How effective should my brakes be? Road Bike.

[EasyCrank]

Hey everyone,

I recently inherited what I personally consider to be a rather nice road bike (Pictured in my avatar). I have since proceeded to add new break pads, re-grip the bars, fit new peddles and replace the tyres.

The tyres I am now running are 23-622 Vittoria Rubino Pro III road tyres. The breaks themselves are working fine as the wheel locks and isn't still turning when the break is applied firmly enough.

This is my first road bike and I'm much more used to mountain bikes or at least significantly thicker and more rugged tyres. My question is, what sort of effectiveness can I actually expect out of breaking with this sort of set up? I find that if I apply pressure slowly it will take ages to actually stop and if I apply it more quickly and firmly the bike starts to slide. As far as I can tell it is a mixture of weight distribution on the bike, and the width of the tyres.

Is this normal for road bikes to have fairly poor break effectiveness? The only other thing I thought that it may be is that the tyre may be pumped up too much? I unfortunately don't have a pump with a pressure gauge yet so am not sure if it's at the right psi. I've pumped it as tight as my basic pump can but there is still enough give for me to very slightly push down on the tyre with my thumb.

Thanks and sorry for the rather over-worded question.

Josh

 

[stephen.rooke]

think braking on a road bike will seem worse because generally your traveling faster than on a mtb so take longer to stop. if your wheels are locking up when applying pressure, its all down to grip after that, try not to lock up though as it actually increases the braking distance.

 

[sidevalve]

I had exactly the same feeling when I first returned to a road bike [memories of brakes from 30 years ago being long forgotten] so I have 2 questions. 1 - how new are the brake blocks, and 2 - how old is the bike [ie has it got ally or steel rims] ? If the blocks are new give 'em a little time to "bed in" a little [yes in a perfect world they shouldn't need it but, in reality, I've found they do]. If you are using the old blocks, renew them for some good quality modern ones [you have no idea of their history or if they have been contaminated with something]. If the rims are steel they will be average at best by modern standards, and downright poor in the wet.
Having said all that if you can lock the wheel then they aint too bad [bad idea though as you tend to fall off a lot].
Finally road tyres [as pressed by a thumb] should be HARD. Buy a track pump with a gauge, Tesco's do a fair one but there are lots of others and they aint dear [well under £20] not the best perhaps but they do the job.
Pump up to 80 - 100 psi [some go higher, but that works fine for me]. Finally try experimenting a bit on an empty road, you may find it's more a perception thing because as stephen.rooke says you are probably travelling faster.

 

[MattHB]

Also fit the salmon coloured blocks, they're a softer compound so dont last as long, but I find them much more effective than their black counterparts and they give you much more 'feel', meaning you're less likely to lock up. They're also designed for wet weather, which is quite handy at the moment!!

 

[EasyCrank]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all the replies, brilliantly helpful!
On review I think it is likely that its mainly a matter of perception. On my old mountain bike (which I haven't ridden in a good long while since someone decided to help themselves to it from my back garden) I think I would average 12-16mph but on this thing I'm doing more along the lines of 24mph as an average flat pace.

As for the break pads they are brand new (Well, one week old) Aztec dual compounds and in terms of applying resistance on the rotation of the wheel they seem to do fine. That said the gradient between no breaks and all breaks is fairly slim at the moment but I guess once they are warn in slightly they'll work a bit better in that respect.

Well I'll pop out and grab myself a decent pump tomorrow as that's something I was eventually planning on getting anywho.

Thanks for all the help though guys, really appreciate it!

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

Hi easycrank,

As mentioned, even the basic track pump from Tesco is well worth it at around £15 - check Tesco direct for price. It's harder to get the tyre to 100 psi or above but can still do it.
With regard to the pressure, check the range on the tyre wall...modern race tyres perform so much better at around 100-120 psi giving you minimal rolling resistance, but this often means less rubber on Tarmac so less grip braking.

Tyres, These seem to have good reviews so "should" be ok.

Brake-wise, road brakes are poor compared to Cantilever and especially disk, but yours sound quite normal fir an older bike which relied more on the cyclists grip power than the higher ratio levers that apply more power these days.
As mentioned by the others, probably the blocks and rims, especially the latter.

