So I am commuting on my 8 year old road bike. I added a rack on the back for panniers. Fully loaded, I probably add 20 lbs to an already 22 lbs bike. There is one spot on my commute where I go down a steep hill with a traffic light right in the middle of it. At times, I've had a little trouble stopping for this light. My bike has shimano caliper brakes like any road bike and I am wondering if I should think about switching to cantilevers somehow. Maybe I could switch to a cantilever compatible fork. I've heard cantilevers have more stopping power than calipers. What are your thoughts? Thanks.

Alan

It's not your brakes. Your rims might be dirty, or the brakes may need adjustment. You might try replacing the pads with Kool Stop pads. There are no better brake pads.

Cantilevers won't stop you any better.

fify

I agree with Noglider that an extra 20lbs should not be taxing a quality caliper, which presumably your Shimanos are, unless you yourself are a very heavy person, possibly. I don't know 'very heavy' means practically, but a wild-assed guess would be well north of 300lbs. I dunno.

That said, mechanical advantage and stiffness are real factors in brake design, and some brakes are stronger than others. It's probably worthwhile for you to try new pads, however, and probably not worthwhile exploring canti mods.

+1 on the Kool-Stops -- they've greatly improved the braking power of every bike I've used them on. Also, are you using your front brake enough, or just squeezing the rear like a noob?

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html

Thanks guys. The Kool Stops are a great idea. I had looked into those a while ago, but haven't thought about them lately. I am definitely relying on my front brake for stopping on this hill. I'll try the pads on the front and see how it goes. BTW, I'm not heavy. Just 160 lbs.

And regular cleaning of the rims will make a world of difference. At least it did for me. No need to clean them too often when conditions are good, but during the cold months or if its raining a lot I use a degreaser to wipe the rims. It takes about a minute per wheel. I do it one once every one or two weeks during winter, and maybe once a month during the rest of the year.

+1

Most of my colleagues that run hydraulic rim brakes recommend isopropanol (2-propanol) for rim surfaces. Throw them in a 37C incubator to evaporate the IPA in less than 5 mins.

edit: also be careful because certain "degreasers" contain certain compounds that react with/modify "rubber", so I wouldn't recommend a "degreaser" per se. Alcohols work the best, leave no residue and can be "evaporated" in a few mins with heat (LOW HEAT because they're flammable).

+1 on the KoolStops, they make a WORLD of difference. Only hint I can offer is to pulse the brakes and keep the speed lower from the top in order to reduce your braking effort at the bottom.

Now having said that I recently got a bike with hydraulic discs and will never go back to rim brakes again. They are just so nice and take so much less effort and have a great feel to them. They are well worth any weight penalty they incur. Need them? Nope, there is little justification for such an elaborate setup for my piddling needs, but dayum, there sure are nice.

I put new pads on my bike about a week ago and I am again feeling like I can't stop like they used too when new. I did not put Kool stop b/c the bike shop did not have any that would work. I was trying to support the LBS but i probably could have gotten pads cheaper online. They had Avid. He said they were good pads. I cleaned rims with rubbing alcohol.

What kind of degreaser should I use?

my front brake i have squeezed to the handlebar and still does not feel like it is stopping like it should? is there somewhere i should can adjust it so it does not squeeze as far?


Cyclocross bike with Tektro Onyx cantilevers.

If your brake lever is coming to the handlebar before endoing you there is something dangerously wrong with it regardless of the brake type. It is possible that you get poor braking while applying maximum force on the brakes but getting the lever all the way to the bar points that there is something wrong with brake setup. Check this thoroughly by yourself, or have it checked at a shop.

As of degreaser I use a "standard automotive" solvent used for washing car engines, industry machinery parts etc. It evaporates extremely fast and leaves no residue. For cleaning rims it behaves much like alcohol (mentioned in this thread) but it is several times cheaper.

I guess you could pull some cable through the anchor point...I don't know, just throwing that out there. I use the same equipment with tektro stock pads and they stop well.

I even use the much maligned Cane Creek BRS200 on a road bike and they work great.

+

=

I've saved thousands by not having to buy new wheels/rims every 2 years...

i guess I will have to get it checked out. I was hoping to troubleshoot without having to spend the money and being without my bike. I tried tightening the cable and did not make a difference. Still squeezes all the way to the handle bar.