New Rider with Braking problems
04-15-09, 09:02 AM
#1
Too Fat for This Sport
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Northern California
Posts: 698
Bikes: 2011 Cannondale Supersix
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
New Rider with Braking problems
Hello Everyone, Glad to be part of the community. I finally convinced my wife to dig into the savings and purchase road bikes. We went with the entry level Specialized. Dolce and Allez.
Well I currently have 45+mi. in 3days. I just cant get enough.
Well everything was fine until I finished my morning ride before work. I was noticing that the brake sounded rough. The braking felt strong and firm but it just sounded rough, like an automobile's brake that are worn to the rivets. So I removed the front brakes and found 2 rocks. 1 on each pad.
Next to my thumb there you can see the small indentation the rock left in the pad. Well one of the questions I have is will this be and ongoing problems? Or will the brakes quiet down again after a few more miles? Also. Does the wear on the pad represent normal (GOOD) patterns of contact.
Also the other concern is , how common is this for the average road biker. tiny rocks in their pads. And will a few scratches on there rims be enough to ruin the rim. Here is a pic of the light scratch. Cant tell if it is normal wear or because of the rock.
I will be taking it in soon for a free maintnance. However I would've loved to put over 200mi. Before my service, but if I am unsure about the bikes brakes I might have to go sooner.
Any help appreciated. Oh yeah and here is my bike.
May not be a Cervelo or whatever but I love it.
Well I currently have 45+mi. in 3days. I just cant get enough.
Well everything was fine until I finished my morning ride before work. I was noticing that the brake sounded rough. The braking felt strong and firm but it just sounded rough, like an automobile's brake that are worn to the rivets. So I removed the front brakes and found 2 rocks. 1 on each pad.
Next to my thumb there you can see the small indentation the rock left in the pad. Well one of the questions I have is will this be and ongoing problems? Or will the brakes quiet down again after a few more miles? Also. Does the wear on the pad represent normal (GOOD) patterns of contact.
Also the other concern is , how common is this for the average road biker. tiny rocks in their pads. And will a few scratches on there rims be enough to ruin the rim. Here is a pic of the light scratch. Cant tell if it is normal wear or because of the rock.
I will be taking it in soon for a free maintnance. However I would've loved to put over 200mi. Before my service, but if I am unsure about the bikes brakes I might have to go sooner.
Any help appreciated. Oh yeah and here is my bike.
May not be a Cervelo or whatever but I love it.
04-15-09, 09:51 AM
#2
Senior Member
Welcome to the wonderful world of road biking. Never had a rock imbed itself in my pad but I've heard it can happen. My new Fuji Roubaix RC came with Cane Creek brakes w/ cartridge pads and the pads were terrible. Sounded like I was grinding my rim every time I hit the brakes. Replaced the pads w/ new ones and the bike stops much better and doesn't give me that grinding sound. As for wear, your rims probably have a wear indicator. Either a recessed dot or grove. When that wears out smooth it is time to replace.
04-15-09, 03:14 PM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 8,688
Mentioned: 46 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1074 Post(s)
Liked 295 Times
in
222 Posts
Pad wear pattern could be a tad better, more even across the width of the pad. Fully serviceable though.
Picking up debris is a fairly current occurrence, any time your brakes change noise you should inspect the pads at the next opportunity and clean them out. Pry out identifiable bits with whatever pointy tool you have available, and run a file or some sandpaper over the pad to clear away smaller particles.
The depth of the gouge mark is hard to tell, but is unlikely to be catastrophic.
Picking up debris is a fairly current occurrence, any time your brakes change noise you should inspect the pads at the next opportunity and clean them out. Pry out identifiable bits with whatever pointy tool you have available, and run a file or some sandpaper over the pad to clear away smaller particles.
The depth of the gouge mark is hard to tell, but is unlikely to be catastrophic.
04-15-09, 07:06 PM
#4
Too Fat for This Sport
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Northern California
Posts: 698
Bikes: 2011 Cannondale Supersix
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Thanks for the replies. Can't wait to ride again. Will definately sand them down a bit. Hopefully this cures the problem until upgrade pads.
04-15-09, 07:15 PM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,442
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
A lot depends simply on the road conditions; if there's a lot of construction or the land adjacent is dusty and gritty....You're going to get a lot of crud on the road.
It's common for new road riders to hug the edge of the road to avoid traffic. Unfortunately, that's where all the crud is.
Don't be afraid to "take your lane"; you're entitled.
It's common for new road riders to hug the edge of the road to avoid traffic. Unfortunately, that's where all the crud is.
Don't be afraid to "take your lane"; you're entitled.
