Calliper Brakes - Stopping power vs. Saving grams

IThornton
IThornton Posts: 2
edited August 2008 in Workshop
Hi,

After some advice:

Need brakes for my new road build. Not sure how much to invest in them.

Will spending more on brakes, e.g. Campagnolo Veloce or Shimano Dura Ace 7800 get me a better brake than say a Shimano 105, or will I just be saving weight?

Is there a particular brake that seems to hit the best weight/value for money/function compromise that you would reccomend?

Cheers for the help.

Comments

  • acorn_user
    acorn_user Posts: 1,137
    If you are running Shimano or Sram shifter/brake levers, I would recommend using a Shimano brake because the levers do not have a quick release built in. Campagnolo brakes do not have quick releases because ergo levers have quick releases themselves. So if you run Shimano levers with Campagnolo brakes, you have no brake q/r. If you run Campagnolo brakes with Shimano levers, you have two quick releases. As usual, 105 and Veloce are good value candidates. Centaur brakes are very nice too.

    Remember that pad choice is important too. A lot of people really like Kool Stop and Swissstop pads.
  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    All of the groupset brakes have very good stopping power, and I'd say the higher the groupset you go the better they are at stopping and they will be lighter. But none of the groupset calipers are really that light.

    Now if you went for some proper light calipers, they are really expensive but the stopping power is shocking.
    I like bikes...

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  • mrushton
    mrushton Posts: 5,182
    redddraggon wrote:
    All of the groupset brakes have very good stopping power, and I'd say the higher the groupset you go the better they are at stopping and they will be lighter. But none of the groupset calipers are really that light.

    Now if you went for some proper light calipers, they are really expensive but the stopping power is shocking.

    Some people will 'recommend' Zero Gravity which imo are shocking at stopping. No idea about TRP. I use Record or Chorus which are excellent but I have used DA last year and was VERY impressed by them. I can only think that when it comes time to get the brakes on, the last thing on my mind will be 'I'm glad these brakes weigh 50g less'
    M.Rushton
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    mrushton wrote:
    redddraggon wrote:
    I can only think that when it comes time to get the brakes on, the last thing on my mind will be 'I'm glad these brakes weigh 50g less'

    Amen to that. Buy group set brakes and you'll never regret it. Just a guess on my part
    but I believe that the group set brakes have, at the very least,
    been designed with safety and durability in mind, whereas a lot of the weight weenie
    stuff, IMHO, is only concerned with light weight in their product.

    Dennis Noward
  • Jez mon
    Jez mon Posts: 3,809
    Bear in mind that if you use Campag brakes you are going to want to use campagnolo shifters as campag brakes do not have a release lever on the brake. I would say that all groupset brakes are pretty much OK, but the stopping power/modulation generally gets better at the higher levels.
    You live and learn. At any rate, you live
  • holmeboy
    holmeboy Posts: 674
    Just fitted front Ultegra on my old bike and although it's incomplete just trying the brake feels good. :D
  • chip42
    chip42 Posts: 145
    I have had Zero Gravity and I am currently using TRP, both are very good IMHO.I have also used Record and 105 so do have some point of reference.

    Andy
  • epicyclo
    epicyclo Posts: 10
    I think caliper brakes are antediluvian.

    I buy cross frames so I can fit cantis or v-brakes (short ones), and I reckon the quality of the braking is much better.
  • urban_winter
    urban_winter Posts: 31
    I buy cross frames so I can fit cantis or v-brakes (short ones), and I reckon the quality of the braking is much better

    What are you comparing to what?

    In my experience Cantis are rubbish compared to dual-pivot calipers.

    That's with the following cantis on three different bikes - Planet-X own brand, Avid Shorty 6, Shimano 90s MTB and with endless fettling including having the straddle wire virtually scraping the top of the tyre and with a variety of brake pads.

    I'm comparing with the Ultegra dual-pivots on my best bike.

    I've never tried any of the high end Cantis - maybe they're better.

    In fact, I've just realised that I have the full set of brakes (if I can claim my wife's bike as mine): hydraulic disks on my MTB, hydraulic rim brakes on my shopping bike, Vs on my tandem, dual-pivots on my best bike, drums on my wife's bike and Cantis on my commuter. These are in descending order of well-maintained effectiveness.

    U.

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