BigK75

The thread about the Colnago C59 Disc had me thinking last night that I really don't need no stinkin disk brakes because the ones I have are fine for stopping me. I have a 2008 Trek Madone 5.2. Perhaps I was wrong read on.

Today I got up nice and early and went for my usual ride in the country at 35KM. Lately I have been riding a bit faster and today was no exception. Feeling great I made it back to a little town near Waterloo, Ontario. There was a slight descent and I was moving around 35KM/H or so. This road yields into a main road about 1KM from my house. To not get squeezed on the curb I usually follow the car in front me as it merges. The car in front of me proceeds to merge and all of the sudden the car hits the brakes. I slam on mine but the bike just keeps going. I yell out a loud Noooooooooo and wind up on top of the rear window of a 2007 Honda Accord. The lady driving it is freaked out as she is with a small baby. I profusely apologize as I should not have been that close or riding that fast as I approached the merge into the road. By the end of the ordeal even she is laughing. For whatever reason my chain fell off and I went on the grass to fix while scores of motorist pass laughing their a$s off. I proceed to limp home with my tail between my legs and instead of what have been a great ride for me in the low 30's turns into a dismal 29.4KM/H average and lots of embarrassment. Luckily there was nothing wrong with the car or my bike. Just a bit of hurt pride

Here is Garmin map in case you are interested. Its the bottom most point where Bloomingdale Rd merges into Bridge St.
https://connect.garmin.com/activity/197749251


So this brings me to my question. There is no doubt that I was too fast and too close. But the brakes did a $hitty job of stopping the bike. What should I do? Should I change the brakes? Is there a great pad out there that someone could recommend or should I sand the brakes I have or some other option (I am sure at least one will be slow down which I already know). Any advice you can give me would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Claude

topflightpro

How old are the brake pads? Was it wet out?

If your pads are old and it is slightly wet out, it is amazing how quickly you lose all braking power.

I suggest trying new brake pads first.

slims_s

If i hit the brakes hard enought, my bike stops but i keep moving forward

LansingWes

That's why I always wear my seat belt.

coasting 

i'm still waiting for the funny story.

I find the ultegra brakes are very strong even with the stock pads.

Bob Dopolina 

I'd guess that your brake pads have glazed up.

Drag a flat file over the pads until they are no longer shiny but are dull looking instead. It will also help remove any tiny bits of debris that may be lodged in the pads prematurely wearing out your rims.

This should be part of regular service.

Nachoman

Try a few different pads. I've had good luck with Kool Stops and Dura Ace. But my favorite are the SwissStops brake pads.

BigK75

I tried to remove funny story from the headline to make coasting happy but it would not let me

Topflightpro: It was very dry today

I think I am going to try what Bob Dopolina suggested and if does not work then I will go by some Swisstops as Nachoman suggested. I found a dealer fairly close to me that sells them.

merlinextraligh

Well adjusted caliper brakes, with good pads, have plenty of stopping power to lock both wheels on dry pavement.

The limit to how fast you can stop a bike is the friction between the tires and the road (and your ability to keep the tires on the ground and the bike upright.) Disc brakes wouldn't have made any difference over a good set of properly adjusted calipers in this instance.

njkayaker

I'd suggest picking out the bits of debris first with a small screw driver first.

ColinL

Which brake lever were you squeezing, and how hard?

kv501

You mentioned a "slight" descent at 20 mph or so. If you can't endo under those conditions with caliper brakes, you either can't squeeze hard enough, or your equipment is not adjusted properly.

I think you are confusing braking threshold with the stopping power of your equipment. Any normal, modern caliper brake (even with worn pads) should be able to lock up in that situation.

kv501

I proceed to limp home with my tail between my legs and instead of what have been a great ride for me in the low 30's turns into a dismal 29.4KM/H average...

Also, ignore your average speed; it's useless and will make think you are "dismal".

Time and heartrate. That's all you need unless you have a power meter. Average speed and total miles are false advertising.

BigK75

Hi KV501:

Help me understand this a bit better. I always try and follow the average speed. Help me understand how heartrate and time are used to measure your ride. Wouldn't time be directly related to average speed? How is heartrate used? I found that my HR has really fallen in both average and max in the last few weeks.

I am fairly new rider as this is my second year of riding.

Claude

slowandsteady

Was it wet out?
Did you use both brakes?
Did your tires lock up?

Still wondering....

Homebrew01

Did you use the front brake for best stopping power ? Do you have an antique with steel rims (lousy braking). Are your brakes adjusted poorly so there is too much travel in the levers ?

BigK75

1. It was not wet out
2. I did you use both brakes
3. The wheels did not lock up.
4. The wheels I are aluminum.
5. The brakes were probably poorly adjusted. I will look at it tonight.

ColinL

Hammer the front brake until the back wheel starts to lift off the ground. That is maximum braking. When doing so, you should note that the rear brake is completely ineffective as it has no weight on it, and no traction.

This is why people are saying if you didn't endo, you didn't brake as hard as possible. You still might have hit the car even braking at the limit, of course, because cars can stop way faster than bicycles.

kv501

I am not a trainer or coach, but I can give general answers to your questions. Average speed and total distance don't mean anything when talking about cycling for performance because they have no attachment to intensity or effort, both of which are what determine if you will get stronger and faster. Those 2 measurements don't factor in grade, elevation gained/lost, wind speed, wind direction, your body weight, the weight of your bike, the size of your tires, the list goes on. If you told me you rode 30 miles, to me that could mean you rode the whole thing down hill with a tailwind. 30 mph doesn't mean much in that case. Sunday morning I had a 5 mile stretch with a strong tailwind and slight downhill grade that I averaged 34 mph on. There is no way possible I could do that under normal circumstances.

However, if you told me your max heart rate was 205 and you rode 3 and a half hours with an average HR of 175, I'd know that you put out a hard workout. Maybe it was uphill and only 20 miles long, but in this case the 20 miles doesn't tell us much.

A power meter is the next natural step in the process but most people who don't race or train with specific goals don't get the full benefits of them.

As far as your heart rate falling, that is a good thing. It means you are getting in better shape and that your body is getting better at using the oxygen you breathe. It's the LeMond cliche, "It never gets easier; you just go faster" thing.