Cannondale Synapse Brake Upgrade

famousgrouse

Hi all, recently bought a new Synapse 6 Tiagra- not gone far just yet but enjoyed thus far.
I have, however, found the brakes to be pretty poor. My other bikes have been MTB/Hybrid with hydraulics, which of course are superb. I understand it's not a fair comparison, but I test rode a Bianchi with different brakes which were very sharp indeed.
The Synapse comes with Promax dual pivot.
Probably the wise thing to do, to start with, would be to change the pads- any idea what ones fit?! I can find very little info about the Promax online, and whether they're Shimano style or otherwise.

Failing that, would there be much benefit upgrading the calipers? The shifters/brake levers are Tiagra, so presumably- any Shimano dual pivot ought to be a safe swap?

famousgrouse

Just to follow up- I find braking on the hoods to be less than satisfactory. Were I to need to slam them on in a hurry I don't feel at all confident I'd stop quickly. That alone, makes me thing upgrading to say, Ultegra would be wise (they're not overly expensive, but having just bought the bike...). Are Ultegra compatible with the Tiagra levers? Can't imagine they wouldn't be, after all- they're just pulling a cable...

topdude

This has been discussed quite a lot recently ( there are some long threads to read) if you do a search.

But to give you the quick answer replace your calipers with 105 / Ultegra and fit Swisstop pads

Braking is less efficient from the hoods because there is less leverage, unless you have big hands to reach the bottom curve on the brake lever.

famousgrouse

Thanks, been reading some more since posting- plenty of discussion indeed!
The brake cables are routed under the bar tape so from what I can make out, 105/Ultegra brakes will work OK with my Tiagra shifters.
Had another look at the Promax brakes, and they're not a cartridge style (pads are very short too), so finding higher quality replacements is probably not totally straightforward. Looks like I'll bite the bullet and get some new brakes, deciding on 105 or Ultegra is the next challenge...

I understand braking at the hood isn't going to be very efficient, there's very little leverage really, but they really are very poor indeed, just a touch more would make me feel very much more confident. It's quite a big leap as it is going to road bikes from flat bar as it is, being able to stop quickly would help the transition!

andy9964

If the fork/mounting hole is the same as the 2013 model, 105 won't reach the rim.I'm sending some back tomorrow for this reason. Now getting Shimano Ultegra R650's instead
Best measure before you buy anything

famousgrouse

Thanks Andy. I'll check that tomorrow before I order anything (was probably 5 mins from doing so until your reply came through!). Didn't even occur to me that may be an issue, there's me thinking they're all much the same.
I've no idea if there's any difference in the mounting points between 13/14's. The description of the Promax brakes does indicate "long reach" so it may be I need the longer ones.
What came with yours, Andy?

andy_wrx

I'd just try replacing the blocks first.

People swear by Swissstop or Koolstop salmons, I' currently running some Fibrax !

You can buy just the rubber insert cartridges, or with the metal carriers which sounds like what you'll need

andy9964

Mine have Promax on too, it seems they are long reach, might be why I didn't get Sora calipers, and so on up the range
I think I measured 55mm approx. The 105 is 49mm and the pad was right on the edge of the rim, a bit of wear would have the fatter end of it rubbing the tyre

topdude

Ah, long reach, in that case get R650 (Ultegra quality) callipers and Swisstop / Koolstop pads
I have them on my Genesis Equlibrium, They are excellent