Spesh Tricross comp 2010 brake upgrade

b_real

Hi, new to the road forums. Been upgrading my stolen mountain bike for the last 4 months and I'm researched out so I'm sticking up a shameless 'help me i'm lost' thread for my road bike.

Yes its a cross, but I stuck 28's on it and use it as a road bike for commutes / getting about.

Anyway, my plight. The Tektro canti brakes are awful. How do I upgrade them, will it be worth it, and what are my best options?

They look pretty intertwined with the 105 shifters... will that mean I'm restricted to specific brakes? I tend to like shimano stuff, but I have no idea what the brake hierarchy is, if anyone can shed some light on that I'm all ears. What about these... Shimano BR-CX50's ...will they offer a significant benefit over the 2010 Tektros?

I'm not the most mechanically minded so I'm assuming its not a job for the home.

Full bike spec here.

Grill

Get better pads and most importantly make sure they are properly set up. I can't stress how important this is, especially on cantis.

Team515

Ive got the same brakes on my cx bike and they stop me fine. i use swisstop pads with mine. If you have them set up correctly they work great

kentphil

As previously said check the setup is right, and better pads perhaps. Those Shimano cantis in your link look no better than the stock Tektro brakes. The best cantis are by TRP.

Edit: Also check the cable from the lever to cantis is in good condition too as this can affect the brake also.

b_real

Ok will check my pads before I go upgrading the brakes. I replaced them a few months ago and they've been awful since I first got them... they just didn't seem to fit & kept rubbing against the rims, although the rims are in good shape. So I may have just botched the operation - i recall getting the pins to fit into the rubber was a nightmare! They've finally worn down so that they don't rub all the time but for the first month or two it was like riding with brakes on.

Also the bike has suicide brakes on the cross bar... would removing them help? They're a pain in the arse!

dbairduk

I have TRP CX9 brakes on mine, but they were on when I got the bike.

b_real

Can you recommend them?

passout

My Tricross had those secondary brake levers on (suicide levers?). I'm sure that they impinged upon braking performance. I'd get rid of those, change pads and see how you get on.

b_real

suicide levers?

Cos they barely work!

passout

b_real wrote:

suicide levers?

Cos they barely work!

Yeah, I call them that - I just can't remember anyone else ever saying it!! Apt name, agreed.

ride_whenever

suicide levers are the old ones that you get with certain old weinmann levers.

Interrupters are a completely different beastie and far more effective and shouldn't (in my experience) effect the braking performance at all unless you have some dodgy cabling.

Better pads first after that fit some good v-bakes with travel adjusters.

Monty Dog

Tektro cantis are OK - try swapping to a cartridge pad holder with slide-in pads rather than one piece moulded blocks - the pad holders are stiffer, so can exert more braking power.
Secondly, have a good cable run and getting the length and angle of the straddle wire is criticial - the following article shows the right way:
http://www.cxmagazine.com/gut-wrenching ... rake-setup
Finally, suicide or interrupter levers - complete waste of bar space IME - in completely the wrong position to give you any meaningful control. I can't recall anytime in a CX race or offroad where I wanted to ride with my hands on the tops.

passout

ride_whenever wrote:

suicide levers are the old ones that you get with certain old weinmann levers.

Interrupters are a completely different beastie and far more effective and shouldn't (in my experience) effect the braking performance at all unless you have some dodgy cabling.

Better pads first after that fit some good v-bakes with travel adjusters.

They certainly effected mine from the day I had it; removal obviously sorted it. Not sure about the cabling to be honest but i didn't like them anyway.

b_real

I replaced the canti's with the TRP CX9. Holy mother of god, the difference is night and day. The CX9s are awesome in comparison! It's like I've got a new bike, I can't believe I never upgraded when I bought the bike in the first place!

One happy chap right here.