Changing Front Brake

hatch87

Hi

My now relegated to winter bike has some shocking brakes on it compared to my new bike. Its a Trek 1.1 and the brakes are advertised as alloy dual-pivot brakes, no mention of Shimano Tiagra etc. I was thinking of upgrading the front brake to Ultegra or 105 but when looking at them it mentions about the correct amount of lever ratio so needs to be used with certain levers. As I only have a 8 speed bike, my levers are Shimano 2300 which doesn't seem to be compatible with anything decent.

Does the lever ratio matter that much? Or is there some decent brake calipers out there compatible with 2300. I upgraded the pads to swiss stop when I first got the bike which made a noticeable difference, but I still have no worry about going over than handlebars no matter how much force I put into them. I just want something I feel a bit safer with, but not sure if the levers are at fault as much as the calipers?

secretsam

Try cartridge pads first, if yours has the single piece moulded types, huge improvement. Swisstop or Kool Stop blocks work well. Cheaper than new calipers.

hatch87

I have green swisstop, they were noticeable better, but still terrible in comparison to my new bike with better kit on it

rolf_f

Have you adjusted the brakes so the pads are still as close to the rims when released as they were when the pads were new?

A brake caliper is a simple thing - just a couple of levers on a pivot or two really. Brake force is down to the geometry of the lever and the nature of pads and rims. The only way a caliper can be really duff then is if the metal itself is overly flexible - but that shouldn't really be the case these days. Assuming the rims are clean and the calipers are correctly set, poor performance is usually likely to be down to the pads.

hatch87

Rolf F wrote:

Have you adjusted the brakes so the pads are still as close to the rims when released as they were when the pads were new?

A brake caliper is a simple thing - just a couple of levers on a pivot or two really. Brake force is down to the geometry of the lever and the nature of pads and rims. The only way a caliper can be really duff then is if the metal itself is overly flexible - but that shouldn't really be the case these days. Assuming the rims are clean and the calipers are correctly set, poor performance is usually likely to be down to the pads.

Thats my thoughts, especially with it being under even Sora range. The brakes are no worse than they have ever been, I just realize how much better they can be now I have a decent bike. Prior to my Trek I hadn't ridden for nearly 10 years and always had disc brakes so just thought it was normal for dual-pivot brakes to be that bad. I'm just not sure if my levers are compatible with 105 etc or in fact the things that are flexing which is reducing the braking performance

desweller

Calipers do move around under load. I can see the movement in my 105 and Ultegra calipers when I pull on them hard. Some of it is bending but there is definitely an element of play in the pivots etc. and that may be worse on cheaper calipers.

Swapping them over is a doddle. But check that your cable runs feel smooth and free, and give your rims and pads a thorough scrub with hot water and detergent first.

hatch87

Thanks, I will take a punt and chuck some 105's on. Only £35, my main concern was the compatibility with the lever ratio, but I guess it just won't be as progressive as it should, but as long as it stops then I'll get over it.

rolf_f

hatch87 wrote:

Thanks, I will take a punt and chuck some 105's on. Only £35, my main concern was the compatibility with the lever ratio, but I guess it just won't be as progressive as it should, but as long as it stops then I'll get over it.

I wouldn't worry about it - but you may be able to determine if there will be a difference. Your levers pull the cable a set amount. I'm not sure if the pull is linear or not but I'd assume linear otherwise pad wear would screw it up. So, if it is linear, then the only other variable is the distance between the pivot and either end of the caliper levers. I doubt that distance varies much and any difference you'd get used to soon enough anyway.