Cyclocross - 07 JTS/Avid 4 Tough Love

OK, so I had some "average" bike prep from the shop on the green snake...incl the self extracting crank doing just that on a ride...but I still love Senor Verde.
The remaining big issue is brakes. The Avid 4s are stock and pretty much don't work, plus horrible shuddering from the front. I'm keen to try salmon kool stop pads, the shop owner is keen to try mini Vs on my bike. I've read mini Vs are sensitive to wheel trueness...plus it kinda seems halfassed as a solution.
Options:
- adjust existing set-up myself, obviously the shop hasn't done a great job
- kool stops
- mini Vs
- shimanos or higher Avids
- empellas, Pauls etc
- travel agent and V brakes
- discs

I'd like enough power to lock up either end on a dry road, I can kinda ride around wet and muddy performance

Advice as always appreciated, TIA :)

Replace the pads, the stock ones are GARBAGE!!! Zero power to be had and they weigh a ton. I replaced mine with MEC cartridge pads, a zillion times better. Now I can actually stop my bike on a dime and not be white knuckled on downhills.

The shuddering is very common on cross bikes. I find it's very bearable on my JtS with the steel P2 fork, perhaps it's worse with a carbon.

I have the Shorty 6's, with Koolstop pads. They stop smartly, and little or no shuddering that I can recall (maybe I've just gotten so used to it that I don't notice anymore??) They are occasionally prone to some godawfully loud screeching, but that can usually be stopped with a bit of toe-in fussing.

I thought my 4s were lousy. Kool Stops seem to help. I'll still upgrade when I can. Paul's or Frog Legs aren't that expensive in the grand scheme of things.

Thanks Fellas, appreciated. Mini Vs also have bad clearance for fattie tyres, so that option isn't even on the table any more.

I had a similar problem with my 06 Poprad. I ordered the Kool stop MTB pads and a fork mounted brake mount from Sheldon Brown, and that - for now - has stopped the shuddering/lockup problem that I was having.

I've got Avid 4's on my crosscheck. The squeak was reduced greatly by the use of salmon Koolstops. They didn't squeak at all with Avid pads, but the bike also didn't stop very well.

With the Koolstops, they don't squeak with light braking/stopping and only squeak when I brake really hard with the front. The back never squeaked since the wheel would start skidding before it did.

The issue came to a more immediate crisis when the tensioner screw fell out of one side of the rear brake set. Screw threads OK, but threads on the ring thing stripped. Cue duct tape and another trip to the bike shop. They are ordering in some Shimano BRR550 brakes and maybe some mini Vs. In the meantime, Jake has a rear brake off a Cannondale and performance is vastly improved, even with the no name pads on that brake.

Update: Shimanos (BR-R550) installed, situation much improved, even with stock black pads. More power, more progressive, less shudder and silent. Nicer looking too. Downside: not a lot of rim clearance. Will ride the crap out of the bike and finesse that part later.

Update: Shimanos (BR-R550) installed, situation much improved, even with stock black pads. More power, more progressive, less shudder and silent. Nicer looking too. Downside: not a lot of rim clearance. Will ride the crap out of the bike and finesse that part later.

What is causing you to have less clearance with the new brakes? I looked up a pic of them and they look a lot like the Avid's on my JTS.

I had the same prob on my Jake, I couldn't even lock the rear, but I do weight 2 bills. I switched to Kool Stop dual compound's and adjusted the angle of the cable on the rear. Changing the angle of the V made much more of a difference then changing the pads. Now it stops fairly well, I still get some shutter in the front especialy when it's wet. I'm going to clean up the braking surface and the pads and see if that helps.

Regards clearance: just the way the shop sets them up...the Avid 4s were real close also. One day I'll adjust for clearance myself, but for the now, am simply happy to have a working bike :)