The steel rims are easy to spot often by the tiny dimples on the braking surface to aid grip, and the edge of the rim is rolled rather that the flat edged alloy rims - as well as a lot heavier.
You'll never get as good braking with steel and the only safer workaround without replacing Themis softer pads and possibly grippier tyres

 

[Hip Priest]

First time I rode a road bike I was surprised by the relative ineffectiveness of the brakes compared to a mounta bike. My advice would be to invest in some decent brake pads. My LBS replaced my standard pads with Shimanos at service and the difference is huge.

 

[ColinJ]

That said the gradient between no breaks and all breaks is fairly slim at the moment but I guess once they are warn in slightly they'll work a bit better in that respect.

Try adjusting your brake blocks to be further from the rims so that more pull is required on the levers. That gives much more subtle 'modulation' of braking power. If you have the blocks too close to the rims then you end up with the kind of on-off braking that you described. Don't over-relax the braking though - you never want the levers to be able to quite contact the bars, no matter how hard you pull.

 

[HovR]

I find that if I apply pressure slowly it will take ages to actually stop and if I apply it more quickly and firmly the bike starts to slide.

Which brake are you primarily using? My bike runs 23mm Vittoria Rubino's and old Weinmann 500 series Sidepull calipers. With the front brake on full power with this set up I am able to lift the back wheel off the ground before the front tire slides.

If you've come from a mountain bike with discs or powerful V's, you may have primarily used the rear brake for road riding - However on a road bike it's a necessity to use the front brake as there isn't much stopping power at all in the rear.

 

[EasyCrank]

However on a road bike it's a necessity to use the front brake as there isn't much stopping power at all in the rear.

Now this may be where a large part of the problem is as well actually. I'm not used to using or much trusting my front break. I can feel when on the bike that due to the weight distribution there isn't much force when breaking with the back wheel but I always feel, especially when reaching the base of hills that using my front break to the extent that it makes a worthwhile impact would just throw me over the bars?

 

[HovR]

Now this may be where a large part of the problem is as well actually. I'm not used to using or much trusting my front break. I can feel when on the bike that due to the weight distribution there isn't much force when breaking with the back wheel but I always feel, especially when reaching the base of hills that using my front break to the extent that it makes a worthwhile impact would just throw me over the bars?

I thought this may be the case! You just need to get more practice using the front brake of your bike. Note that the brakes on your road bike likely won't be as powerful as the ones on your MTB were. As you get used to the front brake, you will learn how much pressure you need to apply to stop safely.

I'd advise that you go and find a quiet road and practice with the front brake. Get yourself up to a speed you feel comfortable with, then slowly apply the front brake so you get a feel of how powerful it is. Try this a few times, putting more power on the brake as you progress. As you get more and more practice you will become more confident until you find yourself primarily using the front brake to stop.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

Tbh I forgot that front braking is second nature now compared to when I was younger - many moons- it was always rear bake and front as secondary.
With Hovr totally, re-teach yourself to front brake and rear as secondary.
In saying that though, in wet or potentially icy, you need to pre-empt the need to brake, and equally load both brakes otherwise you'll definitely lose the front end.

For an emergency stop, hunch low, push your ass back over the seat and slam on the front brake. The nett effect being a huge amount of downforce in the front wheel.
Takes a bit of practice but very effective and reduces the chance of an over.

On a final point, fast/hard downhills, you may need to gently alternate front/rear to stop overheating or "polishing" the pads making them less effective.

Who'd have thought that braking could be so complicated

 

[EasyCrank]

Thanks for all the help guys, exactly what I needed
I'll spend a bit of time over the rest of the weekend getting more used to front focused breaking.

I fitted the new peddles today which are fantastic! I really recommend the Shimano M324 SPD's for commuting as they definitely offer the best of both worlds!

 

[Fab Foodie]

Here you go EasyCrank, chapter and verse:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html

May I respectfully suggest that it's 'Brakes' and 'Braking'on a bike and 'breaks' for things that well, break!

 

[ColinJ]

May I respectfully suggest that it's 'Brakes' and 'Braking'on a bike and 'breaks' for things that well, break!

But you are okay with 'peddles' ...?