Sora brake blocks make black ink in the rain

[2Loose]

My bike has Sora brake calipers and blocks which work ok in the dry, but when it is raining they are quite scary, taking at least three times the distance to brake to a halt for the same effort at the lever. Also, they leave a dark grey mess all over the forks and rear stays, almost as though the brake blocks are made of graphite...this I wouldn't mind, but quite a lot of the frame is white (when clean!).

I have heard that koolstop pads (and probably anything else tbh) are much better in the wet, but I can only find these as cartridge style pads, where mine are normal one piece brake shoes.

So, can I use cartridge style pads, and in this case what would i need, or can anyone make any other recommendations?
Are 105\Ultegra 1-piece brake shoes any better?

( Painting the frame grey is not acceptable!

)

 

[zacklaws]

My Trek 1.2 2008 model has exactly the same problem, but it is well known problem if you do a search online how inneficient the brakes are. Are they Sora calipers or are they just an unbranded make?

I solved the problem by just fitting BBB brake pads, triple compound but I still get the black inky mess on the forks but as the calipers are inneficient, I was still wearing brake pads out by always having to keep the brakes applied down steep hills or having to brake early.

I also had the same problem on my Trek Madone, the supplied brakes where also unbranded and were very poor, I solved the problem by fitting Bontrager Speed Limiter brakes which will stop me virtually dead and I only have to apply them when neccesary.But even so, I still get the black stains on the forks with th Bontrager pads.

 

[Kestevan]

You can use the cartridge pads, but you will need to buy the cartridge as well as the insert. Wiggle used to sell em.

Just remove the one piece block and replace with the cartridge and insert (make sure it's the right way round).

Koolstop pads are simply brilliant. I run standard black through summer and switch to salmon round about now for the better wet performance.

 

[2Loose]

My Trek 1.2 2008 model has exactly the same problem, but it is well known problem if you do a search online how inneficient the brakes are. Are they Sora calipers or are they just an unbranded make?

I solved the problem by just fitting BBB brake pads, triple compound but I still get the black inky mess on the forks but as the calipers are inneficient, I was still wearing brake pads out by always having to keep the brakes applied down steep hills or having to brake early.

I also had the same problem on my Trek Madone, the supplied brakes where also unbranded and were very poor, I solved the problem by fitting Bontrager Speed Limiter brakes which will stop me virtually dead and I only have to apply them when neccesary.But even so, I still get the black stains on the forks with th Bontrager pads.

They are Sora calipers and pads (Tiagra levers), so better pads will be ok, or do you suggest better calipers?

(The bike is Tiagra throughout except the calipers, so I had intended to replace them eventually in any case, just to make everything match )

EDIT: Will 2pr of these be all I need?

 

[jimboalee]

Many years ago, I got pissed off with trying to find brake pads that worked in the wet.

Then along came the Carerra Subway 8 with Nexus Roller Brakes. Sorted.


BTW, its called 'squidink'.

The Subway 8 was stolen so now I commute on a bike with discs.

 

[Brandane]

+1 for Koolstops. No black gunge and excellent in the wet or dry (I use the dual compound version).

 

[fossyant]

Just change the pads. The black gunge is also your rims' alloy !!

 

[zacklaws]

They are Sora calipers and pads (Tiagra levers), so better pads will be ok, or do you suggest better calipers?

To honestly answer this question, i can only base it on my experience's.

On my Trek 1.2, I only replaced the pads because I found that I then had better stopping, also down hill too, but not that good but better than it was.

On my Madone, I found that I had to change the pads but in the end also the calipers.

Reason behind it all was my 1.2 has a double chainset and my Madone a triple, because of this, I take my Madone into hillier areas as I can get up them a bit easier and hence I also have to decend steeeper hills too. The final straw was early this year, when I was decending a twisty 20% hill with blind corners and despite holding the brakes hard, I just kept rolling downhill, a little bit faster than my liking, and if I had to stop, I knew I would not be able, it meant that it would have to be a controlled crash into the verge, and that was with different brake pads.

My 1.2 I mainly commute on or bad weather riding and just the change of pads is adequate.

 

[gaz]

+1 for Koolstops. No black gunge and excellent in the wet or dry (I use the dual compound version).

I found that due to the softer compound of rubber they just wear aware quicker and i end up replacing the brake pads more.
The improvement in the wet for me was marginal that it didn't make a difference.

 

[Brandane]

I found that due to the softer compound of rubber they just wear aware quicker and i end up replacing the brake pads more.
The improvement in the wet for me was marginal that it didn't make a difference.

Surely better to replace brake pads slightly more often, and save your rims? My pads have been on for 2500+ miles, and nowhere near to needing replaced.

 

[Svendo]

For what it's worth, my American Classic wheel's manual recommends softer brake pads to reduce rim wear, and specifically mentions Shimano compounds as too hard.
I suppose it them becomes a cost/benefit calculation with increased pad replacement vs. longer rim life. Although with fairly vague variables I've erred on the side of improved brake performance from Koolstop Salmon (When I get round to fitting them!).
Bear in mind that however good your caliper/pad combo, there will be a marked reduction in effectiveness in the wet. As Zacklaws says, you want it to be at least able to stop you. This Sunday gone on Season of Mists in the pouring rain, even my Dura Ace 7900 brakes and pads required some considerable squeezing before they gripped and then considerably more effort than in the dry or moderate wet.

 

[2Loose]

Well it sounds like new pads should improve things in the wet significantly, but as to how much I guess a suck it and see attitude will have to suffice. Koolstop Salmons will be on order soon.
I don't want to have to resort to the disk braked mtb unless it is a really crappy day, as it is a much slower ride.

Thanks for all your experiences

 

[zigzag]

different brake pads may improve performance in wet but they will still leave grey mess on your bike. few years ago i even tried transparent "disco brakes" pads and still got the same grey muck in wet weather. grey muck is essentially finely ground aluminium powder emulsion from your rims and the only way to get rid of it is to use disk, drum or roller brakes. my commuter bike has got disk brake for this very reason and i keep my bike on the carpet in a hallway. i can accept the drawbacks of disk brakes just for that one single benefit - the bike stays _clean_.

 

[Peter10]

I've noticed the black gunk also when riding my bike over the last few days. It gets all over the rims so I have to clean them every night. No issues with braking in the wet though, but maybe it's because I'm used to wet weather cycling so I don't notice the difference.

 

[- Baz -]

I switched to Koolstop Dual Compound with V brakes and they're just as good in the wet as they are in the dry - once they've cleared the layer of water from the rim - which only takes a couple of wheel revolutions as they're shaped to do this. Wouldn't use anything else now.

As for 'squidink', I reckon it's more than 'just' ground aluminium from the rims, more like a cocktail of stuff thrown up from a wet road (ie rubber from tyres, oily residues and dirt/grit), maybe mixed with black gunge washed out from the chain...