Bike Rebel

I recently purchased a 1985 Specialized Sequoia with Suntour Superbe brakes. I was wondering if I can switch the brake pads to something more modern that would improve the braking power?

fietsbob

They were a direct copy of the Campagnolo NR brakes .

Sure , Kool stop Makes Inserts Or you can Buy the whole Pad .

KS continental Salmon dont look like the originals did , but work Fine.

Cables and housing can also be replaced , If You wish.

maddog34

the salmon Kool Stops will work great, and are made more for wet riding... Kool Stop blacks will also improve braking, and will last longer in dry conditions. Stainless steel cables, and fresh housings will improve actuation... Get assistance installing them.

Bike Rebel

Thanks, that sounds like a good alternative. The 30 year old pads that are on there are hard as rocks.

fietsbob

Pad Inserts: Kool Stop International - High Performance Bicycle Brake Pads Since 1977


Range: Kool Stop International - High Performance Bicycle Brake Pads Since 1977

Continental: Kool Stop International - High Performance Bicycle Brake Pads Since 1977

Andrew R Stewart 

Agree with above but will add that maximum surface area contacting the rim is also a big factor in stopping power. The hard spot to that rock is that a flat to rim pad can be noisy. Various methods exist to quiet squeal. Most also reduce the power too.


I would install fresh cables and casing (modern low friction lined stuff) with attention to casing ends being filed/ground squared to the length. It's impressive how much modulation is lost due to cable friction or casing flex. Andy.

dedhed

Wouldn't hurt to lube the pivots either.

Bike Rebel

Uust to make sure I get the right replacements, do I need the Campi Road Pad Holders?

Kool Stop International - High Performance Bicycle Brake Pads Since 1977

fietsbob

my Xray vision is not Super, & IDK if the past owner put different brake pads on ,

Since you are guessing , I'd drop by a bike shop , so they can see the thing in person.

Bike Rebel

They appear to be original and are stamped "Suntour" & "Suberbe". Sorry, should have been specific.

fietsbob

Holder folded over on 4 sides? Replace whole shoes.. KS Continental will be fine.

Campag was open to the rear, so fresh inserts could be slid in.

bulldog1935

Big fan of Kool Stop Dura II cartridge pads here.
They even improve Weinmann center pulls.
If installed per the instructions, they self-align and self-toe.

ptempel

I'm also a big fan of the Koolstop salmon pads. Just got them for 2000's campy chorus breaks. I can also recommend Swisstop. I think they have a universal which might fit but never tried them on older breaks:

Standard Universal | SwissStop

Only had them on newer campy and the black pads also worked really well. Only drawback might be that they were a little more expensive than the Koolstop, if I recall.

Bike Rebel

Thanks everyone for your help. It is appreciated.

DannoXYZ 

There are many areas of braking system that can have friction and cause loss of clamping power:

1. CABLES are biggest culprit and friction source. Unbolt cable from caliper and "floss" inner wire back & forth by squeezing lever with one hand and alternately pulling it out with other hand. How smooth is the action? Modern teflon-lined cable & housing makes a HUGE difference in braking-power.

2. CALIPER PIVOTS is next area. While the cable is off, squeeze the arms together, do they spring back easily? Disassemble centre bolt and grease arms and washers. I think this or was it the SuperbePro that had ball-bearings between the arms?

3. BRAKE-PADS is the final area to do last. If 90% of your squeezing-power is lost before it even gets to pads, upgrading pads will result in minimal gains. Select a pad that's compatible with your rim-material. I've used super-soft sticky pads for great braking-response. But they ended up melting all over the rims on a fast twisty downhill. Next time around, I went with a harder-pad that needed a little harder-squeeze at levers.

Ultimately, if you have enough clamping-power to generate sufficient friction to toss you over the bars or lock-up the front-tyre, then your braking-system has more than enough power to overcome maximum friction between front-tyre and road. Softer tyres will generate more friction and allow you to brake faster... if you're able to control the bike smoothly.

sunburst

Hah! Learned this one the hard way on an 80's Miyata (after eliminating every other possibility!).

Edit: I'm talking about the pivot in the lever.

cny-bikeman

True, but housing length is important as well. Too long housing will flex significantly before braking action makes it to the calipers, and too-short housing may cause excess friction.

TallRider

I think I disagree with Danno here. The main downside of sticky cables/housing and sticky caliper pivots is brakes that don't spring back open as easily when you let go of the lever. This is creates extra drag while riding and will wear down brake pads more quickly, but it doesn't significantly change the clamping force that can be transferred from brake lever to caliper-around-the-rim.

I certainly recommend lubing the caliper pivots and at least checking/cleaning/flossing the brake cables (and perhaps replacing them) but the biggest gain on actual stopping power will be replacing the pads. Old hard rubber pads simply don't have the same friction coefficient with the rim.

cny-bikeman

Brake pads will indeed make a big difference, but one can't assume they are the biggest or the smallest factor. It is very possible that a kinked, very contaminated, or too long/short housing could greatly compromise the force delivered to the rim, so it's just as important to check the transmission of braking force as to optimize the pad/rim friction. Except at the extreme ends brake pivot lubrication/adjustment has very little effect.

Bike Rebel

I lubed all the pivots at both the calipers and the levers with Tri-Flow. Turns out only 1 side of the caliper was moving as it should on the rear. I pulled the cables from the housings and lube them with Shimano special grease. The brakes are functioning much better now. I was quick to blame the old pads. Thanks for your help.