Tricross Brake Upgrade!!

Mr Plum
Mr Plum Posts: 1,097
edited February 2011 in Commuting chat
Tried new pads (Fibrax) and I'm still not happy with the standard canti brakes on my 2010 Tricross Sport - I'd say they're dangerous. Should I get new canti's or some v-brakes?

I've read very mixed reviews about v-brakes with the Tricross so I'm edging towards some Froggleg, Kore, or Tektro CR520 cantilevers.

Any recommendations or things that I should consider?
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Comments

  • MadammeMarie
    MadammeMarie Posts: 621
    Mr Plum wrote:
    Tried new pads (Fibrax) and I'm still not happy with the standard canti brakes on my 2010 Tricross Sport - I'd say they're dangerous. Should I get new canti's or some v-brakes?

    I got mini V brakes on my TriCross Sport 2008 (only the front ones), but I want to change them to the cantis the new TriCross bikes come with.Why are they dangrous? What's wrong with them?
  • Mr Plum
    Mr Plum Posts: 1,097
    MadammeMarie wrote:
    Mr Plum wrote:
    Tried new pads (Fibrax) and I'm still not happy with the standard canti brakes on my 2010 Tricross Sport - I'd say they're dangerous. Should I get new canti's or some v-brakes?

    I got mini V brakes on my TriCross Sport 2008 (only the front ones), but I want to change them to the cantis the new TriCross bikes come with.Why are they dangrous? What's wrong with them?

    A shocking lack of stopping power. Just about to order some Tektro CR720 cantilever brakes from Ribble. I'll let you know how I get on...
    FCN 2 to 8
  • Canny Jock
    Canny Jock Posts: 1,051
    I had Koolstop blacks on my Comp and they were good. Got Avid V's on my Singlecross, they are better but need long pull levers.

    Also, read Sheldon Brown's guide on how to set them up - its about mechanical advantage. The pads should be further from the rims than caliper brakes.
  • Mr Plum
    Mr Plum Posts: 1,097
    Canny Jock wrote:
    I had Koolstop blacks on my Comp and they were good. Got Avid V's on my Singlecross, they are better but need long pull levers.

    Also, read Sheldon Brown's guide on how to set them up - its about mechanical advantage. The pads should be further from the rims than caliper brakes.

    Yeah I've read a few things on how to set them up, gave it a go and whilst the stopping power had improved, it was still crap. By most accounts the Tektro Oryx that come with the Tricross are next to useless and the CR520/CR720 are a good upgrade. Will definitely spend time setting them up when I fit them though - I'll have to check out that guide.
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  • curium
    curium Posts: 815
    I'm generally happy with the Koolstop Eagle2 but they are very sensitive to toeing to keep the dreaded shudder at bay!
  • Specialized Needs
    Specialized Needs Posts: 802
    curium wrote:
    I'm generally happy with the Koolstop Eagle2 but they are very sensitive to toeing to keep the dreaded shudder at bay!
    Even with the fork brake hanger, standard from 2010 onwards as far as I know? I thought this was supposed to stop the shudder/judder. Or is this an older Tricross?
  • Canny Jock
    Canny Jock Posts: 1,051
    It worked when I fitted it to a 2009 Comp, no judder at all after that.
  • curium
    curium Posts: 815
    Specialized Needs wrote:
    curium wrote:
    I'm generally happy with the Koolstop Eagle2 but they are very sensitive to toeing to keep the dreaded shudder at bay!
    Even with the fork brake hanger, standard from 2010 onwards as far as I know? I thought this was supposed to stop the shudder/judder. Or is this an older Tricross?
    Mine is a 2009 model
  • Specialized Needs
    Specialized Needs Posts: 802
    curium wrote:
    Specialized Needs wrote:
    curium wrote:
    I'm generally happy with the Koolstop Eagle2 but they are very sensitive to toeing to keep the dreaded shudder at bay!
    Even with the fork brake hanger, standard from 2010 onwards as far as I know? I thought this was supposed to stop the shudder/judder. Or is this an older Tricross?
    Mine is a 2009 model
    Going off at a tangent here but ... I think the Edinburgh Co-op version comes with bolts suitable for earlier forks (not sure about other shops, such as Tredz), although any LBS should be happy to swap the bolt to something of a suitable length. It might be worth an investment of £10-£15 to eliminate (hopefully) the judder.

    Do be aware that, if you have front guards that use the mounting point at the top of the fork, you will have to be creative about using the hanger and attaching the guard - the hanger interferes with the securing point for the guards.

    Most I have seen leave off the L shaped part of the hanger that goes under the fork - this means that the hanger is not held rigidly vertical, so the bolt needs to be tightened enough to be secure when under load. This allows the guard to be mounted normally. This seems to have worked for me and my wife so far.

    An alternative is to change the bolt so that the guard attachment is pinned to the front of the hanger (need to change the bolt as the standard ones are designed to recess into the hanger and otherwise would stand proud and interfere with the brakes, at least if you have cantis). The final option would be to jury rig/heath robinson the guard somehow.

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