New brakes 2017 boardman team carbon c7
- Thread starter Ailie
- Start date
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If you have rim brakes presently then no, you won't be able to fit disc brakes on that frame. If rim brakes then swapping to some third party pads like Koolstop or Swissstop are good options and will generally improve braking performance and feel.
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
Discs: non-starter.
From the contemporary 'mag' review:
"the real let down here are the Tektro R540 Dual Pivot calliper brakes. They just don’t work very well. At the very least the brakes are consistent; just consistently poor."
I agree with @si_c : get some Koolstop Salmons for at least the front. This assumes that your brakes have shoes (ie the pads slide into them and are secured by a tiny screw). Even if you get new brakes, you'll need decent pads and they are a top choice.
The rest of the groupset is Tiagra so you could find some of those (105 and Ultegra are the next two steps up, in the Shimano hierarchy).
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-tiagra-br4700-front-brake-caliper/
Note that if colour's important to you, check it.
One Roadbikereview reviewer offered this advice:
"These brakes came OEM on my bike and at first they were completely squishy and the toe in came completely miss adjusted. Toe in is adjustable. There is a hemispherical surface on the P422 adjustable angle cartridge pads that allows angle adjustment by how it meets the washer. To adjust toe in, place 0.5 mm shim at back of pad with screw loose and tap lever several times to align pad then hold lever tight while tightening screw. Once the pad angle is properly adjusted these brakes are not squishy at all and stop silently. This toe in adjustment is apparently a huge problem because many reviews mention problems caused by angle errors and some even solve these problems by installing non-adjustable pads."
Might be worth trying this first; then decent pads second.
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Thank you Si and Ajax! I’ve contacted a bike shop to get a quote for replacing the brakes to Tiagra /105s / Ultegra and the pads to koolstop or swisstop. Do you think this will make a noticeable difference? I’m a newbie and don’t particularly like going down hills at the moment since I do not have much faith in the brakes. I was considering getting rid of the bike and buying a new one but ideally hoping not to have to do that. Do you think new wheels / tyres would help too? Many thanks
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
@Ailie
I recommend you consider three steps, in order, testing each improvement in turn:
1. Get the toe in adjustment right (all 4 pads)
2. Buy some Koolstop Salmons (about £10 a pair) - top reputation (and I use those on my front brake). If the current pads are 'integrated' then you'd need to buy shoes too. I don't ('feel the need' to) use them on the rear because the wheel will lock with the friction I can achieve with cheapish Clarks pads.) https://road.cc/content/review/126029-kool-stop-dura-2-dual-compound-brake-blocks
I bought my last lot from "Brilliant Bikes Creating a better place .... Tel: 0800 756 1284 - Mon-Sat 09:00-17:30 "
3. Procure better caliper brakes. Fitting these (and removing the current ones) yourself is really really easy (10 minute job), requiring one allen key (which should be in your saddle bag or back pocket with a tube, levers and patches anyway).
I recommend you consider three steps, in order, testing each improvement in turn:
1. Get the toe in adjustment right (all 4 pads)
2. Buy some Koolstop Salmons (about £10 a pair) - top reputation (and I use those on my front brake). If the current pads are 'integrated' then you'd need to buy shoes too. I don't ('feel the need' to) use them on the rear because the wheel will lock with the friction I can achieve with cheapish Clarks pads.) https://road.cc/content/review/126029-kool-stop-dura-2-dual-compound-brake-blocks
I bought my last lot from "Brilliant Bikes Creating a better place .... Tel: 0800 756 1284 - Mon-Sat 09:00-17:30 "
3. Procure better caliper brakes. Fitting these (and removing the current ones) yourself is really really easy (10 minute job), requiring one allen key (which should be in your saddle bag or back pocket with a tube, levers and patches anyway).
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I have the same bike and the first thing to go was the brake calipers as they were shocking! As others have said, discs are a non-starter as the frame and fork lack the necessary mounts.
Personally I'd not bother changing just the pads. I swapped the original calipers for 105 5800 units and the difference was significant - the replacements being both a lot more progressive and outright more powerful. If going for new 105 you'll be looking at the current R7000 calipers, which should give comparable performance. FWIW I'd recommend these over Tiagra as I believe the 105s have equal-length arms which give better performance.
The only stumbling block I had with mine was that the original cable outers wouldn't fit inside the adjustable stops on the new calipers; I think because the cables outers have steel ferrules crimped onto their ends. Because I didn't want to / couldn't remove these (can't remember!) I swapped the Tektro's adjustors onto the 105 calipers, which fit fine as the thread is the same. Ideally I'd like to refit the originals at some point so I can flog the old calipers though...
Good luck
tincaman
Guru
- Location
- Chudleigh, South Devon
105 (5800) level is the minimum I would upgrade to, great stiff calipers and decent pads. Anything less than this is too flexy and you lose braking power and feel.
The differences are hard to quantify, suffice to say I was extemely dissatisfied with the original brakes and have zero complaints regarding the performance of the replacements.
Having just bought a bike with hydro discs I won't be going back to rim brakes on any future purchases, however the difference isn't so significant that I'd consider selling my rim-braked bike to change to discs. Unless you regularly ride in terrible weather or are doing so many miles you're burning through rims I'd stick with the rim brakes.
If the reviews are to be believed the Team Carbon is a very well-thought-of bike, and this has been largely bourne out by my experiences of the bike too. Your existing brakes are cack because the calipers are crap, not because they're rim brakes..
