Originally Posted by
Leisesturm
And I'll throw in on the contrarian POV and suggest that the Tektro's should be just fine at stopping ~240lbs of bike and rider. But if not, and I'm all for the bling within reason, any canti from the usual suspects: Avid, Shimano, TRP, Tektro ... in the ~$50+(pr!) arena should be plenty adequate.
While I agree in theory, in practice brakes are often less than adequate. It has most to do with the setup of the brakes rather then the mechanism itself but that setup can be complicated by a poorly designed brake. The devil is in the details. For example, the Tektro Oryx could be improved by dumping the stupid link wire...one of the worst ideas in bicycling...for a traditional straddle cable. If ddeand used a straddle cable
and a Moon Unit (or similar wide carrier), new brakes might not be needed at all.
Originally Posted by
Leisesturm
I am always bemused when riders talk about brakes not being adequate. In fact until this thread I hadn't seen anyone happy with any brake that they use. I have seen riders complain about hydraulic disc brakes 'not being adequate'. Seriously I wonder if riders understand that you should WANT your brakes not to throw you over the handlebars everytime you even look at them. I often set up for a corner with some light pressure on one or both brakes and keep some pressure on through the turn. You can't do that if the instant you put a finger on the lever your tire locks up.
Again, I agree in theory...and perhaps even in practice. I've mountain biked with cantilevers but never found them to be inadequate. I've mountain biked with linear brakes but never found them to be inadequate. I've mountain biked with mechanical disc and never found them to be inadequate. However, I've mountain biked with hydraulics and found them to be far too touchy and grabby.
But people have been complaining about brakes for eons. I not exactly sure why but I think that too many people have had poorly set up brakes for far too long. Many people have brakes that are set up from the shop so that the brake doesn't engage until about half of the lever pull. That's far too late. If you set up hub mounted discs that way, the bike will never stop. Perhaps that why people get all excited about the latest braking technology. It's set up better than the previous brakes they have had.
Originally Posted by
Leisesturm
When I need to stop hard I have to put some pressure on the lever. That is as God intended. That is good braking. I trust the lives of both myself and my dear wife to nameless OEM v-brakes and so can any of you. More expensive brakes will likely be lighter, but they can only be so much lighter. Different brakes of the same brake technology and using the same brake pads CANNOT be all that different in raw stopping power. Simple physics.
Again, I somewhat agree but in practice there are differences. The Paul's, for example, have a better fit and finish than inexpensive brakes. I had IRD Cafams on my touring bike which just weren't quite up to the job. I had Avid Shorty 4 on my touring bike and they were squeal machines.
The Cafams look exactly like the Paul's Touring brakes. They might even have longer arms. I even installed them with straddle cables instead of link wires. They worked but the Paul's that replaced them work a lot better. And the Paul's are easier to install and adjust.