Maxximum

I was riding my bike at speed, and found that it has a hard time stopping. I realize that it isn't related to the brake setup just the brake itself. I used to ride mountain bikes, and the brakes were superb. Is there some sort of equivalent for a road bike, with good stopping power, but doesn't require discs? (not even sure if discs are available on road bikes). The brakes are stock. Is it the brake brand/make, or just the nature of road bike brakes?

littledjahn

Get a quality brake (Campy, Shimano, Cane Creek, some Tektro) with Kool Stop pads.

curiouskid55

If your brakes were set up properly you should be able to launch yourself by over-hammering them.

ShadowGray

Get koolstop pads...
Stock brakes are okay, stock brakepads usually are very terrible.

TeleJohn

The pads may be glazed. Use fine sandpaper to lightly sand the pads. Lightly sand the braking surface on the rim also.

Asian Sensation

fixed gear ftw

mr handy

related question...

Where to buy Koolstop Dura (Tektro) pads online?
and which ones?

BarracksSi

Several places; Harris Cyclery carries them, as does biketiresdirect.com and wherever else. I found some locally, and although my LBS carries them, they sold out fairly quickly.

I got the black compound since I rarely take that bike in wet weather (more like "never" if I can help it since I got another bike for that purpose ). The pads did reasonably well when I had to ride in the rain this week, though.

Maxximum

Ummm... Also, what model of brake pads from Koolstops?

rogerstg

Chances are that if it's a newer bike, the Dura type will work. I've found that size works in my Ultegra, Tektro and cheap Nashbar brakes. YMMV

umd

Swiss Stop pads are better. Edit: The rim matters too. On the same bike, I have noticeable different stopping power with different wheelsets.

adam

I've always been disappointed with my braking as well - Ultegra or Tektro stock calipers and rubber. Am thinking about upgrading and getting some new calipers and maybe some Kool Stops to go with it. I see that Kool Stop makes both wet and dry pads. Do people actually swap these out based on what type of riding they are doing?

I can see that for people who race (and know it's going to be a wet day) but what about your everyday training bike?

Are the 'dry' pads ok in the wet?

BarracksSi

Change the pads first, then if you're still disappointed, feel free to change the calipers. The calipers don't touch the rims, after all -- it's the pads that do the hard work.

I might just keep my stock brakes (Tektro, I'm sure) for the life of the bike, and simply refill with Kool Stops (or maybe try Swiss Stop next ) as the miles wear on. Yes, the pads make that much of a difference. 35-to-0 mph at the bottom of the hill by the Capitol with no scraping or fading like I experienced with the OEM Tektro pads.

FWIW, I have the black pads, and they seemed OK in the rain as long as I squeegeed the rim with light brake pressure. If the salmon compound is better, then it must be really good.

tekhna

I think at this point even basic Tektro calipers work just fine. I can't tell the difference between my Tektros and my Campys when they both had new Kool Stops on them.

uspspro

Mavic SSC + Swiss Stop. It's like slamming into a wall

theextremist04

I just got DA-7700 series with Kool-stops and there wasn't a notable difference from the stock 105s.

umd

My Tektros sucked even with Koolstop pads, but in retrospect now that I have more experience, I think the braking surface on my crappy Alex AT400 wheels was the real culprit.

Miller2

Any REI should have them.

maddyfish

My Centaur calipers, on Campy Vento III rims have tremendous power. And are very, very easy to control. I think caliper brakes get a bad rap because of cheap calipers, and old single pivot calipers. Modern dual pivot quality calipers are well capable of locking a wheel, or launching you over the seat, but are still able to be modulated to keep the bike under control.

zpl

I just replaced my stock front brake pad cartridges with Kool Stop salmon pads (bike is an 07 Allez). There is a moderate improvement for dry braking but a spectacular improvement during wet braking.

mrjhmm

Kool Stop brake pads.

These work for road bikes, too:

https://www.amazon.com/Kool-Stop-Nutt...4461859&sr=1-1

jonathanb715

Another vote for the Kool Stops. I was going down a fast descent the other day, around a blind corner, and a pickup was in my lane, all the way out by the shoulder. I locked both wheels up in a panic stop, but was easily able to get the wheels rolling again without coming off the brakes completely, and was able to get around the truck when he made a move back to his lane. I know the stock shimano pads would have let me lock up the wheels as well, but I'm not at all sure I could have modulated the brakes as well to get the wheels rolling again while still slowing down.

JB

adam

Going to pick up some Kool Stops to give them a go - sounds like a big difference. I'm rarely riding in the rain, so I guess the std. black will do me fine.

For those who bought the salmon - was that 'just in case' you got caught out in the rain or do you ride in the rain enough you thought it was a wise choice?

Just wondering if it's worth going salmon for the 3 times a year I get caught out. Then again, if you live in WA, OR or BC you guys would be getting much more rain than me.

umd

Do yourself a favor and try Swiss Stops instead

waterrockets 

I've always just stuck with stock Shimano pads. They did fine in my rainy crit on Saturday.

I would only recommend Shimano and Campagnolo brakes though. I don't see a reason to bother with anything else -- these work great.