Braking

mickeycav

Guys, have just moved from commuting by MTB to road bike, couple of q’s on braking.

1. Do road bikes have “softer” brakes, ie require more effort to brake suddenly. I had a bit of a scare going home last week in the rain. The bike is new, maybe the brakes need tweaking?
2. Also notice whilst in the drops, reaching the actual brake lever is not very easy. Presumably I just live with that, no mechanical fix to adjust the lever closer to the bar?

Thanks guys

hans aus dtschl

Just my opinion, so take with a grain of salt, but I moved from MTB to road bike and I remember the same thoughts struck me too at the time.

You can brake "suddenly" on the road bike, but the brakes aren't really set up for that (well mine aren't) unless you grab hard. You'll need to ride the road bike a little differently to the MTB, no more stoppie's and bunny hops: it's gradual, generally planned braking and avoid the potholes. On this bike, you'll generally want to keep your speed up, not drop everything. Same as when you travel in a motorised vehicle, you plan ahead more. Accordingly you might find yourself getting more serious about your road positioning.

Again I remember finding the drops very odd, and finding it felt "far" compared to the MTB brakes, but you get used to it. You're generally in the drops for speed, so the idea isn't really to have some fingers free to brake for unforseen objects - if you're braking in the drops you're gonna want to do it with conviction. It'll be a "grab" and you'll have no problem reaching it then.

You'll probably "emergency" brake less and less as you get more used to the new bike I think/hope.

Surveyor11

If your MTB has disc brakes, then a road bike is going to feel different. My tuppence worth:

Get some decent brake pads. Make sure yours aren't worn. I usually just get the BBB all in one jobbies, but there's no end of inserts you can get for the shoes. Some have recommended these

Make sure your brakes are adjusted and tensioned. Run the blocks close to the rims and make sure the cables are tensioned- the brakes will feel more effective, with smaller travel of the levers (i.e. they won't touch the bars when pulled - that's far too loose).

Braking from the drops - well, I keep this for decending only. In around town, I ride mostly on the hoods, so no issues. But with practice you can get used to braking in the drops.

smacl

mickeycav wrote: »

Do road bikes have “softer” brakes, ie require more effort to brake suddenly. I had a bit of a scare going home last week in the rain. The bike is new, maybe the brakes need tweaking?

I find I can stop pretty hard when I'm in the drops, though my bike was a 2nd hand, and it took new pads and some tweaking to get the brakes the way I wanted them. First few trips out, they seemed much less responsive than the brakes on my flat bar. The hands were also swapped which didn't help either.

Also notice whilst in the drops, reaching the actual brake lever is not very easy. Presumably I just live with that, no mechanical fix to adjust the lever closer to the bar?

Similar experience. I changed the lever position to favour the drops more, and changed from ergo bars to compact bars, which solved the problem. YMMV.

Paul Kiernan

mickeycav wrote: »

Also notice whilst in the drops, reaching the actual brake lever is not very easy. Presumably I just live with that, no mechanical fix to adjust the lever closer to the bar

What shifters have you? Some (e.g. Shimano 105 5700) can be adjusted to bring the lever close to the bars.

mickeycav

Hah no way Paul, yes 105, this is it http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/defy.advanced.3/9315/49817/#specifications

easy enough then to adjust? (total noob btw)

victorcarrera

I didn't read the other replies but there is a huge difference in braking performance depending on the pads you use. If you have small hands the brake reach might be a problem but it may be fixed by moving the brake lever to a different position or at worst changing to handlebars with a different curve.

Paul Kiernan

mickeycav wrote: »

Hah no way Paul, yes 105, this is it http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/defy.advanced.3/9315/49817/#specifications

easy enough then to adjust? (total noob btw)

Have a look at section "Lever Stroke Adjustment" in this. Of course, you need to have the "adjuster blocks". They may have come with the bike? If you do fit them for God's sake make sure you still have enough lever travel to fully activate the brakes:eek:.

Regarding pads, AFAIK, the 105 uses the same pads as Ultegra and DuraAce so they should be more than adequate.

shaka

I find it helpfully in very wet weather to give brakes a quick squeeze before i actually need them , might be in my head but I think it removes excess water from brake contact surfaces.

I had same problem going the other way, nearly had a high pitched voice first time around the ballyhouras on my Mtb

mickeycav

Paul Kiernan wrote: »

Have a look at section "Lever Stroke Adjustment" in this. Of course, you need to have the "adjuster blocks". They may have come with the bike? If you do fit them for God's sake make sure you still have enough lever travel to fully activate the brakes:eek:.

Regarding pads, AFAIK, the 105 uses the same pads as Ultegra and DuraAce so they should be more than adequate.

great stuff, i was wondering what that part was for! I'll have a look, thanks a mil