tFUnK

let me start off by saying that i am new to road biking and road biking components. i am currently running some cheap tektro calipers with diacompe tt levers (188). they work okay, but nothing super impressive. coming from riding mountain bikes and having used cantis, v's, hydraulics, and discs, i wonder if i can do better with an upgrade.

i am wondering if i will notice performance gains if i upgrade to some more expensive brake calipers/levers, such as these?

for levers, i can see how some can be better than others (more adjustable, better ergo, better feel), but i fail to see how much different calipers can be from one another. is it mainly a gimmick or will there actually be a noticeable gain in performance? can said gains be achieved by upgrading just the pads?

Cyclist0383

The first thing you should try is new pads. The stock Tektro ones aren't very good. I prefer Kool-Stop pads, either black or salmon.

unbelievably

I'd also go the Kool-Stop route if it was on a better set-up.
However, I'm gonna suggest that you score some 105's.

Val23708

cheap calipers tend to flex more under harder braking, thus you have less braking power.

i'd go for SRAM Rival brakes myself. Red is kinda overkill...

celerystalksme

you MIGHT notice a difference with the SRAM Red calipers...but i suggest changing pads first...

calipers DO make a difference...some have more stopping power due to leverage ratios and stiffness of the arms...and they feel different because the modulation might be different...and some are certainly lighter than others (if that matters to you)...and different brakes might have small differenes in clearance which may matter if you like to run larger tires...

but i'm not sure if anyone has done a real test to see which brakes are the strongest stopping power...and i'm afraid that a lightweight brake like the SRAM Red might not actually have more stopping power than say SRAM Rival or whatever. i mean...it might...but it might not. i really have no idea.

bigtea

Tektro to SRAM Red? That is a hyperspace leap. Why don't you buy some Ultegra calipers at Nashbar for 80 bucks or some other online store that is blowing them out. Solid, reliable, great stopping power.

grolby

Yes, there can be a difference between cheap and more expensive brakes, but Tektro to SRAM Red is pretty excessive. SRAM Rival will work just as well as Red for a lot less money. SRAM road brakes really are pretty boss - I've been very impressed with my Rivals. The stock pads are even pretty good. Shimano brakes will probably also do very well, especially from 105 and up. The Tektros are known to be capable brakes, but perhaps not quite on par with more expensive models. I would be okay with them on a bike I intended to just cruise around on, but if I'm going to be hauling ass, better performance is nice. That said, I did some serious ass-hauling last year (race season) with old Shimano 105 single-pivot sidepulls, and I survived. Seriously built up my hand strength, too!

Basil Moss

The difference between Tektro brakes and 105 is enormous, even with the same pads it's pretty huge. I recommend 105 highly. It won't brake (he he) the bank, and it's an upgrade you'll really notice. If you are short on cash, just replace the front, you don't need a strong back brake, as even a wussy one will be enough to skid the wheel. Much less traction there.

timmhaan

is there any place to buy 105 brakes? seems most places sell ultegra components and up.

Geordi Laforge

ebay

Bearonabike

The difference between cheap and expensive brakes is the difference between cheap and expensive helmets.

You know what they say, a $10 brain is worth a $10 helmet.

swif

Won a brand new set of '09 105 calipers for $60 on ebay. I'm happy with that.

jesspal

Will Rival calipers work with shimano levers?

zacster

I ride a bike with Tektro Quartz calipers and 200a levers and have no problem with them at all, and this is compared to my Chorus brakes. I don't feel any difference at all. I have salmon pads on my Tektro, and the stock Campy pads on the other. The levers feel the same too, Tektro did a good job copying Campy. The only problem is that I keep trying to click the shift lever on the Tektros...

CrimsonKarter21

All brakes will work with all levers, except cantis and some levers.

Mr. Fly

The Tektro and the 105 brakes look very similar. Given that the cross-sections of the arms of these brakes are similar, their stiffness must be similar too. Furthermore, all double-pivot brakes have more or less the same kind of leverage. I don't see how the difference can be "enormous". My experience with many different brakes (of the same basic design) bear this out -- as long as the brakes are set up correctly (including using decent brake cables) and use good pads (e.g., Koolstop salmons), there is no functional difference in braking power.

More expensive brakes do typically weigh a bit less, and there's nothing wrong with being a weight weenie.


I don't know if you're serious with your comment.

Helmets all use the same expanded polystyrene foam for energy absorption. More expensive helmets have more vents. That means less material to absorb impact. That in turn means less relative protection.

invwnut

What he says....

I agree that more costly calipers won't be a huge improvement in performance. You may add some modulation and feel. I'd go with pads first. If you are a heavy person, you may see some difference in calipers stiffness from real cheap to expensive. I have FSA Gossamer brakes which is their low end brake. I don't feel it doing a poor job of stopping me. I want to upgrade mostly for aesthetics since I have SRAM Force stuff then Gossamer brakes. Not in a hurry to change.

clausen

As the price goes up weight comes down. Braking power and safety are not part of either equation.

fogrider

tektro brakes are not bad. dual pivot brakes have lots of braking power and they work pretty good. but I'm from the old school, for bikes to go fast, why do you need powerful brakes? remember, I live in the san francisco bay area with fast technical descents. sure you need brakes to shed some speed but not bakes that grab and slow you down so much that need to sprint back to speed. I have had times when someone cuts in-front of me and slams on the brakes and I had to do the same...which resulted in me locking up my wheels (too much braking). but with that said, I'm on zero g and record.

tFUnK

i guess i shouldn't have chose the sram red for comparing to my tektros but that gets at the exact question i am asking. at what point do you stop paying for performance and start paying for "bling" factor? the analogy in mtb is that shimano lx and xt perform similar if not equal to xtr at a fraction of the cost.

it seems like the 105 and rival lines are a good performance/cost balance, so i'll look into those. but i probably should try some new pads first to see if that makes a difference. i also wonder how much of it is in the levers, and how much is due to the calipers?

as for usage, i guess i am looking for something that can stop me on a dime in emergency situations. i like to go fast and like to stay off brakes as much as possible but sometimes i go on group rides in the city and need something that i can depend on. i should also add that i am on the heavier side in cyclist terms- 5'11" and 185lbs.

schnee

I thought that once, but on a bike with long reach brakes, the difference between Tektro and Ultegra-level were significant and immediately obvious. The tektros were mushy at full squeeze. The Ultegra calipers nearly pitched me over the bars. Yes, new pads on both brakes.

gsr2nv

sorry to bring up an old thread, but I have a bike with "Ultralight dual pivot brakes, Teflon pivots, forged alloy w/ cartridge pads" (according to the specialized.com website). I was looking to upgrade my brakes, and from the comments above, I figured that I should start with the pads first. It wouldn't make much of a difference if I switch to Shimano 105 brakes, would it? They can be had online for ~$70CAD, which i think is worth it if they will give me better braking than my current setup.

I was looking into the Kool Stop (black) because I only ride in dry conditions. ~$20CAD sounds reasonable I guess?

Grumpy McTrumpy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AaN0pK-Q6A

merlinextraligh

So, expensive brakes keep your head a bit cooler, and look nicer?