CX Brake Fail

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My LBS owner warned me about weak brakes on many stock CX bikes. I bought a REDLINE Conquest Pro frameset and had it built with the following setup that has provided excellent braking .

Wheels: MAVIC OPEN PRO CERAMIC RIMS/ Ultegra Hubs/ 32 3X laced spokes
Brakes: Shimano Cantilever Brakes: BR-R550
KoolStop pads: Green

My cross bike brakes didn't work...I had Shorty Avids, but upgraded to new brakes. Brakes that work are really nice! Especially when you race and need to stop or slow down.

At first they would not slow me down much and the pressure I'd need to apply was great to have them work and in time basically they would not do anything but bleed off a bit of speed.

I'm out of town and don't recall what I upgraded to but they were about $125 and work great almost as good as my tri and road bike brakes.

Cross brakes are tough to adjust right and don't work all that good. Cyclocross races will allow disc brakes next year so many of my cross race friends are planning on upgrading.

Thanks for the ideas! It seems like most people have to upgrade the brakes rather than just replace the pads, which is a bummer on a brand new bike. Kathy, your description is spot on for what I've been experiencing. I might try the Kool Stops pads first as a cheap fix and then at least replace the front brake if that doesn't work since that's where most of the stopping power is.

This was supposed to be a secondary bike, so I tried to cut my initial cost, but it's not working out well. If I had spend 300-500 more up front, I could've gotten a bike with better brakes, better tires, and better cable routing, overall spending the same amount than going through the upgrades. Live and learn I suppose.

I had these on my Kona Jake. Nearly killed myself while riding down a hill in the rain - they would not grip. Absolute crap, IMO.

Edited: I ended up selling the bike and getting one with discs, btw. Safety is more important than anything....

Edited by Vaiza 2010-12-27 3:00 PM

Any rim brake will have horrible performance in the rain.

A set of v-brakes (and any adapters needed for them to work with road levers) will improve braking. Short center-pull cantilevers can be too finicky to keep working well for even some experienced mechanics.

Told you so, didn't I?

Yep, the TRP brakes which pull from a linear vector are much better than the avid diagonal design. V-brakes can work, but you need to use a "roll-a-majig" to compensate for the fact that Shimano or Sram shifters don't pull enough cable for V-brakes. Paul or TRP are much better.

Kool Stop salmon brake pads are the bashnizle. I use them on all my bikes after the stock pads wear out. They don't last forever, but they just flat out work.

I use Avid Ultimates with kool-stop salmon pads. I use my cross bike for commuting and winter training and have no issues stopping.

scott

Another tip: Clean your braking surfaces on your rims with a green scotch pad and water ONLY! Soap on rims is a no-no!

Are you sure they're adjusted correctly?

I use Tektro Oryx brakes on my cross bike they are about 18 bucks a pair, so pretty cheap, and they worked just fine for racing this year.

Cantilever brakes are a pain to get setup correctly and granted they won't stop on a dime like your road bike brakes but they should stop you well enough.

I've tried cleaning the braking surfaces with water and paper towels, so I'll give the green scotch pad a try too, but my hopes of this being a small, super cheap fix are sinking.

The breaking on my Scott Team CX was not up to par - stock cantelever CX brakes & pads. I replaced the pads with Kool-Stops and had my LBS adjust the breaks (total $15) and Voila - much better. They'll never stop me as well as my Tri bike brakes but I'm almost 200lbs and they'll stop me fast enough even in the rain.

You did tell me when I was having my cross bike built up in '08 not to get Shorty Avids. The bike shop I ordered the bike from couldn't get the brakes you recommended and to be cheap decided to go with the Avid Shorty's...big mistake.

Yes you were right!

After my first CX race, where I couldn't stop the bike when someone crashed in front of me and I nearly ran them over, I took the bike to the LBS where I bought it and they looked it over, sanded the pads a touch and cleaned the braking surfaces on the wheels. They said it was set up correctly, for what it's worth. But when I rode it again on some trails and needed to stop, not on a dime per se, but stop at all, I couldn't. The bike slows a little, but doesn't come to a total stop.

Don't have the bike in front of me, but my CAADX comes stock w/ Tektro CR720 brakes.

I've tried riding my wife's Giant TCX W cross bike with Avid Shorty 6 brakes and I could stop no problem, which seems further evidence I need to upgrade.

That's great! What kind of Kool-Stops did you get?

Kool Stop black. Apparently the pink (Salmon) ones are even better in wet conditions though don't last as long.