Caliper upgrade question?

[bonsaibilly]

If you're coming back to rim brakes you'll probably have forgotten their annoying tendency to pick up bits of grit from the rims, meaning that after wet muddy rides it's a good idea at least to open the brake and scrub them with an old toothbrush and then pull an old towel through behind them, which adds only a few seconds to the cleaning routine. Occasionally you can remove them, pick out the shiny bits of grit or metal, rub them on a sheet of wet 'n dry to take off the glaze and refit them, using a dab of talc on the grooves if they are reluctant to slip back into the shoes. (Here I go again with my talc fetish!)

Also when first setting up the brakes, take time to get the blocks exactly parallel to the braking surface by loosening the hex bolt, holding the brake on lightly with one hand and slipping the pad around until the washers settle and the braking surface is absolutely flat on the rim and lined up with the edge of the braking surface. Then nip up that hex bolt gently, release the brake and tighten the hex bolt while bracing the brake shoe with the fingers of your other hand to prevent it from rotating. Well set brakes will sometimes make a satisfying clack when you snap them shut abruptly.

Aren't brake pads on rim brakes meant to be angled into the direction of turn?

 

[Globalti]

Not necessarily. Good brakes with stiff calipers don't need it. If you are getting squealing and juddering it may be because the forces exerted by the turning wheel are distorting the caliper, so that the pad is letting go momentarily then jumping back and grabbing again. This can sometimrs be cured by "pre-loading" the brake calipers by toeing the pads in so that they are a mm or so out at their "trailing" end. Do this by following the method above but trapping a layer or two or the flap off a cereal packet behind the trailing or rear end of the pad.

It's a bit the same as driving a Land Rover down a rocky slope in low gear using engine braking; sometimes the backlash in the complex gear train can cause surging or bouncing. You can prevent it by braking with your left foot and driving the car against the brakes, thus winding up the drivetrain to pre-load it and prevent bounce.

 

[bonsaibilly]

But it *is* the default way you should install rim brake pads. Just so that's clear to the OP.

 

[Globalti]

Ultegra brakes are very stiff with deep castings. They don't need toeing in.

 

[Robeh]

105 calipers are far superior than sora..you shifters wil work 105 with no issues.
I run 2300 shiters with 105 calipers on my dawes winter bike.
I would get rid off the sora and replace with 105 and you will notice the difference..

 

[bonsaibilly]

Ultegra brakes are very stiff with deep castings. They don't need toeing in.

Not that the OP mentioned Ultegra brakes.

 

[Globalti]

Well I think 105 are made to the same design; just the finish is less fancy.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Ultegra brakes are very stiff with deep castings. They don't need toeing in.

Shimano forges it's 105, Ultegra and DA brakes but cast the lesser models.