Tandem Cycling - V-brakes

The V-brakes on my new BF family tandem traveler are less than stellar. I knew this would be my first and most important up grade. I have not messed with V-brakes in a number of year since my recumbent days what are your suggestions for a nice mid range set. I was thinking XT or single degit 7's, any opinions.

Thanks

I put on Avid SD 7's with SwissStop green pads and they are rock solid. I feel like I'm stopping my single for the most part. I have a Salsa Arc de Trioomph brake booster on the front also.

The V-brakes on my new BF family tandem traveler are less than stellar. I knew this would be my first and most important up grade. I have not messed with V-brakes in a number of year since my recumbent days what are your suggestions for a nice mid range set. I was thinking XT or single degit 7's, any opinions.

Thanks

I run the XTR's - which replaced the SD 7's that came on my Como. The 7's didn't fit on the brake bosses correctly, they would appear to be loose and move fore and aft. Don't know if it was a bad set - but my XTR's fit fine and work great. XT's would be my choice if you want to save some $$$.

+1 on the Avid SD 7's. We are a 305 pound team on a C'dale, that ride/live in a hilly area...these V's have been great with the stock CW 2 pads.

Bill J.

I also prefer all of the the Avid V-brakes that I've used on several bikes to all of the Shimano V-brakes that I've used. There was a thread on this on another subforum of BF in the past couple of days, I don't remember which, but there was almost universal support for the Avid SD-7's being the best V-brakes out there.

I also prefer all of the the Avid V-brakes that I've used on several bikes to all of the Shimano V-brakes that I've used. There was a thread on this on another subforum of BF in the past couple of days, I don't remember which, but there was almost universal support for the Avid SD-7's being the best V-brakes out there.

That certainly wasn't the case for me. Maybe it was the posts on the Woundup fork but the Avids rocked back and forth no matter what I did - but the XTR's fit fine. I've installed V-brakes on MTB's since they were first introduced so I know it wasn't how they were installed. The movement causes horrible brake squeal and shuddering on the front wheel. Completely unacceptable IMO.

SD7s all the way for us. We are a 400 lb team and they stop us like a single bike. I run Koolstop Salmon pads.

We have XTR brakes on one bike and SD7s on another tandem and we don't see any difference. They both work about the same.
Sheldon and Martha Hall
Greenfield, IN

Even if Shimano XTR and Avid SD-7's work about the same, the XTR's are normally two to three times the price, making them either incomparable or totally overpriced. Go with SD-7's if you have the choice.

Just thought I'd chime in: we recently purchased a used Burley Rumba, and we found the stock brakes (Tektro Mini Vs) to be anemic and vague. We replaced the front with an Avid Single Digit and Travel Agent. The Avid provides much more stopping power and much better feel than the stock setup (nice feedback on the lever, no mush), and I'm very glad we did it. We would have done the same on the rear, but this wouldn't work with the rack, so we swapped out the stock pads for Kool Stops. Together, they haul down ~350 pounds of flesh and steel from 41mph with very little drama or uncertainty.

David

Forgive me for piggy-backing onto this post. I have an older Santana Sovereign Tandem owned since new (around '92). Last year upgraded to new Rolf Tandem wheels, 10 speed ultegra system, etc. Overall we are really enjoying the bike more than ever. One big challenge we have is brakes. We are running original Shimano XT cantilevers in the rear, and switched to new Shimano XTR brakes in the front. We have several challenges;

Front brake initially seemed to eat into the aluminum sidewalls of the rims. I would hear a grinding noise when doing long stops and sometimes find small metal shavings coming off. I have changed to Ritchey red pads and grinding has stopped. However, the pads are glazing up the sidewalls and losing braking power.
Rear I have switched back and forth between Shimano XT pads and Tioga pads. Neither seem to offer much braking power, frankly.

The reason this issue has become more of concern is that we have recently moved to a much more hilly area, and are finding braking effectiveness much more of an issue vs. where we lived in the flatlands. I would appreciate ideas. From reading other posts, cool stop pads seem to work well, but many of you do not have any problems with stock shimano pads on XTR either.

Also, does anyone have any idea how to rehab rim brake surface area that has experienced some grinding? Thanks

I like the SD 7 on our Burley Rumba also. We managed to bend the support straps for our rack so that they did not interfere with the rear SD 7 but it was close.

That certainly wasn't the case for me. Maybe it was the posts on the Woundup fork but the Avids rocked back and forth no matter what I did - but the XTR's fit fine. I've installed V-brakes on MTB's since they were first introduced so I know it wasn't how they were installed. The movement causes horrible brake squeal and shuddering on the front wheel. Completely unacceptable IMO.

