jfu

I got confused now: would the eagle 2 (that I've already ordered) work with the CR 720, or as AEO says, I've wasted money?

And about the current brake setting: there is no way of lifting the rear wheel when applying the front brake. In fact there is no way of locking either the rear or front wheel, even when not sitting on the bike: when I walk with the bike, press the saddle with my hand and apply the rear brake I'm unable to lock the wheel

xenologer

What you really want are v-brake style brake pads, with the threaded mounting posts and stack of spacers.
If your kool stop eagle2s are threadless post, youre outta luck.
if they are threaded version, you might make them work but that type is really meant for caliper brakes not cantilevers -you'll probably have issues aligning the pads to the rim

you want this kind:
https://www.amazon.com/Kool-Stop-Thin...16334&sr=1-146
note all the spacers on the mounting post

get the pads as close to the rim as possible, and get the straddle wire down as low and close to the tire as possible, this should maximize mechanical advantage
Other brake styles have better MA ... look at medium profile cantilevers instead; avid shorty, tektro oryx

jfu

I've managed to cancel my order. So now I may order the correct ones

The pads that are on the bike now look like these: https://www.tektro.com/_english/01_pr...s&sort=1&fid=4

do you guys agree that I need pads mentioned by xenologer: https://www.amazon.com/Kool-Stop-Thin...-2147483553-20

I was also recommended these ones: https://www.dotbike.com/p/4193
any thoughts?

xenologer

Either will work with a cr720
the ones on the dotbike link are nicer since they use a cartridge holder, allows you to change the pads without having to unbolt anything in the future. might see if you can find them in a a full salmon compound instead of he half/half though

jfu

to be even more confused, I was advised this time to get just dura replacement pads https://www.dotbike.com/p/3109
as they should fit into my current shoes. Is this the best option to go?

alex jb

I bought a used set of Avis shorty 4's and the pads were the originals and maybe 30% worn, the stopping poor even with te pads low for maximum advantage. I went to koolstops and after a few miles of bed in they are great in comparison.
The surface area contacting the rim seems smaller because of the teardrop shape compared to rectangle OEM pads. Same force over a smaller area = higher pressure exerted on the rim, it seems to help.
Don't know if that increased pressure will make them wear faster yet though.

fietsbob

Tektro, like so many other companies copies Shimano (or Campag)
for compatibility.

Salmon/dual compound a good pick.

Tuc

Now that you have correctly identified the exact style you need to replace it with, you can't go wrong with the Salmon/Dual compound and it should really make a difference in the braking. The V-brakes are more powerful with less effort, but if you have the Tektro's adjusted properly to hit the rim at the exact same time you will be pleased. The earlier poster mentioned the carrier bridge, an excellent product for putting more power with less pull from the levers. https://problemsolversbike.com/produc...cable_carrier/

onespeedbiker

When all I ever rode was cantis I thought they were good stoppers but that was with motorcycle style brake levers; make sure you do your stopping from the drops, were you can use the end of the brake lever to give you the maximum amount of leverage; cantis don't stop well at all braking from the hoods. Also don't expect that the brakes are setup right. Check out this site https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-...-brake-service and check the Vertical Height Alignment, Tangent Alignment and specifically the Vertical Face Alignment. Next, don't expect the cantis to stop anywhere near as easily as the V's. The modulation of cantis often comes in the form of maximum hand strength to slow or stop the bike. Since the bike is new it does take a bit of time wear in the OEM brake pads, which are a fairly hard compound, so if you don't have 200 miles or so with the brakes, they still need some brake in time. The Kool Stop pads are softer and tend to break-in and stop a little better, but they also wear faster.

jfu

thank you all for your responses. I've ordered now these ones https://www.dotbike.com/p/4193

Now I'll spend some time to learn how to adjust the brakes and hopefully I'll get some improvement after that

fietsbob

I am curious any Bike Shops in Warsaw? now, visited on a bike tour in '91,
didn't stay long,
took the overnight train to the SW corner then rode into Prague , the next day.

jfu

There are some You can get the major bike brands like Trek, Giant, Specialized etc., but the choice of models is much smaller than in US (e.g. I couldn't get Spec Tricross or Trek Portland). It is more difficult to get european bikes, such as Look or Bianchi.
You can get pretty much everything from the popular bike parts manufacturers, like Shimano or Sram. However, I don't believe I'd find anywhere here the kool stop pads that I've ordered.