What calipers are we recommending for road bikes these days? My Roubaix has Tektro’s which are not impressing me so looking to change them for something more effective.

Discs.

😉

dura ace – nearly the same performance of my discs in the dry 😀

but yes, discs

105 upwards use the better mechanism, you can pick up a pair for £40 ish and they’re very good.

dura ace Ultegra – nearly the same performance of my discs in the dry as dura ace at half the price 🙂

Cheers. I am toying with the idea of discs however changing to those would be rather more expensive than just swapping calipers!

Will probably got 105’s while I’m thinking about it.

I’d just check that 105 comes with the same brake block compound as Ultegra (which is brilliant).

Someone here will probably confirm/deny it now I’ve said.

Pads are an easy change.

Pads are an easy change.

Not a cheap one though.

If you don’t mind 2ndhand and see a set of Mavic SSC for sale ,snap them up (made by Modolo) they are by far the best road set I have had.If you go for Ultegra or 105,keep an eye on them if used in all weathers,I founfd that they ‘gum up’ easy.

105 are a big improvement over Tektro, and a decent price. I’m guessing that any bike with Tektro on really doesn’t warrant much better than that anyway.

105 are a big improvement over Tektro, and a decent price. I’m guessing that any bike with Tektro on really doesn’t warrant much better than that anyway.

I don’t think my Roubaix had Tektro on it originally (I think it had 105 brakes possibly). The guy I got it from (I swapped it for a Van Nicholas mountain bike I wasn’t really using much) worked for a bike shop and I think it’d just been built up with whatever was lying around at the time. The drivetrain is mostly 9-speed Tiagra except for the rear mech which I swapped for an XTR one so I could use an 11-32 cassette. My guess is the Tektro’s were lying around after someone else had upgraded to some decent brakes.

Campag (brakes) are much better than shimano in my experience.

Discs.

This!

If you don’t mind 2ndhand and see a set of Mavic SSC for sale ,snap them up (made by Modolo) they are by far the best road set I have had.

Ditto! Amazing things.

Campag (brakes) are much better than shimano in my experience.

This also, but I think part of that comes from the lever design, not used campag brakes with shimano levers.

dickyhepburn – Member

Discs.

This!

Of course that’s the obvious answer if the OP has a disc equipped frame, but we’re assuming he/she hasn’t.

slight hijack but…. in a similar situation but with a woeful Sora setup (look suspiciously like Tektros). So would upgrading calipers be better than changing the sti’s? Kinda stuck anyway as they’re 9-speed, but I can barely reach the bloody things when I’m on the drops!

can you not adjust the sti levers. Either so the levers are closer if you have small hands (you used to be able to buy wedges) or adjust there position on the bars. Shouldn’t be hard to reach them if set up correctly although it is a different feel compared to 1 finger mtb braking!

105 and ultegra brakes are good. Biggest improvement I have seen is from the pads. I didn’t get on with std shimano ones. Koolstop salmon have been much better, especially in the wet. Wouldn’t run anything else now on my race bike until discs are made race legal.

slight hijack but…. in a similar situation but with a woeful Sora setup (look suspiciously like Tektros). So would upgrading calipers be better than changing the sti’s? Kinda stuck anyway as they’re 9-speed, but I can barely reach the bloody things when I’m on the drops!

To you and OP, there are different leverage ratios for Shimano brakes out there. I think the latest Tiagra upwards has a different lever/caliper pull ratio, so have a look at the compatibility charts before buying new calipers (they could be quite spongey otherwise.)

If you can’t reach them on the drops, consider a different lever/bar position or different bars (I’m not sure which brakes have reach adjustemnt, that may also help of course).

Edit – I would say even basic Shimano calipers would be worth considering in addition to some good pads, compared to Tektros. And Campag calipers will have the basic issue that you won’t have a QR on the brake to get the tyre past (it’s on the lever on Campag, caliper on Shimano).

