mtb_man_14

I have an 07 fuji newest 3 and the brakes slow me down but dont really stop me. the brakes stick and are already rusting. I was going to upgrade but have a very low budget of $50. shimano br 3400 https://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...0+Caliper.aspx
tektro R530 https://www.pricepoint.com/detail/189...rakes-2009.htm
tektro R556 https://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...+Calipers.aspx
advice? other suggestions are welcome.

Harun

new cables (and housing) + kool-stop pads would probably be less than $50 and will make your brakes feel like new - even better if you still have the stock brake pads on

Rosso Corsa

or just put that money into a single good front brake.

mtb_man_14

whats a "good one"?

alcjphil

One of the most overlooked areas is cable installation and routing. You can turn good brakes into mediocre ones if you don't do a good job installing the cables. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/cables.html

tubescreamerx

right on. this step makes a huge difference:

Val23708

that doesn't affect final brake power though. bad pads and weak calipers are the root problem if you have poor braking power

alcjphil

Final braking power is most certainly affected by friction in the brake cables. Any force that is working against actuating the brake reduces the amount of force your brake calipers can exert at the rim. Friction in the cables also affects brake modulation, which means that you are less able to keep your wheel from locking up

mtb_man_14

its not the effin cables. its the calipers. they stick, meaning they rub aginst the braking surface and cause noticable drag not the cables I just checked, they are rusting already, they slow me down and dont stop me because the pads suck too. so I want new calipers with decent pads. I want either a good front for $50 or the best pair I can get for $50.

Ahall14

I got some Nashbar jailbrakes on the cheap and upgraded the pads to koolstop. As light as Ultegra and great stoping power.

rpeterson

I'm using those black Tektros with Kool Stops and they work fine, haven't had any issues at all and I can lock up both wheels easily enough.

Rosso Corsa

It still escapes me how an Ultegra brake can have more power than a Tiagra brake, given the same pads. Considering the design constraints, the levers are all of the same length and the mechanical advantages are the same too. Both are a bushing system, and one would think that the Ultegra's arms are more flexy since they are lighter and roughly the same dimensions as Tiagra. So what gives in all of these reviews? Wouldn't this apply to all brakes (even no namers and low end tektros) given good pads?

Val23708

the quality and shape of the metal factor a lot into how much it resists bending. I can deflect Tektro calipers twice as much as I can deflect my Rival calipers, yet my Rival calipers are much lighter.

Patriot

I got a set of cheap Mirage brakes on my Ti bike, and they work just good as a set of Ultegras.

I often wonder, other than getting brakes to save weight, how people get so easily sucked into buying the pricey ones, thinking they actually stop better. I have a set of Zero-G's, and my Mirages, TRP's, Chorus, etc, all work about the same with a decent set of pads. Amazing.

fogrider

ok, here is a great deal...campy centaur brakes for 50 bucks! plus when I bought them, I got the 30% discount! https://store.icyclesusa.com/shared/S...t=products.asp

Fat Boy

Campy brakes will work with non-Campy levers, but they don't have a quick-release deal on them (it's on the lever w/ Campy) so they can be kind of a pain.

erliuic

Go for a Shimano 105 front brake with CoolStop brake pads. I would stick with Shimano for the quick-release. There are cheaper ways to get it and I'm sure other people could point you as to where.

https://cgi.ebay.com/Shimano-105-Fron...#ht_500wt_1174

https://cgi.ebay.com/Kool-Stop-Black-...#ht_500wt_1174

I'd also change the brake cable if the budget allows.

erliuic

The reason the front brake is recommended is because in dry conditions, it offers nearly 100% of your stopping power.