swoody

Hello world!

It's been many a year now since I've replaced the brake pads on my Trek 4300, and I am hoping to find some suggestions for some well needed maintenance. At this point I have the stock Tektro v-brakes front and rear, with standard cables, pads, levers, etc. I ride year round in the wonderful Chicago climate - hot humid summers, rainy seasons, frigid and snowy winters - so I am looking to find brakes which can take it all in stride. I am planning on staying with v-brakes, so please no suggestions for disc upgrades

I want to replace the pads with the best all-weather pads I can find, but am also interested in hearing any suggestions people may have for upgrading the brakes, cables, or levers as well. If I do replace the brakes, I will still need clearance for knobby tires and a set of full coverage fenders. I have heard great things about sealed brake cables. Has anyone used these? Is there any special tools, maintenance, or care these cables require? If anyone can suggest manufacturers and / or models to look into I would really appreciate it.

Open to any advice at this point. Thanks everyone!

- Woody

HillRider

Chicago huh? At least you don't have any real hills to contend with. My recollection is the only things that looks like hills are highway overpasses.

The concensus for the best all weather brake pads, including my own experience, is Kool Stop Salmon pads. They are superior in wet conditions, are reasonably durable and comparatively easy on your rims. Most bike shops carry them and the prices are fair too.

As to the brakes themselves, I have Avid Single Digit 7 upgraded with Kool Stop Salmon pads on my rain bike and they have been very satisfactory but, unless your current Tektros are damaged, there is little reason to change them. i have no experience with "sealed" cable systems but I do use good quality lined housing and die drawn stainless steel cables and they have always worked well.

FBinNY 

+1

I agree with Hillrider almost entirely.

You can but KS salmon inserts that will fit your Tektro holders, so it's a small cost to keep these working fine. If the brakes are setup and adjusted correctly they're fine. There are better brakes out there, but not that really offer more stopping power, so save your dough. Cables, like shoes, are a wearing item so consider replacing if they're not running smoothly. Buy any decent brand cable with lined housing, and install them measuring carefully so the housing runs have minimum bends, and meet the fittings straight on to minimize friction.

Stainless inner wires are nice, but not really necessary if the cost difference is big, it's the lined housing that's key.

And while Chicago isn't as hilly as Pittsburgh, good brakes are just as necessary, since like in any city there are always surprises popping up. I replace my commuter bike's brake shoes (KS salmon) routinely because of wear, and those on the road bike only when they've hardened with age.

Sixty Fiver

I do not know if Tektro has resolved the issues I have seen with their brake pads which offer great stopping power but also seem to cause accelerated rim wear... the brake pad of choice for nearly every bike I ride is Kool Stops as they offer excellent stopping power and are much more rim friendly.

There is nothing wrong with the Tektro hardware.

For extremely wet weather riding, continuous cable housing can prevent cables from becoming contaminated and for exposed cables, I rub those down with a little light oil on a cloth and this has been very effective in keeping them from becoming seized / corroded.

HillRider

Sure, I know, I was just pulling the OP's chain a bit. As you noted, the ability to stop fast is probably more important in city traffic than in rural areas since you often get little to no warning.

JanMM

I've had good luck with KS black inserts, too.

swoody

Thanks for the suggestions everyone So far I have heard a lot of good reviews for the SD7 setup and salmon pads. I am still leaning towards sealed cables, as I should have mentioned in the OP, this is my daily commuter bike. I think the benefit of lower maintenance and longer lifespan would be welcome for me. Like I mentioned, I'm out in any kind of weather from rain to snow to ice. Half of my commute takes me through industrial parks, and my current wheels, brakes, and fenders are coated with a wonderful coat of thick black road grime built up over the last year.

swoody

Has anyone used the Cane Creek Direct Curve 3 brakes? https://goo.gl/fPs4h From what I hear, they are a noodle-less design, and allow you to run sealed cable all the way from the lever to the actual brake. The cost is right around the SD7 pricing, so it looks pretty tempting. The only concern I had was some people's comments about the DC3's being difficult to install and adjust properly.

FBinNY 

Functionally I don't see that much difference between them and those that use a noodle. The purpose of the noodle is to make the sharp bend and keep the housing in a narrower profile so your foot doesn't hit it in the back (no issue in the front).

I don't know what issue you're looking to solve, but eliminating the noodle probably isn't going to make the difference.

bradtx

Woody, Just installing the KS pads and cleaning your rim's braking surface with a degreaser and a red Scotchbrite pad will work wonders. There's really no reason to change from the Tektro brakes unless you just want to. I've never had a problem with Shimano or Jagwire SS cables.

Brad

swoody

Yeah, I think for the time being I may just go with new cables and pads. Here's a noob question, what style pads do I need to get? I took off my current ones to resurface them the other day (which has made a noticeable difference) and they're definitely not the cartridge type setup. So I'd have to get one with the full brackets, correct? Like this? https://goo.gl/24AgA

fietsbob

Best V brake : Avid Ultimate.. pads: Kool Stop Salmon compound..

though I really like Magura's HS33, hydraulic rim brake, on V brake posts.
Kool Stop makes a Pad for those folks same salmon rim friendly compound

HillRider

Yes, if your brakes don't have slip-in pads in reusable holders, that's the style you need.

However, you can get complete replacement holder/pad assemblies and install them which would let you change brake pads more easily in the future. Here is Kool Stop's listing:

https://www.koolstop.com/english/v_typeholder.html

FBinNY 

+1, the short term cheapest option is one piece shoes like yours. But if you put in miles and expect to be replacing brake shoes regularly on this bike, then spending a bit more on shoes with replaceable inserts will pay off later.

cyccommute 

I've found that the Kool Stop Dual compound MTB pads



work a bit better than the plain Salmon pads for all season riding. They worked spectacularly for a rainy 45+ mph downhill off of New Found Gap in Tennessee/North Carolina just a month ago. They also continued working for many more, slightly less insane, throughout the Appalachia mountains.

reptilezs

keep the brake posts/bushings lubed up if riding year round

Kimmo

Any old V-brake should be up to snuff. Even crappy pressed steel ones; the V-brake employs a great principle.

But if you want something a bit nicer, there's a variant with a parallelogram linkage that reduces the need to adjust for pad wear. Seems like a better idea than eliminating the noodle.

Also, I doubt sealed cables are necessary; just use stainless and lined housing.