probably never be great no matter what I do to it!

So, it looks like the current shopping list is ...

• TRP Hy-Rd brake for the front
• 2 red bottle cages
• 11-36 10 speed MTB cassette
• 9-speed MTB rear derailleur to cope with bigger cassette
• New 10-speed chain
• 34 tooth inner ring (NB must check 46 ring for wear!)
• Pair of SPD pedals

Even after those purchases, I will still only have ended up paying about the same as for a new bike, but I will have bottle cages, and better pedals, brakes, saddle, and range of gears.

Future shopping list ...?

• TRP Hy-Rd brake for the rear (If having mismatched brakes annoys me and I like the Hy-Rd.)
• Rack
• Mudguards

 

[outlash]

Not knowing if a 9 speed would work, but wouldn't you need a 10 speed deurailleur with tiagra?

 

[ColinJ]

Not knowing if a 9 speed would work, but wouldn't you need a 10 speed deurailleur with tiagra?

I only just spotted that question ...

I needed a MTB derailleur to cope with the proposed huge cassette. 10 speed road shifters pull different amounts of cable to what a 10 speed MTB mech requires, but 9 speed MTB mechs were rumoured to be compatible. I went ahead and bought a 9-speed XT MTB mech and can confirm that it works really well in this role, though it was a bit fiddly to set it up properly.

I also did all the other upgrades that I mentioned above. If you add up the amount of money I have spent on top of the second-hand price then I have spent about the same as for a new bike but I have a much more powerful front brake and a wider range of gears to suit the horribly steep climbs round here.

 

[outlash]

Good work sir , it's truly your bike now

 

[Wafer]

TRP Spyre brakes are a bit cheaper and my LBS is recommending them over the Hy-Rd. One of the guys is even wanting to 'downgrade' from Hy-Rd to Spyres. They reckon they're the best cable operated discs you can get. When shop says the cheaper one is better I'm more inclined to believe them!

 

[Wafer]

Oh, nice looking bike though, was what I was going to get last year!

 

[ColinJ]

TRP Spyre brakes are a bit cheaper and my LBS is recommending them over the Hy-Rd. One of the guys is even wanting to 'downgrade' from Hy-Rd to Spyres. They reckon they're the best cable operated discs you can get. When shop says the cheaper one is better I'm more inclined to believe them!

I did look at the Spyre but the Hy/Rd got very good reviews so I thought it was worth spending the extra £20-odd. The new Hy/Rd on the front is a lot nicer than the old Render R on the back but that rear brake can lock the back wheel if it needs to so I won't bother upgrading that.

 

[Wafer]

Fair enough, just thought I'd mention it.
Have got the Render R's on my Synapse and though they can be fine they need regular adjustment to keep them that way. Getting Spyre's on my upgrade in the autumn!