ranger5oh

I have noticed that I have to put some pretty decent effort into stopping my bike. I have some cannondale factory brakes on my bike right now, they are very similar to the Shimano 105 series brakes. If I upgrade the calipers to Ultegra or Dura Ace, will I notice a difference?

Thanks,

Andy.

55/Rad

Hard to say. Even though the Cannondale brakes look like 105, it doesn't mean they work the same.

FWIW - 105 brakes work very very well. In a blind test, I couldn't tell the difference between them and the Ultegras - and I do have both.

Can you provide more info on the Cannondales? Model number or picture? Are you 100% certain they are set up and adjusted correctly?

55/Rad

my58vw

DA brakes have metal brake shoe holders which provide more positive pressure on the brakes, and do stop a bit faster...

If you race, than the difference may be worth it, otherwise just ride a little more careful... I am still riding 105 on one of my bikes anyway!

55/Rad

Are you saying that your 105's have something other than metal shoe holders? Mine don't, neither do the Ultegras. They are both metal.

My 105's are 5500 series, '05 model. Ultegras are 65 and 6600 series, '03 and '05 models.

BTW - good to see you posting again Mandy.

55/Rad

my58vw

I will have to go look at the 105's again, I could swear they have plastic or resin backs for the shoes!

DA just seem to work "a bit" better - worth 240+ who knows!

Nice to see you also RAD!

PhilThee

I'd try a set of Kool Stop Salmon pads first and see if that's enough for ya.
https://cgi.ebay.com/Kool-Stop-Salmon...QQcmdZViewItem

They should fit in the new 105 housings, as well as the Ultegra, and DA housings.I don't know about the Cannondale stuff though.

After finding my brakes lacking I replaced my old rx100's (as in like 1994) with some 6600 Ultegra's.I could feel a difference.
I did research on a European bike form and was told that the 6500 and 7700 series brakes were lacking because Shimano made them too flimsy in the wrong area in their quest for weight reduction.They have since beefed them back up in those area's and are stopping better than ever.

If you want better brakes after trying the pads and your brakes are from a 2006 bike I would go straight for the 7800's as the 6600's might not make enough of a difference.
You can get a new set of 6600 Ultegra's for 119. at Cambria if you use their C price.If you wait and are crafty you could probably get a set of 7800's off Ebay for about the same price or even lower.

mrkott3r

Check the cabling in the housing is lubed properly, ten minute job and has helped with my braking.

PartyPat

Had never thought much about it myself till I replaced my 105 brake shoes with a set of DA. Noticed the difference straight away, much more stopping power than my old ones.

badkarma

I used to have some crappy Tektro brakes on my bike, and then I upgraded to ultegra 6600s and I could tell a noticeable difference.

Proximo

I suspect the biggest difference is the pads. My Sequoia came with no-name 105 knockoffs that were sloppy and noisy in use. I replaced the pads with Kool Stop blacks and now I really can't tell the difference between them and the Ultegra 6600 on my Merlin.

dekalbSTEEL

I have a set of Cannondale brakes I bought NOS from one of my LBS's when I built up my Caad7 and they seem to work just fine. Just make sure you're running them as close to the rim as possible without rubbing and don't have too much play in your levers.

ranger5oh

Im actually not sure the model number of the brakes, they came stock on my 06 R700 though. They are probably crappier than 105s, but Im guessing they are about on that level of performance.

What I notice when I pull hard on my brakes is that there is some flex on the joint that is actually pulled by the cable. I am guessing this flex leads to ineffective braking. So really what I am curious abotu is if the higer end brake calipers dont flex as much, because I think the geometry is more or less identical on all the models? (speculating here)

Havs

I cant speak for the quality of the stock Cannondale calipers, but I switched out the cheap Tektro to '06 105s on my Trek 1500, what an increase in braking power/feel, w/no flex noticed. Probably the best upgrade for the $$, IMO (about $100).

Treefox

Slap some Ultegra pads on them. That's what I've done with my old RX100 brakes.

baj32161

Indeed!!

Cheers,

Brian

Smoothie104

i use carbon specific pads (softer) all the time, this is so I don't have to switch pads when using rims with carbon braking surfaces. The pads may wear a bit quicker, but they stop aluminum rims great, very grippy

operator

Nice waste of money there. The tektros stop crappy because the pads they come with are complete garbage.

Like Sheldon Brown said, most of the stopping power is the brake pads and not the caliper. You're paying for weight savings.

FormerBMX'er

The pads are what actually touch the wheel and they're are the cheapest to upgrade, so I would start there. My Lemond (most sub $1500 bikes do) came with Tektro calipers and they sucked. I tossed on a set of DA pads and the braking improved instantly.

jbhowat

You're not supposed to do that. The pads pick up aluminum filings from your training rims and then can slowly destroy your carbon braking surface.

munckee

So if the weight savings is worth it to him, why is it a waste of money?

Phantoj

I had the brakes pictured above on my Cannondale. They were branded as Coda, Cannondale's house brand. I think I have heard that they are made by Tektro.

I had the opportunity to switch them for some 105's, so I did. The Coda brakes had a lot more slop in the pivots. I don't know if that can be adjusted out. The 105 calipers were more solid.

I haven't noticed a real change in brake performance. Performance of the Codas was acceptable and performance of the 105's is, too. I'm not very sensitive about brakes. I just like 'em adjusted close on a true rim.

cuda2k

I can confirm that some older 105 pads were made this way. I think in the last couple of years 105's have gone to the Ultegra/DA style metal pad holders.

For my Barracuda Mk.I I bought a set of the Nashbar Long Reach Dual Pivot brakes. They had some AWEFUL pads on them. Swapped out the front pads for a set of the Resin backed 105 pads - huge improvement. Then swapped again for some Kool-Stop Salmon pads. Again, noticable improvement, though not as huge of a step up from the original pads.

In short, I'll agree that the pads are the best upgrade you can make in brakes when you're not happy with the performance. If you have a set of Tektro (and their countless rebranded versions) the best suggestion would be to first put some Shimano or KoolStop pads on them first before shelling out the $$ for a complete brake caliper upgrade.

corny

Ultegra pads is definitely the best solution - the stock calipers are decent enough, the pads really are the only downfall - and its a cheap change!

cydewaze

pads definitely. My wife's Lemond didn't stop well at all with the stock pads, but once I threw a set of DA pads on it, the brakes worked like a champ.

Smoothie104

Where did you find that out from? Never heard of it, I will have to go look at my pads, was this LBS gossip, or firsthand knowledge..


Thanks!