dfw

The search feature wasn't working for me today, so excuse me if this question has been answered already. I bought my first road bike today, which is a Trek Pilot 2.1. I'm very pleased with it, with the exception of the brakes. I'm used to riding a MTB and a hybrid, both of which have excellent stopping power. The brakes on the Pilot are definitely a let down. It takes me at least twice the distance to stop it as I'm used to. I understand the Pilot has dual pivot brakes which may not have as much leverage, but it seems to me I should have more stopping power than I do. The brakes appear to be adjusted perfectly. The pads have a good alignment with just a touch of toe-in, and they don't squeek. Clearance is minimal and the wheels are perfectly true. I primarily use my front brake. I have small hands, but I had spacers installed on the STI levers to give me a shorter reach.

Am I expecting too much from these brakes? Will they improve after a few rides when they start to break in? Or do I need to upgrade the brakes and/or pads if I want them to function better?

Crashtest

Where are your hands when you brake? If you are riding on the brake hoods, you'll have a slightly harder time stopping - it's often harder to get the proper leverage when riding on the hoods. If you are riding down in the drops, you should be able to really get a good grip on the brakes and stop quickly.

If you are already down in the drops and still have trouble stopping, then I really don't know.

my58vw

Trek is not very discriptive on the brakes on their website, i.e. are the calipers generic vs 105, ultegra, dura ace, etc. I find that the higher end brakes stop a little better due to more even pressure between the pad and rim (i.e metal vs plastic pad holders). Comparing road bike brakes to hybrid and more to MTBs you will notice a difference. V-brakes have more "machanical advantage" than calipers, discs stop even faster.

Calipers seem to be better at taking off speed more constintly than v-brakes, great for racing. V-brakes are used in mountain bikes and cyclocross bikes due to the need for quicker stopping than a road bike. The bike should stop quicker once the pad wear a little, but not much. Your best option if you want better brakes is to put better calipers on. Plain and simple though road bike brakes are not nearly as good as MTB brakes.

blandin

Fascinating article on braking with a surprising conclusion. After I first ran across it, I made the suggested change and it actually works.

https://www.bicycletest.com/absoluten...d=170&zoneid=3

dfw

I haven't ridden the bike much yet. It's still at the bike shop getting the bar wrapped. It does stop faster when I'm in the drops, as you say, but still dissappointing from my perspective.

I didn't see any markings on the calipers, so I'm assuming they are generic.

Thanks for the info. I'll see how they do in a week or two and will make a decision then if I need to upgrade. But I understand I can't expect much of an improvement. I may just upgrade the front caliper with Ultegra.

dfw

Interesting article. Thanks.

my58vw

I used to run my levers extremly tight, now I run them mildly loose but not super loose. It is really a comprimise on lever travel (in the hoods) vs lever travel in the drops. Too much in the hoods and the drops will be way too much. It actually scared me the first time I grabbed the brakes in the drops. You can really get alot of power in the drops.

Give the brakes a few rides to get used to them. It took me 4 months before deciding to go with DA brakes (along with the rest of the drivetrain). Now I actually have a problem with locking up the brakes... hmmm! Knowing how to use the braking power you have can also keep you out of trouble. That was sure the case in my last criterium where I used the brakes to avoid a collision.

Nothing beats the discs on my MTB though.

vpascal

It could be the brake pads. I just bought 3 weeks ago a new Orbea Marmolada. The bike was wonderful - except for the brakes. When I applied the brakes, they just wanted to slide on the rims, not really take hold. It made me really uncomfortable riding that way. I am used to much better performance from my other bikes.

I took it into the shop and had everything checked. The mechanic sanded my brake pads, saying that new pads often glaze and don't work well. That only helped for about 5 applications of the brakes, and then they were even worse. So, back to the shop I went. This time the most experienced mechanic there looked at my brakes. He said that often stock brake pads on new bikes, even very good ones, are just not up to the performance that should be expected. So, he replaced my brake pads with new Shimano inserts (they say Dura-Ace, but he says they are the only brake pad that Shimano makes).

The change made a world of difference. Now my brakes are smooth, modulatable, and powerful - just like I expected. Now I'm totally comfortable on the bike and not frightened of stopping.

BTW, the brake calipers on my Marmolada are Zeus Pro double pivot. A little flexier than I had hoped for, but now with the new brake pads they are working beautifully.

So, consider upgrading your brake pads. That may help a lot.

Pascal

Michel Gagnon

I agree. replace brake pads. The best ones are Kool Stop brake pads. The Salmon are the best all-weather ones

dfw

I'm picking up the bike tomorrow. I'll see if I can get my LBS to try some different pads and see if it makes a difference. This is my 3rd bike purchase from them and they do a good job of taking care of me. I'm sure they'll swap them out if I ask.

operator

I remember reading that article a while back and have always set it up like that. The only problem is I usually brake from the hoods, rarely from the drops except in emergencies.

I usually compromise with full lever travel and closer pad to rim distance.

dfw

I tried increasing the pad to rim clearance with very good results. I have all kinds of leverage now in the drops and I can brake much harder in the hoods. Part of my problem is my small hands.

One suggestion I will make to others, is you may want to consider installing spacers as I have. My LBS put them on at my request because I have small hands. However, others could benefit from them also because they move the brake levers in which would allow you to get quick response while moving the brake levers in to a position where you get better leverage.