Have you Considered an alternative pad, Tetro stock pads are poor at best. Swisstop pads in a wiggle lifeline holder for a cheap solution?

Just swapped a friends front cheapy Condor calliper for a Tiagra. Immediate and noticeable improvement.

As I recall the Tiagra brakes only have a flat washer/bushing between the arms, and this is what they pivot against. It gets sticky after a while. 105 upwards has a cartridge bearing in there instead, so better longevity if nothing else.

My latest 105s combined with the newer STIs were genuine one finger braking when on the drops, absolutely fantastic.

slight hijack but…. in a similar situation but with a woeful Sora setup (look suspiciously like Tektros). So would upgrading calipers be better than changing the sti’s? Kinda stuck anyway as they’re 9-speed, but I can barely reach the bloody things when I’m on the drops!

Shimano brifters with exposed brake cables are ergonomically the worst of any ever created by anyone. They are long and flappy and not very good in the drops or on the hoods.

You could adjust your bars and lever position, but you’re probably need to unwrap and rewrap your bar tape.

Shimano changed the cable pull ratio of the later calipers (5700/6700/7900 and onward) so they won’t be optimal with your levers. But they should work ok. Alternatively, SRAM or Campag will be perfect (although campag don’t have a quick release on the brake caliper so if you’re running wide tyres then wheel removal might be a faff.)

A decent set of well prepared cables and pads will be a big (and cheap) upgrade.

(I’m not sure which brakes have reach adjustemnt, that may also help of course).

New 105 upwards I believe, I have them on the ‘summer’ bike. The difference between the old Sora and 105 is somewhat significant!

The new Tiagra has reach adjustment too. Just fitted some Ronny wife’s gravel bike.
I have Ultegra calipers on my road bike and they are fantastic. Way better than the Tiagra I had previously.

I wouldnt worry about cable pull ratios, its a minor difference, and plenty of aftermarket brakes are used with either ratio (bb7, TRP, Cane-Creek).

105, or just swap the pads to swisstop.

Shimano brifters with exposed brake cables are ergonomically the worst of any ever created by anyone. They are long and flappy and not very good in the drops or on the hoods.

Must be a personal thing but I love my 7800’s.

I’ve been impressed by a set of Planet X ultra light calipers.

Good pads, light and work well (with 105 10 speed levers)

The new Tiagra has reach adjustment too.

the old Tiagra and cheaper groups had reach adjustment, but just by using rubber inserts of different thickness on top of the lever. Basic but effective.

Campy Super Record for calliper brakes the stopping power and modulation is brilliant.

Pads will be the single thing that makes the biggest difference, although as others have said the mid-high end Shimano brakes are much better than others.

Swissstop Flash Pro is our choice of pad – not cheap, but they make a massive difference to breaking performance especially in the wet.

Kind regards
Luke

Cheers – have bought some better pads to try before making any decision on brakes.

Would have said 6800, but not long put 5800 on the winter bike and they’re just as good.

I would buy some 105 upwards calipers if only for the aesthetics and reliability. In any circumstances other than torrential rain combined with steep descents they will be as good as anything including discs.

That said my winter bike has some cheap fsa calipers with wiggle lifeline pads and they work fine. So I suspect I could get the tektros working well with a bit of fettling.

Any of the newer shimano calipers from the 11 speed groups will be a big improvment.

Ive just fitted new ultegra calipers to my much older 7800 levers and despite not being designed to work together it’s all fine and a nice improvement.

My Roubaix came with the OEM axis brakes, I upgraded to 105 to match the rest of the great on the bike, can’t say the performance is any better but they look more substantial.

Would anyone recommend any good pads as this seems to be what this thread may come down to?

The new pads have definitely helped so I’m going to hold off replacing the brakes for the moment. Still deciding whether to upgrade the groupset on my Roubaix or replace it with a new one.

Would fitting new 105 calipers with decent pads work OK using old 9spd Sora levers?