OEM brakes on Catrikes are Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes. I set up my own Catrike 700 when I got it in 2013 and the brakes are adequate to stop the trike as needed. They will skid on the pavement if grabbed tightly but will not lift the rear wheel. Perhaps it is the tires. I use Tioga BMX front tires on the trike and they do not grab the road so much that it would not skid.