Braking on the hoods

[david1701]

Hi all,

I've just gotten a tricross with Tektro Canti brakes (wide front, narrow back) and both cross levers and normal ones. I haven't tried braking hard from the fronts as yet but today I very nearly hit a car deacelerating in front of me while I was on the hoods because I just couldn't stop hard enough (I finally stopped level with his rear wheel on the inside as he was quite far out). I tried afterwards and I can lock up and stop quick from the tops (on the cross levers) but the hoods just slow me down some instead :s

Is this because V brakes are shitty, I'm holding them wrong or just don't try to stop using the hoods?

My current plan is to stay on the tops in urban areas but thats not great long term really.

 

[corshamjim]

That's one reason I'm not a great fan of drops. For me, braking on the hoods is never as positive as ordinary brake levers. Heck, I even preferred the Weinemann extension levers to braking on the hoods.

That said, you should be able to stop. Maybe try different brake pads, or check the adjustment?

 

[david1701]

nb it has had maybe a hundred miles done so far so they could be bedding in, but year I'd like to be able to stop

so decent pads for V brakes....... (goes to forum search)

 

[buggi]

What type of brake levers have you got? chances are, it's not because Vee brakes are shoot, it's because they are not designed to go with the type of brake levers that are for caliper brakes (such as 105) which are standard on drop handlebars. caliper brakes require less pull on them so you need to get a cable adjuster or a "travel agent" put on the brake cable, which is a small gadget that will increase the pull/travel of the cable when you pull the brake lever.

i have got caliper brake levers and vee brakes, with a cable adjuster and my brakes work fine, even when i'm on the hoods. The guy in the bike shop recommended the travel agent, but i'd already had the cable adjuster fitted, so i think either is fine.

Also, are you used to these type of brake levers ? have you had drop handlebars before? i also thought they were shoot when i first used them, but someone told me they are not designed to stop you dead like normal brake levers, as road bikes are much faster than moutain/hybrid bikes and you'd just go over the handlebars if they stopped you dead. made sense to me and you quickly become used to the fact that they stop you slower, and you anticipate the traffic better. also, your hands will strengthen up to compensate for this.

 

[mcshroom]

Save you searching - Koolstop Salmons are the normal suggestion

Are you sure you want v-brake pads not cantilever pads though? The Tricross is normally specced with canti brakes
Try and reach lower down on the drop bar levers as you get much better braking lower down the lever.

 

[david1701]

I am a fool, I thought they were canti's and got into a minor 'discussion' with a friend who was sure they were Vs and made me doubt, just grabbed a spec and they're tektro cantis will change OP in a sec

so are we on not broken in? I'm quite seriously considering calling the shop I bought it from as I picked it up last Tuesday and they were in general dead helpful

I'm with you on getting more force by having more leverage further down but I can't really reach that far? Or is it something you get used to as I've been riding on drop bars for 4 days now

I have realised that I was going way faster than I normally would have been as I was doing 20-25 on a slight downhill in traffic (cars make me ride faster) so maybe that has something to do with it, as does coming from having a front disk so I should have been further back...

 

[kilf]

Rough the pads up with emery cloth an make sure your rims are clean ...but to be fair I've heard Tektro pads are shite my Secteur dont exactly stop on a dime ( same brake makers )

What make are you STI levers you can either bring them closer via adjustment (download Pdf from brake manufacturer) or fit shims to bring them closer which you should have.

 

[david1701]

cheers kilf

 

[MacB]

Well if the crosstops work fine then it's either a loss problem between there and the full levers or the full levers are pulling effectively a different amount of cable, or a combination of the two. The crosstops work by compressing the cable outer but, if you look, there'll be nice clean runs from them to the brake. But from the crosstops to the main lever the cable has to take lots of twists and tight turns.

When I was setting up my road mechanical discs with aero levers and crosstops I followed a recommendation to use compressionless brake cable outer, I chose Goodridge(you can buy by the metre at CRC). I've since ditched the crosstop for the rear brake as I only really wanted them for modulation if didn't want to move my hands and the front is fine for that. Also, as the rear is a full cable outer run, I'm happier without a break in the cable outer run. I've worked with normal cable outers and Goodridge ones and the difference is very noticeable, that stuff is stiff. It could be worth doing an experiment and replacing the cable outer, for your front brake, between the crosstop and the main lever, probably needs around 20cm of outer.

There're lots other things you can try around setup but it's not unusual to read about people getting rid of crosstops to improve main lever performance. I've read claims about how they can get the brake adjusted so that one or the other lever works fine but not both of them. If your problem is compression in the last bit of cable run then something like the Goodridge could fix it.

 

[slowmotion]

I'm with you on getting more force by having more leverage further down but I can't really reach that far? Or is it something you get used to as I've been riding on drop bars for 4 days now

I feel your pain. After being used to a straight bar hybrid, I have found that the last three months on drop bar brakes a bit of a challenge. There is no way that I can put any great force onto the brake levers when on the hoods (or the drops, for that matter). Maybe road bikes are not designed for sharp braking. Is that theory correct?

 

[HLaB]

Its maybe teaching granny to suck eggs David, apologies if it is but could it possibly have been your braking technique, I find its better to feather control speed with the rear brake but then use the front brake to actually stop.

 

[david1701]

@MacB its brand spanking new so if theres a main brake-cross brake issue I'll be taking it back in angry fashion

@slowmotion I have that but I'm missing disks too

@HLaB don't worry about that, I've been properly into cycling for months and on a road type bike for days I've to date just kinda hit both brakes to stop/slow. Whats the reasoning behind using the rear for speed and front to stop? Oh and what would you be doing in that particular circumstance (cruising behind car at decent pace and he slows then stops (I hit both brakes from the hoods and slowed then stopped too slowly)

This help is much appreciated guys.

 

[HLaB]

@MacB its brand spanking new so if theres a main brake-cross brake issue I'll be taking it back in angry fashion

@slowmotion I have that but I'm missing disks too

@HLaB don't worry about that, I've been properly into cycling for months and on a road type bike for days I've to date just kinda hit both brakes to stop/slow. Whats the reasoning behind using the rear for speed and front to stop? Oh and what would you be doing in that particular circumstance (cruising behind car at decent pace and he slows then stops (I hit both brakes from the hoods and slowed then stopped too slowly)

This help is much appreciated guys.

This might explain it, its all about getting maximum efficiency out of your brakes and control; although I probably feather more with my rear brake than the article suggest.

 

[MacB]

@MacB its brand spanking new so if theres a main brake-cross brake issue I'll be taking it back in angry fashion

I know, I don't think it's a setup issue just that regular brake cable outer may not lend itself well to aero levers and crosstops. It could be something else entirely and, as I haven't done a comparison on the same brakes with both types of cable outer, I can't make any definite claims about improvements. Just thought I'd throw it into the mix as a possible issue or possible fix.

 

[david1701]

read it cover to cover, going to go and practice now. It all makes perfect sense, rear to slow or off road and front to actually stop you. Not like in cars where you use both 70:30