Brake stopping power?
 

I have just completed a fully loaded tour on my Cannondale t2000 and was never satisfied with the braking power of the stock cantilever breaks. What alternatives do I have for replacement? Something with real stopping power for the extra weight of a loaded touring bike. Changing brake levers also is not an issue. Do V-brakes work better and will they provide the fender clearance I need. Thanks, Greg

If you haven't done it, change the pads. If you have already changed the pads, put a wider saddle on. Check out these pages for brakes.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cantilever-adjustment.html

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cantilever-geometry.html

Do people sometimes/ever use disc brakes on touring bikes to back up or alternate with the rim brakes, for those loooooooooooong downhills with all your extra weight? I would hate to have 250-300 pounds going 40MPH down a big hill in traffic and suddenly find one of the brakes is stuck/broke.

v brakes are more powerful. though the right pads help too here is a killer deal and I just bought some http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...eid=&pagename=
they are the top rated v brakes.

Hi Steve, that does look like a great deal! Will those brakes fit onto the same fork and rear brake mounting bolts? Also will fenders work with those? It looks as though there is enough clearance.

I had several hills in the Rockies and the Cascade Mountains that I wished for both disc and regular brakes combined. There were several places where I could not have stopped in a reasonable distance to avoid a sudden problem. Therefore I kept my speeds very low on hills.

I was using XRT brake pads, which should be about as good as it gets?

I can't tell you that. I went from racing bike to recumbent and nothing inbetween (G) usualy koolstop pads are about the best.

That is a heck of a deal!

I should have them today.

I had a set of Avid Shorty 6 cantilevers on my Thorn ... seemed to work not too bad, but front always squealed something wicked ... I have changed my handlebars from drops to flat, and changed the brakes as well ... I have installed some second hand Deore V-brakes I picked up off eBay orignally destined for another project bike and these work unbelievably well, even better now I have installed some new pads on them ... looking at installing some XT v-brakes now.
My v-brakes touch the edges of the fender a little bit, but then I have quite wide fenders SKS P65's [65mm] and it is no biggie.

If you still have drop bars, you can get a travel adjuster thingy so you can still use aero brake levers, or you get something like some diacompe 287V brake levers that work as good I think ... I have a set of these but have never used them ...
Sheldon Brown has them, so do Speedgoat.

cheers,
hoogie
timaru/oamaru, new zealand

Poor braking power on touring bikes is similar to what the tandem community experiences with team weights exceeding 300 lbs. When working the brake system real hard there are several weak points that cause poor brake performance or “mushy” brakes. Cable housing flex robs the system of a great deal of power. Try going to a compression-less housing which the mountain bike guy’s use on their mechanical discs. Flex in seat stays can also rob stopping power. You might want to look to see if your stays flex and if so a brake booster will help (although I'm not sure if it would get in the way of racks or not).

I up graded my Trek T-2000 brake system to compression-less housing and swapped from Avid Canti’s to Paul’s Components Motolite V-Brakes combined with Travel Agents (which are needed to adapt the V-brakes to STI levers). The compression-less housing and Paul’s in the front and back was a huge improvement!! I use Koolstop green pads, but have heard that the red pads may provide even better stopping power.

But alas, I was still not happy with the stopping ability of the bike. After a couple of months of research I finally went to the following front disc set up: Avid Ball Bearing Mechanical Disk Brake (160mm for road), Chris King hub, Winwood carbon cyclocross fork (called the Muddy Cross). Needless to say I am very happy with this set up. I still have room to improve if I wanted to add a disc in the rear, however the Paul’ V-brake seems to be doing the job just fine right now.

Just yesterday I was in my LBS and noticed that Kona’s top of the line commuter bikes are using discs. The Dr. Dew and Dew Deluxe both use the same fork with 700c /26 in wheels (which according to the catalogue is available separately). This fork had tabs for both V-brakes and disc and would be more afordable than the high end carbon fork I went with.

Before you spend a bundle on new brakes...

If you want v-brakes with drop bars, the DiaCompe 287-V levers are great, but brake pads need to be installed fairly close to the wheel. I find these great for the front wheel, but a bit too tight for the rear wheel (more cable stretch, especially on the tandem). Also bear in mind that 287-V levers cost $50-60 whereas basic levers cost $10.
If you want STI, you'll need Travel-Agents, which cost $25-30 per wheel and tend to break cables prematurely.
The Tektro Mini-V brake is compatible with standard road levers, but there is not enough clearance for fenders.

I haven't seen the brakes of the Cannondale lately. But if they have a fixed link, buy a straddle cable and a U-bolt (the divider that looks like a saddle, where the straddle cable sits). That way, you will be able to play with the height of the U-bolt and the opening of the brakes to find the most "powerful" set-up. And get Kool Stop Salmon pads. These modifications would cost you $5 for the bolts and cables, plus $20 for the pads.

The Avid Single Digit 5's that came on our Trek 520s a couple years ago (with the diacomp 287 levers) have plenty of stopping power.

Squeeling brakes? I know "they" say you don't have to with "modern" brakes, but slightly toeing in the brake pads/shoes can get rid of squealing. (Front of the pads a tiny bit closer to the rim than the rear)