Brakes in wet conditions advice?

BMKN

I know braking distances increase in wet but my brakes seem to b crap, to the point where I have to judge my distance and freewheel, I am basically fecked if anything comes in front of me, I tend to only use front brake as I used the rear going down hill and nearly slapped myself. Is there anyway of making them better. I use shimano 105 brakes.

punisher5112

BMKN wrote: »

I know braking distances increase in wet but my brakes seem to b crap, to the point where I have to judge my distance and freewheel, I am basically fecked if anything comes in front of me, I tend to only use front brake as I used the rear going down hill and nearly slapped myself. Is there anyway of making them better. I use shimano 105 brakes.

any grease/oil on wheel rims where brakes make contact?

Are tyres any good.

Could you fit discs?

Rain will cause them to be a little bit weaker till they dry off for a couple of secs.

Wishbone Ash

BMKN wrote: »

... I used the rear going down hill and nearly slapped myself....

Hunterbiker

You could look at other 'Gucci' brake blocks to fit into the calipers - nearly every bike review in the magazines slag the brakes off and suggests upgrading the blocks...
That said if you are finding that level of poor performance clean the wheels with alcohol to remove any grease. Check the blocks - are they covered in crud? Is it possible the braking surface has been contaminated with any sprays you've used on the bike?
Are they adjusted properly - is there loads of pull on the brakes before it meets the rim?
Sorry if I am teaching you to suck eggs here...Just typing ideas...

RobFowl

Feathering the brakes in the wets helps, also regularly lightly applying the brakes often to keep the pads and braking surface as dry as possible....

Pinch Flat

Salmon koolstop or swissstop are good pads - a bit pricey but excellent in the wet.

Local bike shop or online chainreactioncycles, wiggle etc

bcmf

http://www.discobrakes.com/?s=0&t=2&c=52&p=283&tb=001

I swear by these in the wet.
very soft so you will probably eat thru them in really wet weather but they are cheap enough when you buy a multi pack.

fillup

bcmf wrote: »

http://www.discobrakes.com/?s=0&t=2&c=52&p=283&tb=001

I swear by these in the wet.
very soft so you will probably eat thru them in really wet weather but they are cheap enough when you buy a multi pack.

I haven't come across discobreaks before.
I had a quick gander at their website and there pirices seem to be too good to be true...

are they legit suppliers or do they sell knock off stuff?

cheers

bcmf

fillup wrote: »

I haven't come across discobreaks before.
I had a quick gander at their website and there pirices seem to be too good to be true...

are they legit suppliers or do they sell knock off stuff?

cheers

Legit. Been using their red compound road inserts for a few years now. Hell of a lot better then most of the other brands out there.

fillup

bcmf wrote: »

Legit. Been using their red compound road inserts for a few years now. Hell of a lot better then most of the other brands out there.

Cheers BCMF - I'm in the market for new break shoes and inserts - I was going to go the way of the wiggle but Disco Stu likes DiscoBreaks prices.

bcmf

They are in eBay as well. I think for some reason it maybe cheaper and they may have better stock then their dedicated site.

WillyFXP

bcmf wrote: »

http://www.discobrakes.com/?s=0&t=2&c=52&p=283&tb=001

I swear by these in the wet.
very soft so you will probably eat thru them in really wet weather but they are cheap enough when you buy a multi pack.

Just picked up 8 pairs of these for under €20, unreal value. They seem a good bit softer than the shimanos they replaced, so hopefully better wet performance as you say bcmf, cheers for the link!

bwalsh1983

bcmf wrote: »

http://www.discobrakes.com/?s=0&t=2&c=52&p=283&tb=001

I swear by these in the wet.
very soft so you will probably eat thru them in really wet weather but they are cheap enough when you buy a multi pack.

They look like amazing value.

I only swapped out some ultegra pads for ritchey 4-logics last weekend which are noticably poor.

Gonna give disco stu a go I reckon.

sbs2010

Does anyone know if shimano or sram pad holders will go on Campag calipers?

There's way better availability for shimano pads and aside from that the system with the screw is way better than campag's "just jam it in" method.

torydiver

bcmf wrote: »

http://www.discobrakes.com/?s=0&t=2&c=52&p=283&tb=001

I swear by these in the wet.
very soft so you will probably eat thru them in really wet weather but they are cheap enough when you buy a multi pack.

Anyone know if any difference between different colours of pads... Noticed black, red, yellow etc.......

bcmf

torydiver wrote: »

Anyone know if any difference between different colours of pads... Noticed black, red, yellow etc.......

Apart from the colour I think they are all the same rubber compound. Make sure it's not the pads for carbon rims.

mp31

Does anyone know how these red disco brake pads compare to Koolstop Salmon pads?

Edit: sorry, I meant to say caliper brakes as opposed to other types

boomdocker

Ive been buying mtb disc brake pads from disco for years, great pads and price