Is there much difference between the performance of difference road brake calipers?

Surely, (all things being equal tyres, pads etc.) the maximum braking force is limited by the size of the contact patch of the tyre and it doesn’t matter how much force is applied to the rim as after a certain point as the wheel will lock and you will simply skid?

The reason I ask is that Ribble are selling a pair of 105 brakes at a cracking price much cheapness and I would like to justify more expenditure!

What are you running at the moment?

Oh…actually…I have a pair of old ultegra brakes knocking about if you want something second hand for much cheapness?

It’s a new bike, that came with 105 throughout, except the brakes which are Promax OEM things.
Thanks for the offer of the Ultegra but I quite like the look of the 105 brakes. (Sad I know).

No, they’re all crap.

Time for tiny discs on road bikes. Come on UCI; get with the times. Bunch of stuffy old fuddy-duddies.

Oh look at that. A bigoted mountain biker. How unusual.

Anyway…I’ve never used the promax OEM thingys but Shimano brakes are pretty good…I think this is going to be a ‘if you want them, buy them’ type response.

Tho also if you do buy them could you let us know what sort of difference they make to you?

Oh…and final thought…when I rebuilt my road bike last summer I managed to get a dura ace groupset. On our maiden voyage together I nearly went over the bars the first time I touched the brakes…so from that I conclude that yes, brakes do get better the further up the range you go!

Thanks for the info. If I change over I’ll let you know.

What about pads any recommendations?

Actually, if you equate braking force to friction, then the size of the pad has absolutely zero effect and it’s actually the size of the force applied to the braking surfaces that makes the difference. Second Law of Friction, innit?

What will make different brake manufacturers’ equipment seem better or worse will be the varying coefficients of friction between different pad compounds and different rim surfaces.

The contact patch of the tyre, not the pad is “weakest link” in the process.

The size of the pad will make some difference in heat dissipation and hellimprove the braking force.

As above, pad compound makes the biggest difference, that said, my full Dura-Ace brakes on my bling bike are more powerful than my 105 brakes with Dura-Ace pads on my commuter!

Having had cheap oem Tektros and un-branded callipers on 2 different bikes, upgrading to 105s (from tektro) and Ultegra (from un-branded) made a huge difference. More stopping power and modulation, smoother action from the springs (much smoother cable pull), better pads (aswell as replaceable cartridge pads instead of the molded ones) all equated to alot more confidence in the brakes.

Shimano/SRAM/Campag brakes will out perform any other road brakes… in my opinion.

Yes they do. I have road bikes with variations from unbranded deep drop calipers, up to Campag Record Ti. Top end brakes offer better power and modulation. Not that important in the UK, but I certainly know what I want in the alps.

Surely, (all things being equal tyres, pads etc.) the maximum braking force is limited by the size of the contact patch of the tyre and it doesn’t matter how much force is applied to the rim as after a certain point as the wheel will lock and you will simply skid?

You’re missing the point that some brakes require less force at the lever to provide a certain force at the rim eg some flex more than others. That said, as above ime there’s not a huge difference between most decent road brakes that isn’t down to the brake compound. Weights do vary a fair bit though.

Well if the tyres are the weakest link, I would think they’re a much cheaper upgrade than new brakes, eh?

YES is the answer. (why werent you getting a straight answer in some of the earlier posts?!)

I asked this question before buying a high end road bike near the end of the 90s and i was told not to skimp on brakes.

Words from an olympic cyclist.I took heed.

Oh look at that. A bigoted mountain biker. How unusual.

🙂 S’true though; tiny discs would be more efficient, and rims could be lighter. You know I’m right.

I certainly know what I want in the alps.

So do I- tiny discs. 🙂

I’ve got some 1960s Weinmann Centre Pull brakes on my road bike and they’re about as sharp as discs.

Thanks for that Martinxyz.

Ox – Brakes do 1 job. Tyres are a compromise between grip, braking, roll resistance etc. If you improve the braking by changing the tyre you will very likely compromise something else.
Besides – brake upgrade £42 – tyre upgrade between £40 – £60.

Fair enough. I always thought roadie stuff was more expensive than that.
FWIW if the brakes on my bike aren’t stopping me quick enough I just squeeze harder.

+1

all decent bikes will run discs in the future. Just that the roadie world is slow to pick up this idea.

Definitely think discs will be the future, however, it will happen when Shimano/Campag/Sram run out of other ides to get money out of road bikers.

Why add all that extra weight by putting discs on a road bike, heavier hubs, heavier forks, when you can already overwhelm the tyre contact patch and lock both wheels up with decent calipers?

TheDoctor +1

What is it with MTB’ers and disc brakes on road bikes, they are completely unnecessary.

As above, some cheap road brakes, the ones that were OE on the Giant I had a while back for example, are awful. Upgraded to 105 and it made a huge difference. The other thing I like, are Swisstop Green pads for a bit more bite in the wet on my current bike which has Campag Chorus brakes.

Disc brakes? Erm, maybe for a little more wet condition reliability and possibly on long, long, rim-toasting descents, but mostly, nope.

I’ve ordered the 105s off Ribble.

Hope I haven’t started another Road v MTB debate!

Its all riding.

S’true though; tiny discs would be more efficient, and rims could be lighter. You know I’m right.

Wouldn’t the disks have to be a about the same size as MTB disks in order to dissipate the heat generated during an alpine decent? The weight of a rider and road bike isn’t that much different from a rider and MTB and the road rider will likely be generating more kinetic energy. Also cables/hydraulic lines would have to be run down the forks and seat stays which would also add weight and complexity. So any weight saved from rims would be added by the disks. For CX bikes and commutes on wet and muddy roads maybe but for road bikes in general disks are probably not necessary.

If calipers make a reasonable difference can someone recommend me an upgrade over Tektros that will fit over mudguards, ie they must be 47-57 mm reach. Any thoughts on Miche long reach calipers? or would some Campy ones fit at a stretch and a bit of filing out of lower slot !

James

49mm is the normal reach.
If that is not enough try ribble 57mm brakes