Noize4

I'm pretty sure I'm going to answer my own question, but I'm putting it out there anyway.

In performance car world, a sports car is lightweight, fast, decent handling, and has great stopping power.
In performance bike world, a road bike is lightweight, fast, decent handling, and has poor stopping power.

Why do road bikes generally come equipped with (relatively) poor brakes? Is it because 23mm tires are so narrow that they would lock too easily and skid, thus throwing you off the bike?

My road bike humiliates my hybrid in all things performance, except braking. From a 15mph stop, my cheap hybrid will stop in an infinitely shorter distance than my road bike. V brakes and 32mm tire contact patch for the win in emergency stops, I guess.

Road bike brakes seem to slow more than stop. Unfortunately where I ride, there is automobile traffic, and although I can plan a bit ahead to brake in normal riding, some extra stopping power in an emergency situation would be welcome. What brake upgrades can I do to my Trek 2.1 to increase stopping power without over-increasing it?

Thanks

Matt Gaunt

Riding in any city is all about planning ahead and the more you ride, the better you will be at doing this. It's a pretty risky tactic to rely on the brakes to get you out of a situation. Better to avoid the situation altogether by riding smarter.

I ride 20 miles of solid city traffic in London every weekday on my fixed-wheel road bike (two brakes) which has vitually no stopping prowess whatsoever (even compared to my geared roadies), so I know that it's possible!

All the best.

StanSeven

Something isn't right. Either your road brakes aren's os good, need adjustments, or new pads. Kool Stop or something comparable make a big difference. Your road bike should stop much, much quicker than your hybrid

nhluhr

I can't figure out what you're talking about. The brakes on my road bike have more stopping power than the tires do. Perhaps yours need adjusting.

bonz50

just save your money for a disc brake roubaix.

jimc101

Agree, modern road bike brakes are generally awesome stoppers in the dry (the wet can be a different matter). Regardless of what type of brakes you have on a bike, its all about planning / looking ahead to pick you braking point / avoiding the need to brake in the first place.

For the OP's bike, if it still has the stock brakes, would look at replacing the pads with a better type, like Koolstop Salmon, Shimano R55C3 or Swissstop Green, as this should improve your brakes from their current performance.

Andy Somnifac 

Yes, a larger contact patch leads to decreased stopping distance. Road tires do not have the contact patch that hybrids have. It's a fact of life. The brakes already have more stopping power than the contact patch can handle.

Solution: ride fast, don't slow down.

Bacciagalupe

Your hybrid almost certainly has v-brakes. They are linear pull, and thus have significantly greater mechanical advantage than calipers.

A handful of road bikes are now using disc brakes; we'll see more of that in a few years. Disc has its pros and cons. Pro: More powerful, more MA, better modulation, work better in adverse conditions, fairly easy to maintain. Cons: Heavier, less aerodynamic, forks and chainstays need to be beefier, less latitude with component choices, risk of brake fade if improper technique is used.

That said, roadies have used calipers for a long time with few issues. Once you adapt, you'll be fine.

SCochiller

Uh, no. Your hybrid cannot stop in zero distance.

ne_dan

Learn to brake, if your skidding you're using too much rear brake or have your weight to far forward

Commodus

Bigger tires = better stopping. A bike with V-Brakes and 32s will always outstop a road bike with 23s, no matter the quality of its brakes.

If you want your road bike to stop faster, put bigger tires on it.

That being said, if you can't effortlessly lock up the wheels on your road bike, follow some of these previous suggestions. Something is amiss.

merlinextraligh

I vote for adjusting the brakes. That bike is spec'd with 105 brake calipers, which give you plenty of stopping power.

If you get them adjusted, and they still aren't stopping as you'd like, upgrade the pads to swiss stops or kool stops.

Also, there's a technique issue here. You need to shift your weight back as far as possible to get maximum braking. For a panic stop, chest on seat, butt cantilevered over the rear tire.

canam73

One other thing that can degrade stopping on an otherwise properly set up bike is over inflating your tires. You're not one of those 140lb fellows riding around with your tires at 140psi, are you?

Trakhak

It's not the brakes or the tires. It's the wheelbase. The brakes on almost any road bike, regardless of tire width, brake design or brake pad material, or anything else, are capable of throwing you over the handlebars if you're not careful. The shorter the wheelbase, the easier it is to do an endo. Thus, nothing you do can make your road bike, or any short-wheelbase bike, safer for panic stops. For riding in city traffic, stick with your hybrid for safe braking.

simonaway427

Your brakes are out of adjustment or you have poor technique.

Your braking distance should be traction limited above all else.

Seattle Forrest

A few people suggested disc brakes. I've run them for years. When it's wet - and it's wet a lot here - they're far and away better. You don't have to "wipe down" the rims with the pads before you can stop. But when it's dry, I don't think you could tell the difference between properly adjusted dual pivot rim brakes and disc brakes in a double blind test.

AndyB.

The 2.1 doesn't have 105 brakes, the 2.3 does. I'm guessing Tektro with cheap pads.

merlinextraligh

uhm cough,,bs, cough, cough, bs, cough.

Push your weight back as far as you can, butt off the back, torso pressed on seat, and endo'ing is not a concern. You can stop a racing bike very quickly like that.


watch the Rabobank rider.

Commodus

incorrect.

weight distribution is more important than wheelbase here.

Menel

Colnago, Specialized, Lynskey, and maybe more yet unannounced are doing road disc bikes next year. It's coming.

I've always been able to stop fast enough. Issue is reaction time.

I also don't know if I want brakes so strong I can induce a front tire skid... that seems scary.

Banzai

Don't know what the OP is talking about.

SRAM Force brakes with Swiss Stop Green pads on my road bike. Works fantastic. I've never worried about my stopping distance.

Of course, I'm using alloy rims.

Seattle Forrest

I guess you could go on a year long iced cream binge, too. But that really just comes down to weight distribution.

canam73

Since the OP himself mentioned contact patch being the issue I'm guessing power isn't the problem (although the OP could clear that up....). I'm guessing he's just noticing that narrow, high psi tires won't stop you like fat, low psi tires will no matter what caliper, pads or rims you have.

StanSeven

I looked and the brakes are Tektro R540s.

That's the problem - not weight distribution, wheelbase, technique - just crappy brakes. If you want to stop, get rid of this junk and replace them with something that works like 105. Also use Swiss Stop yellow or Kool Stop black pads. You'll stop on a dime

canam73

With decent pads and properly set Tektro brakes will stop as well as any other forged, dual pivot caliper. And I'm basing this statement off of having everything from Dura Ace, Rival (x2), Tektro and Nashbar brakesets currently on my bikes.