SullDC

So I finally found a shop that had a TriCross Comp in stock and gave it a couple of test runs. I love the bike, but I'm still getting acclimated to riding with dropdowns and brifters. There were a few things I noticed during those test rides that disappointed me:

1. The TRP EuroX cantilever brakes with the 105 levers gave me very mediocre stopping power in the drops, and braking from the hoods was a very difficult. Is it normal for it to be quite awkward to break from the hood position? It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to use so much force on the levers to get the bike to stop.

The secondary brake levers on the tops seemed very average quality and were also quite unresponsive. In my opinion, my 10 year old diamondback hybrid can stop more quickly, with less force applied to the levers than this bike can. Why are these high quality brakes so unresponsive? Is it user error, or have they been assembled improperly?

2. I was unimpressed with the 105 shifter/derailleur. It's indexing was not crisp, and it didn't snap quickly into gears as I would expect it should. Not sure if this is just something I need to get used to as I've never used brake shifters before, but I had imagined far better accuracy and reliability. Again, is this user error? or have the components been assembled wrong?

simonaway427

What kind of brakes are on your old bike? Canti brakes are always going to feel substandard at first. Its a matter of getting used to them.

Hard to tell from the pictures...but it appears to me that the brake cables are too short. I know with my Shorty Ultimates, it says to have proper brake cable length to achieve approx 90 degrees bend for the bridge cable. I don't know how TRP recommends for their setup.

I can't comment on the 105 issue. I have 105 on my cross bike and its great. Sure, its not as crisp as my Ultegra road bike, but it does the job and is very durable. Perhaps the shop didn't perfectly tune it prior to your test ride?

Don't worry about the interrupter brakes - you'll end up getting rid of those as you ride more, trust me.

kmancrx

Try a mini V brake up front if you want some good braking power.

jfmckenna

It's pretty standard for cyclocross brakes to plain and simply suck. Somehow cross racers since the dawn of time have simply accepted that. My next bike will have disk brakes. I think I may give the mini V's a try for this year since I hear real good things about them as well.

I use 105 on my cross bike and it works great. Could be as simple as a cable tension issue.

Cynikal 

I recently made the jump to mini v's and won't go back to canti's. I installed both the TRP CX9's and CX8.4 on my two bikes and they are outstanding.

flargle

Ugh the misinformation in this thread.

Wide profile cantis are optimized for pad-to-rim clearance, NOT braking leverage. A low-profile canti with a low straddle cable can give excellent braking performance, even compared with V brakes.

Interrupter brakes are great, if they are installed and used correctly. Many riders stay glued to their hoods, however, and therefore think they serve no purpose.

It looks as though it's a used bike? Perhaps the shifter cables need a little TLC. The shifters themselves, all they can do is pull or release cable.

jfmckenna

Well in the last 15 years I've been racing cross I've tried all kinds of brakes and none of them have ever been particularly good at stopping. It is a trade off for mud clearance and stopping power but for me personally I set them up for stopping rather than clearance because I think stopping power makes you faster. Why? Because if you get to that corner or hole shot first then you are at a huge advantage and the way to get there is to fly right up to the point where you have to brake and that point increases if you can stop quicker. I remember when mountain bikes had canti's and then people were switching to V-Brakes. The difference was night and day. Then the switch from V-Brakes to disk, maybe not as grand a difference between canti and V-Brakes but still a marked improvement.

I'd guess the V-Brakes for cross don't have the clearance capability as canti's do (could be wrong but just guessing) but I bet they stop a lot better.

I love the inline levers my self and almost exclusively use them as I prefer to be on the tops. I had a set up years ago with just one barcon and no hoods, just inline levers. Worked great.

fietsbob

why didn't you rotate your pictures before posting them?


I've Used Cantilevers for 30 years, several types..

you want braking like someone put a broomstick in your wheel or what?

You wont be coming to a dead stop in a Race, just reducing your rate of speed .

unless avoiding someone crashing in front of you.
(and being rear ended by the rider behind you).