Tektro brakes - worth upgrading?

[Citius]

someone with your obvious wealth of knowledge may have pointed the op in the right direction re the difference and illustrated it.

So you're cross because I didn't draw a picture? ffs..

 

[uphillstruggler]

So you're cross because I didn't draw a picture? ffs..

not at all, just like to see knowledgeable members helping out the inexperience without the posturing

 

[al-fresco]

First step should be to try better pads, and make sure the cantis are set up correctly. I'm sure Sheldon Brown has good advice on this, but can't be bothered right now to check. As for the ridicule that's been thrown around with abandon, can we please calm down? The OP stated that 105 calipers match his shifters (which I take to mean combined brake levers), i.e. the pull ratio is OK for the Tektro cr710 and for 105 calipers. Tektro themselves recommend their rl340 levers for use with cr710 brakes - these are described as "for use with caliper brakes", which bears this out. The only other question which needs to be asked is whether the forks are drilled to accept allen key caliper brakes; if they are, there seems no reason why the OP can't fit them, if the new pads don't produce the kind of improvement he needs.

Agreed - adjustment is important because it affects the mechanical advantage as Sheldon explains here:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/canti-trad.html

I binned my old Onyx cantilevers because adjustment was difficult and replaced them with Avid Shorty Ultimates on the front of my Surly. It took some tweaking (Shorties are very tweak-able!) but I'm happier with the stopping power now, even on standard pads. (Still don't think it's as good as V-brakes or callipers though.)

 

[John the Monkey]

Different bike, of course, but on my Surly LHT, with Tiagra integrated brake/shift levers, my findings were;

1) Tektro CR-720
Tektro CR-720 Cantilever Brakes by Jacques LeSinge, on Flickr
Lovely brake, very tolerant of pad wear in terms of adjustment, and easy to set up. Sadly somewhat lacking in power, even with decent pads. Had to run these with the straddle as low as possible.

2) Tektro Oryx
Didn't like these much. Powerful, but very grabby, and lacking in modulation. At the point of adjustment where I found them rideable, I would need to adjust the brake every fortnight or so to keep them working nicely (daily 28 mile round trips at the time, so someone with less frequent riding might find them ok).

3) IRD CAFAM (first version)

My favourites so far - a nice balance between power and not being too grabby, imo. IRD seem to have discontinued them in favour of the CAFAM 2, a Frogleg type canti that I've not tried. The Paul's touring is a similar shape to the CAFAM 1 though.

There's also the Mini V option;
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/cyclocross/my-mini-v-setup-146309.html although I've never tried this.

 

[Poacher]

A rider to my earlier post, which occurred to me as I was going round the supermarket: the drop length also needs to be taken into consideration. Shimano 105s may be too short a drop for the OP's frame. He'll need to measure this carefully before committing to purchase.

 

[Citius]

I see we're still talking about calipers, despite the fact that the CAADX frame has no fitting for calipers. The fork may have a hole through which a caliper could be fitted, but whether you will find one with a long enough reach is another issue. My guess is it's unlikely.

 

[GravityFighter]

OP here. This escalated quickly!

I'll freely admit to my initial ignorance about calipers vs. cantis and which the CAADX frame will accept. I did wonder if there might be a difference between types, but wasn't helped by the yoof in Evans who assured me they could fit 105 caliper brakes. Even if he's right, I'd rather stick with the same type as I currently have than fudge something, so cantis it is.

Pretty sure the current Tektros are set up as well as they could be; had some initial advice from my LBS then rechecked the set up with a chap that did my bike fit, so I'm well versed on toeing in.

I can see the logic that pads have a big effect as it's the compound that's meeting the rim. Think my wheels are Maddux 3.0 or something, FWIW.

I just want to stop the squealing!

 

[John the Monkey]

I just want to stop the squealing!

A crown mounted hanger, and toed in pads are the usual anti-squeal recommendations, fwiw.

 

[Poacher]

I find squealing to be positively beneficial in central Nottingham when dopey pedestrians walk straight out in front of me without so much as glancing up from their phones!

 

[outlash]

OP here. This escalated quickly!

I'll freely admit to my initial ignorance about calipers vs. cantis and which the CAADX frame will accept. I did wonder if there might be a difference between types, but wasn't helped by the yoof in Evans who assured me they could fit 105 caliper brakes. Even if he's right, I'd rather stick with the same type as I currently have than fudge something, so cantis it is.

Pretty sure the current Tektros are set up as well as they could be; had some initial advice from my LBS then rechecked the set up with a chap that did my bike fit, so I'm well versed on toeing in.

I can see the logic that pads have a big effect as it's the compound that's meeting the rim. Think my wheels are Maddux 3.0 or something, FWIW.

I just want to stop the squealing!

Whilst there is a hole in the fork that you could possibly put a caliper through, the bridge on the seat stays doesn't (it's got a hole pointing downwards which is ideal for mudguards though), so it's a non starter. Plus you'd lose all that lovely clearance for the mud you get this time of year. Get yourself some new pads and see how you get on.

 

[User6179]

OP here. This escalated quickly!

I'll freely admit to my initial ignorance about calipers vs. cantis and which the CAADX frame will accept. I did wonder if there might be a difference between types, but wasn't helped by the yoof in Evans who assured me they could fit 105 caliper brakes. Even if he's right, I'd rather stick with the same type as I currently have than fudge something, so cantis it is.

Pretty sure the current Tektros are set up as well as they could be; had some initial advice from my LBS then rechecked the set up with a chap that did my bike fit, so I'm well versed on toeing in.

I can see the logic that pads have a big effect as it's the compound that's meeting the rim. Think my wheels are Maddux 3.0 or something, FWIW.

I just want to stop the squealing!

I have the same bike and posted on this subject before , the main problem is the pads and the rim braking surface if still the same Jalco Maddux rim , braking is much improved with better pads and a better braking surface providing you have the canti's adjusted properly and toed in the pads .

 

[bpsmith]

I just want to stop the squealing!

There's little chance that you'll stop @Citius' squeezing I am afraid.

 

[screenman]

My brakes got a lot better when I lost 4 stone.

 

[raleighnut]

My brakes got a lot better when I lost 4 stone.

 

[Ihatehills]

This is going to sound dumb (and it probably is) but I had pad issues on my vee brakes, pads that came with the bike were chewing my rims, I was recommended koolstop salmon pads , which stopped the rim wear but they squealed horribly, I pi**ssed around with toe in for a couple of rides to no avail when I set them up so the heel came in first the squealing stopped. This makes no sense i agree but it worked for me.