The brake squeal was a result of the brakes being improperly set up.

The shuddering of the front fork was a result of the brakes being really really good brakes, and that they were stopping the bike in a shorter amount of time. Good brakes on the front wheel of a tandem put an absolutely insane amount of force on the front fork.

You should be able to lock up the front and rear wheel of your tandem with your team on the bike with good brakes (yes, the fork will shudder).

Even if Shimano XTR and Avid SD-7's work about the same, the XTR's are normally two to three times the price, making them either incomparable or totally overpriced. Go with SD-7's if you have the choice.

Then there is the fact that XTR brakes run around 200g for the front OR the Rear:

http://www.coloradocyclist.com/product/item/SSMHLT38

Avid's Single Digit 7's are actually lighter by 15g each. 30g front and rear.

Go with the Avid Single Digit SL and the brakes are only 165g each. That's a difference of 70g versus XTR V-Brakes.

http://www.sram.com/_media/pdf/en/avid/specs/AVID_Rim_Brakes.pdf

XTR is not only overpriced its bloated.

Yes I appreciate the irony of a 375lb captain looking up the weights of V-Brakes and geeking out about a potential weight savings of what amounts to a couple of ounces.

I'm a big advocate of using Cane Creek Drop-V levers on a tandem. Not only do they save you considerable weight when set up with Barcons, Paul Thumbies, or Kelly Take-offs (the latter two w/downtube shifters) versus STI levers, but the brake feel and modulation is night and day.

http://www.canecreek.com/component-other?product=drop-v

They are made to work with linear pull brakes and work much better than even regular brake levers with a Travel Agent.

Upgrading your brakes is part of the solution, however, I'd always start by using an appropriate lever. STI levers are garbage as brake levers and heavy to boot. Real brake levers save weight and are so much better and firmer, and stop the bike safer.

We are almost 600lbs on the bike. Brakes are something I've spent some time perfecting.

We are almost 600lbs on the bike. Brakes are something I've spent some time perfecting.

:thumb: :)

Forgive me for piggy-backing onto this post. I have an older Santana Sovereign Tandem owned since new (around '92). Last year upgraded to new Rolf Tandem wheels, 10 speed ultegra system, etc. Overall we are really enjoying the bike more than ever. One big challenge we have is brakes. We are running original Shimano XT cantilevers in the rear, and switched to new Shimano XTR brakes in the front. We have several challenges;

Front brake initially seemed to eat into the aluminum sidewalls of the rims. I would hear a grinding noise when doing long stops and sometimes find small metal shavings coming off. I have changed to Ritchey red pads and grinding has stopped. However, the pads are glazing up the sidewalls and losing braking power.
Rear I have switched back and forth between Shimano XT pads and Tioga pads. Neither seem to offer much braking power, frankly.

The reason this issue has become more of concern is that we have recently moved to a much more hilly area, and are finding braking effectiveness much more of an issue vs. where we lived in the flatlands. I would appreciate ideas. From reading other posts, cool stop pads seem to work well, but many of you do not have any problems with stock shimano pads on XTR either.

Also, does anyone have any idea how to rehab rim brake surface area that has experienced some grinding? Thanks

It's all about the pads. Stop messing around with the Shimano and Tioga pads and try some SwissStop Green pads made specifically for aluminum rims. The SwissStop also do not let aluminum shavings embed themselves in the pads, the cause of the grinding noise. If you want to save money then KoolStop Salmon pads, you will just need to replace them more often. Some Scotchbrite pads and acetone will help remove the glazing on the rims.

http://www.swissstop.com/Cross.aspx
http://www.koolstop.com/brakes/index.php

It's all about the pads. Stop messing around with the Shimano and Tioga pads and try some SwissStop Green pads made specifically for aluminum rims. The SwissStop also do not let aluminum shavings embed themselves in the pads, the cause of the grinding noise. If you want to save money then KoolStop Salmon pads, you will just need to replace them more often. Some Scotchbrite pads and acetone will help remove the glazing on the rims.

http://www.swissstop.com/Cross.aspx
http://www.koolstop.com/brakes/index.php

I've never heard of SwissStop pads until I saw them in a bike shop the other day. When did they show up?

Mostly a Euro thing, relatively new to the US. Their Yellow pads work well on both Carbon and Aluminum rims. Matter of fact, one of the few pads that allow you to swap between the two with just a wipe of the pads.