JonnyHK 

I need some help with tuning my brakes or getting better ones.

I now live in a hilly area and for the first time in my cycling life had found the brakes on my bike not up to the job.

The current bike is a Cannondale Caad 9 with full Shimano Ultegra with the standard Shimano 550 wheelset. I'm 100kg (220lb) and can get up just a little pace going down hill without even trying.

I'm finding that it takes a long time to stop and I'm having trouble getting onto the levers hard enough (up on top of grips, not down in drops). It is a bit disconcerting and I find myself washing off a lot of speed the whole way down the decent just so I don't end up going too fast for my stopping power! I'm trying to keep my decent speeds between 35-45km/ph with occasional visits to 55+.

Do I just need to tune up my brakes? Would better pads do the trick? Or do I need to get a better set of brakes? (or should I just go slower like the old man I am!!!!!)

weavers

firstly do you know how to brake? its not a rhetorical question, i use my front brake say 90% of the time. also on a decent its better to "pump" the brakes than to pull them slowly cause heat can cause brakes to fail.

secondly get salmon kool stop brake pads or yellow swissstop if you have money to burn. i got two pairs of salmon kool stops for 13 bucks on ebay. lastly clean the rims on your wheels.

JonnyHK 

I do a mix of braking techniques (ie pumping/shorter squeezes) so as not to get too much heat happening, but I'm not slowing down enough with each squeeze and I find that I'm on them a lot (not continuously, but a lot!). I tend to use the front brake more (it does work better!), but at the moment I'm gripping both like a mad-man!

Pads are standard for new bike. Bike is spotlessly clean.

weavers

if you buy a new bike, imo, the first two things you should buy along side it is a helmet and salmon kool stop brake pads.(you can buy both for less than 50bucks and it will save your ass more than a new seat, wheelset or clipless petals/shoes) those black stock pads arn't worth anything, moreso in bad weathers.

just do a simple test go down the street at 15mph, find a fixed object and stop as quickly as possible, with kool stop it takes less than 18inches.(not an excat test, just estimating) it feels like i stop on a dime, the stock pads need alot more time and space to stop you.

marengo

That's your problem right there.

JonnyHK 

I don't spend much time down in the drops and while I know you can get on the levers better from down there, it has never been a problem before. On a couple of the hills have haven't been confident to actually swap grip on the fly! It's one corner then another - the the while watching out for double-decker buses!

I'll investigate better pads and I will try to spend more time down in the drops!

ir0nfist

lose 20 pounds. Then stopping will be much easier.

AEO

wipe down the rims and pads with 70% or higher rubbing alcohol
then make sure the pads are centered and within 1mm on each side.
The front of the pads should be a bit closer to the rim than the rear, called toe-in, so 1mm of clearance at the front end and 1.5~2mm of clearance at the back end for both front and rear brakes

dark13star

The koolstop pads are nice, and grab with less pressure, but I can skid my tires with Ultegra pads too, meaning, I can over-break the limits of my contact patch with either. I think you need some cable adjustments to make sure you are getting the proper pull.

umd

Swissstop pads > Koolstop pads

ericm979

Descend in the drops. Besides having more control, you get MUCH better leverage on the brake levers.

erliuic

For a non-carbon rim?

BananaTugger

SwissStop Yellows seem to work on everything.

erliuic

How's your breaking surface?

Descending in the drops gives you much better stability and leverage to brake. Like everyone else said, changing your brake pad to KoolStop will make worlds of difference.

erliuic

You can lock your front wheel?

procrit

Everything they said about proper adjustment, changing pads, cleaning the braking surface, plus...

Look into Sram's brake calipers. I'm about 170lb, and these things will stop on a dime. On downhills I could easily flip myself over the handlebars with two fingers on the brake levers.

AnthonyG

+1.

Who says that ANYONE can brake strongly from the top of the hoods?

When you want the best brake performance then you brake from the drops. Thats just how its done.

One tip is to SLACKEN off the brake cables. When they are too tight then braking is difficult. You could try some Koolstop salmon pads. They will make the brakes feel better but they will wear quickly.

Regards, Anthony

dark13star

Not without going over the bars

I should have written that I can skid my rear tire while applying both brakes.

I guess my main point is that better pads make for less effort, but there is nothing wrong with Ultegra pads either. You should be able to stop quickly with them.

I agree with umd that Swisstop are actually the best, but pricey.

dark13star

I didn't catch the part about on the hoods. I retract my previous statement and agree with others. Descend in the drops. You will be more stable and stop much better.

merlinextraligh

Your brakes cannot be properly adjusted. Ultegra brakes with stock pads can bring a bike with a 220lb rider to a screaming halt, on a sharp descent.

It should be no trick, even from the hoods, to lock both wheels, and more importantly to modulate just short of that.


And plus one descending in the drops, not because you need to to brake, but because the lower center of gravity.

Anti404

Not to be a jerk or anything, but they are also around thirty dollars more expensive.

BananaTugger

Most good things aren't cheap.

Anti404

I've yet to hear anyone complain about the quality of Kool Stop so I don't see the need to spend thirty more for brake pads.
/shrug

umd

I made a qualatative statement. It is up to you to assign value. To me, the performance of the swissstop pads is significant enough to justify the cost. But I descend, a lot. They also tend to last longer than koolstop, so the price difference may not be as much as you think...

wideAMG

record and DA are pretty much the industry standard when it comes to braking power. many say overkill for what you need.

swisstop pads are about the best you can get.

do what the pros do and stay off the hoods.