SRAM Brakes

itboffin
itboffin Posts: 20,064
edited August 2012 in Commuting chat
When i recently rebuilt my steel commuter with SRAM I noticed braking was pretty poor compared to my Campagnolo machines, today I switched back to my winter Campag set up and oh my goodness I almost came off several times due to the efficiency of said "standard" Campag brakes.

Are SRAM standard brakes (Apex) a bit weak normally?
Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.

Comments

  • asprilla
    asprilla Posts: 8,440
    edited July 2012
    Force ones are ok and the Red ones are supposed to be better than DA and Record / Super. Can't comment directly as my Apex bike has Shim long drops on it.
    Mud - Genesis Vapour CCX
    Race - Fuji Norcom Straight
    Sun - Cervelo R3
    Winter / Commute - Dolan ADX
  • gabriel959
    gabriel959 Posts: 4,227
    Force and Red are supposed to be the best there are at their respective levels as Asprilla mentions. I have never used the Apex ones though.
    x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
    Commuting / Winter rides - Jamis Renegade Expert
    Pootling / Offroad - All-City Macho Man Disc
    Fast rides Cannondale SuperSix Ultegra
  • jonginge
    jonginge Posts: 5,945
    The reds are pretty good. Similar to DA but the modulation is a bit different. A lot depends on the pads though.
    FCN 2-4 "Shut up legs", Jens Voigt
    Planet-x Scott
    Rides
  • bigmat
    bigmat Posts: 5,134
    JonGinge wrote:
    The reds are pretty good. Similar to DA but the modulation is a bit different. A lot depends on the pads though.


    And your rims. Caliper brakes are mechanically very simple. I think the pad / rim interface is probably more important than the caliper itself.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/41991871@N ... otostream/
  • gabriel959
    gabriel959 Posts: 4,227
    Red and Force callipers com with Swisstop Black Compound pads as standard. I now have Ultegra and I think the brakes are slightly inferior to the Force ones. Never used Campag so can't compare with that.
    x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
    Commuting / Winter rides - Jamis Renegade Expert
    Pootling / Offroad - All-City Macho Man Disc
    Fast rides Cannondale SuperSix Ultegra
  • el_presidente
    el_presidente Posts: 1,963
    I've got Force calipers & very happy with them. They look cool and are v powerful, I can lift the back wheel with ease in an emergency stop.
    <a>road</a>
  • Gazzaputt
    Gazzaputt Posts: 3,227
    itboffin wrote:
    When i recently rebuilt my steel commuter with SRAM I noticed braking was pretty poor compared to my Campagnolo machines, today I switched back to my winter Campag set up and oh my goodness I almost came off several times due to the efficiency of said "standard" Campag brakes.

    Are SRAM standard brakes (Apex) a bit weak normally?

    I run Apex brakes and find them just as good as the Force I have on the other bike.

    Sure you have them setup correctly? What pads you using?
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,064
    Gazzaputt wrote:
    itboffin wrote:
    When i recently rebuilt my steel commuter with SRAM I noticed braking was pretty poor compared to my Campagnolo machines, today I switched back to my winter Campag set up and oh my goodness I almost came off several times due to the efficiency of said "standard" Campag brakes.

    Are SRAM standard brakes (Apex) a bit weak normally?

    I run Apex brakes and find them just as good as the Force I have on the other bike.

    Sure you have them setup correctly? What pads you using?

    How very dare you :evil:
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
    Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    BigMat wrote:
    JonGinge wrote:
    The reds are pretty good. Similar to DA but the modulation is a bit different. A lot depends on the pads though.


    And your rims. Caliper brakes are mechanically very simple. I think the pad / rim interface is probably more important than the caliper itself.

    Plus the rigidity of the pad - but that's probably pretty much constant as long as you are using cartridges. I'm pretty sceptical when people say such and such a caliper is better than another. As you say, they are mechanically simple and I'd be surprised if most of any variation didn't have more to do with cable pathways and lever design than the caliper itself.
    Faster than a tent.......
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,064
    Rolf F wrote:
    BigMat wrote:
    JonGinge wrote:
    The reds are pretty good. Similar to DA but the modulation is a bit different. A lot depends on the pads though.


    And your rims. Caliper brakes are mechanically very simple. I think the pad / rim interface is probably more important than the caliper itself.

    Plus the rigidity of the pad - but that's probably pretty much constant as long as you are using cartridges. I'm pretty sceptical when people say such and such a caliper is better than another. As you say, they are mechanically simple and I'd be surprised if most of any variation didn't have more to do with cable pathways and lever design than the caliper itself.

    I'm not so sure you know, i've had this bike is so many different groupo setups and this one is defo the worst for braking, cranks and mech on the other hand I cant fault, I'd even go so far as to say the Rival crankset is better than my 105 & Centaur setups :shock:
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
    Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.
  • el_presidente
    el_presidente Posts: 1,963
    Just put a brand new Ultegra crank on my best bike and it's noticeably stiffer & smoother than the FSA Gossamer I had on previously. I was amazed that I could feel the difference but it's definitely better.
    <a>road</a>
  • CRAIGO5000
    CRAIGO5000 Posts: 697
    I run Force too and they came with Koolstop Green cartridge pads.(with SRAM logo on the pads?)

    Braking is great, extremely powerful and as above, easy to endo if I pull hard enough on the lever.

    I'd say there is something wrong with the set-up - possibly pads/alignment etc?

    I read an article somewhere that mentioned some of the TdF SRAM groupset riders use APEX calipers as they offer the same performance but are lighter than Force/Red?
    Ribble Stealth/SRAM Force
    2007 Specialized Allez (Double) FCN - 3
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,768
    Are you using SRAM levers? If not, is there a tiny difference in pull ratio?
    Kinesis Pro6
    Marin Nail Trail
    Cotic Solaris
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,064
    Rode campag again today and double confirm the utter shitness of SRAM brakes
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
    Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.
  • jejv
    jejv Posts: 566
    Just MTFU. By definition, brakes can only slow you down. Bin them.*

    You still haven't told us what pads you're using.

    You've got a few bikes there. What happens if you swap the pads in the Campy brakes with the pads from the SRAM brakes ?
    JonGinge wrote:
    The reds are pretty good. Similar to DA but the modulation is a bit different. A lot depends on the pads though.
    Rolf F wrote:
    I'm pretty sceptical when people say such and such a caliper is better than another. As you say, they are mechanically simple and I'd be surprised if most of any variation didn't have more to do with cable pathways and lever design than the caliper itself.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    Are you using SRAM levers? If not, is there a tiny difference in pull ratio?
    *: Following this advice may lead to life-changing injury or death.
  • Paul E
    Paul E Posts: 2,052
    Yeah tell me about it, I stuck some 105 pads in from some brakes I got a while ago to replace salmon koolstops, bag o' shite, salmons have gone back on and ordering new ones tomorrow.
  • bails87
    bails87 Posts: 12,998
    The BB5 discs on my CX weren't great when I had Apex levers. Putting 105 levers on made them much sharper.
    MTB/CX

    "As I said last time, it won't happen again."
  • gtvlusso
    gtvlusso Posts: 5,112
    So, you are not using your foot on the rear wheel then?

    Sounds like a difference in pull ratio, as mentioned above, to me.

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