Bicycle Mechanics - Pads touching tires

Just replaced the stock brakes on my Trek 1800c with 105 hardware and seem to have an issue with the pads touching the tires. The pads are pulled all the way down but are still riding too high on the rim where an 1/8 of an inch is touching the tires, both front and back. Am I missing something to adjust the pads lower?

Thanks, George

Make sure your wheel is seated correctly in the front dropouts, and check the quick release.

If that's not the case, you need longer reach calipers.

Just replaced the stock brakes on my Trek 1800c with 105 hardware and seem to have an issue with the pads touching the tires. The pads are pulled all the way down but are still riding too high on the rim where an 1/8 of an inch is touching the tires, both front and back. Am I missing something to adjust the pads lower?

Thanks, George

Don't ride it that way. If your brake pads touch the tire even by a tiny bit you'll blow out the sidewall.

Without the benefit of looking at your bike I think that I'd be looking for some thinner brake pads. You very well might, as another poster mentioned, need brakes that have a longer reach.

On a ride last year, we were cruising when we were all startled by a loud crack, like a gunshot: one fellow's front tire had blown for just the reasons mentioned above--worn right through the sidewall. A new bike, not entry-level, with calipers that were too short! None of us could believe that a shop would have sent the bike out the door with brakes that were so obviously wrong and potentially dangerous.

Thanks for the information.

I took the bike by my local bike shop and they said the calipers are too short for my bike. Apparently the Trek 1800c (similar to the current Pilot series) is a relaxed frame that allows additional space for bigger tires, requiring a longer type brake caliper.

Does anybody know of brakes at the 105 level or higher that have a longer caliper design?

Thanks, George

Don't buy into this shimano 105 or higher garbage. Dual pivots brakes are dual pivots.
Go to probikekit.com and pickup a set of long reach tektro dual pivot brakes. They're about 40 something bucks.

I'm sure other who've used tektro stuff will chime in about their quality & price. That said if you really need to have 105 dual pivots (do they make those in long reach?), they're on that same site for around $70.

http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=A8065

Oh and uh free shipping to states/canada.

Does anybody know of brakes at the 105 level or higher that have a longer caliper design?

Shimano R600 are labelled as "long reach". They are longer reach than the Ultegras or 105s. If you put them side by side with 105s they look almost identical, except they say "Shimano" on them instead of "105", and, of course, the caliper arms are slightly longer. Here's a link so you can see them:

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/brakes.asp

Scroll down to the Shimano section - they are just below the Ultegras.

These can often be found on ebay for good prices. I'm sure your shop can get them for you. Maybe they will swap them out for free, or cheap.

Don't buy into this shimano 105 or higher garbage. Dual pivots brakes are dual pivots.
Go to probikekit.com and pickup a set of long reach tektro dual pivot brakes. They're about 40 something bucks.

I'm sure other who've used tektro stuff will chime in about their quality & price. That said if you really need to have 105 dual pivots (do they make those in long reach?), they're on that same site for around $70.

http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=A8065

Oh and uh free shipping to states/canada.

Sorry to disagree, but I own both Shimano and Tektro. The Tektros are fine, but they are not of the same quality as 105's or Ultegra's. The Tektros are a decent knockoff of Shimano dual pivots, but noticeably not as good. For example, the little centering adjustment screw is a philips head that sticks out on the Tektros and it's a nice, recessed allen head on the Shimanos. The machining and the finish on the Shimanos is also noticeably better. The one thing that Tektro has going for it is that they make an "extra long" reach caliper that I don't think anyone else makes. I am using one of those on the rear brake for an old steel frame that was formerly used with 27" wheels. When I went to 700C, that was the only caliper I could find that had sufficient reach.

And, no, they don't make 105s, or Ultegras in long reach. That's exactly what the R600s are for.

Thanks for the advice folks, I ordered some Tektro 521AG Long Reach Dual Pivot Road Calipers from Lickbike for $37.88. They should hold me over until I get my new carbon bike later this year. ;)

George

As cascade168 noted, the Tektros aren't up to the fit, finish and refinement of Shimano 105 or Ultegra level brakes but they are functional and should serve you quite well. One upgrade to consider is to replace the stock pads with Kool Stop or Shimano pads.

As cascade168 noted, the Tektros aren't up to the fit, finish and refinement of Shimano 105 or Ultegra level brakes but they are functional and should serve you quite well. One upgrade to consider is to replace the stock pads with Kool Stop or Shimano pads.

One thing that is worthy of note is that with the 2006 105 pad holders you can now do the toe-in and other angle adjustments of the shoes. DA and Ultegra have been like this for a while now, but previous 105 holders only had flat washers as mounting h/w. I previously had done a couple of bikes with 105 brakes and ended up replacing the holders with Kool Stop Dura Road Holder brake shoes to get the nice curved washer sets for the angle adjustments. Being able to do those adjustments makes a big difference in performance. Kool Stop also makes similar holders for Campy.

With aluminum rims the KS salmon pads are the best out there. Shimano is starting to catch on, as I see in the new catalog they make a big deal of a new compound for the DA pads. I have not tried them myself but would be interested in hearing from someone who has. Also, if you ride in the wet, the KS green pads (for ceramic rims) matched with a decent ceramic rim, such as the Mavic OP Ceramic, give really incredible results in wet weather and I think they are better in the dry weather as well. The one drawback to the "greenies" is that they wear faster (but this is almost to be expected).

Please stop safely ;)