Matty71

I'm very new to cycling so I'm after some rookie advice. I've bought a road bike (Genesis Equilibrium 20 2018) which has Shimano 105 5800 gear set but fitted with Promax RC-482 rim brakes, which are terrible in the dry and dangerous in wet conditions. So in order to avoid a crash, I'm looking for advice on upgrade options.

Should I consider upgrading the calipers to Shimano 105's which I've found for around £35-£40 per caliper, other caliper alternatives, or just look to change the pads for something that's more likely to stop the bike (Swisstop or Shimano or something else?).

If the best option is to just replace the calipers, are they front and back wheel specific. Some sites appear to specify but others don't.

Thanks in advance,
Matty

dsbrantjr

The cheap and easy thing would be to put on some Kool Stop salmon pads and see how they do. I have found even Shimano OEM pads to be somewhat lacking. You should be able to just get inserts which fit those Promax holders. Wet rims will never stop as well as when they are dry.

Andrew R Stewart 

Take apart your current brakes and clean then lube the various pivots. Adjust their free movement as tight as possible. Get some better pads (KS are good options). Recable with care to square up the casing ends. Then see how they are. The cost to do this is mostly time as the pads and cables are transferable to the replacement calipers should that become your final choice. Andy

u235

Like other said, new pads maybe. Strange that they are that bad. I've used some crappy old rim brakes and random pads and still got some decent stopping power, even bikes sitting for a long time and pulled from piles (Assuming cables were in good shape) and I'm no light weight. Maybe the rim or pads are contaminated?

Trevtassie

Decent brake pads, compressionless cables, no improvement, new brake calipers.

fietsbob

looked them up they're a dual pivot brake , agree .. fresh Kool Stop pads .. Shimano may offer desired prestige , but those are adequate

And, Note: the long reach 47- 60 so no Shimano 105 brake may fit reach too short,,
Promax RC-482 Mechanical Dual Pivot Front Caliper Brake 47-60mm Reach

Matty71

Thanks very much all. New pads it is!

Cheers,
Matty

cpach

It's possible the power is poor also because more recent Shimano brakes use a revised cable pull ratio--the lever pulls more cable over its throw, so when used with Sram/Campagnolo and older Shimano calipers you end up with a really firm feel at the lever with poor power. Technically your 5800 is Shimano SLR-EV, but New Super SLR is pretty similar in cable pull ratio, so I'd recommend picking up a set of Shimano BR-R451 as they have the correct reach for your bike coupled with a New Super SLR brake cable ratio. Also come with decent quality pads, unlike the Promax.

Probably worth it to try new pads on the Promax first though--worst thing is you could end up getting the BR-R451 and have a spare set of nice pads.

dpd3672

Agree with the consensus. I've very rarely encountered bad brake calipers, and I've used everything from bottom of the line single pivot to Dura Ace/Super Record.

The lever can make a difference, if it's not designed for the caliper in question (different pull ratios, such as from DA 7800 to 7900), but 90% of the time a better pad will fix the problem...the other 10% is usually because something is set up incorrectly.

Kool Stops are a great bang for the buck. Swiss Stop might be slightly better, but at a significant increase in cost. The Kool Stop combo pads (salmon/black) are great for all kinds of conditions.

Matty71

Thanks for the additional info and guidance. I've ordered new pads so I'll see if that does the trick before considering the other options. I'll let you know how I go.