Author Topic: Brakes on tourers, how much better are discs?  (Read 1765 times)

Brakes on tourers, how much better are discs?
« on: 24 January, 2017, 01:19:02 pm »
Just seen a nice looking tourer but it has rim braking. I've been using disc brakes for a few years now and since starting touring last year appreciate the stopping power. Using bb7s right now and whilst not as good as previous hydraulics they do stop even a fully loaded bike/trailer combo down steep hills.

The old road bike i had ended up accelerating down a very steep hill once when not even loaded. New brake blocks needed for sure but discs would have been needed if fully loaded on that hill.

So my question is, should i write off a decent bike because b of rim braking?

Bike was a £1200 cinelli hobootleg bike. It looked and sounded a good bike for touring and faster, unloaded riding or commuting. It has Tekro 992AG Cantilever brakes and Alex rims. I bet others will come back saying spa tourer costs that and is better, or other bike. It's just that I liked the whole look of it and the spec too except for the braking solution.

Karla

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Re: Brakes on tourers, how much better are discs?
« Reply #1 on: 24 January, 2017, 01:36:11 pm »
Get it and you'll be that rare thing: a cycle-tourist with a sense of style  :thumbsup:

There are plenty of ways to improve the braking over the stock cantis

1) If you want to use brifters, get some TRP CX9 mini Vs.  Although not as good as a pair of hydraulic discs, they're better than the standard Tektro mini Vs or any cantis I've used.  I'll be running these on a loaded tourer this year.

2) Assuming you're going to stick with the bar end shifters, just fit a decent pair of full-size Vs.  Tektro RL520 levers are about £15 a pair and Avid SD5s are about £12 a pop these days, so this would be a cheap and simple upgrade to the bike. 

3) Magura make some hydraullic rim brakes and although they don't make the drop bar hydraulic levers anymore, enough other companies make those that you should be able to assemble a system.  Alternatively, watch out on ebay for something like this NOS brakeset.

Re: Brakes on tourers, how much better are discs?
« Reply #2 on: 24 January, 2017, 01:37:13 pm »
Have used a tourer for Alpine and Pyrennean touring loaded with tent and all.  No problem with rim braking cantilevers.  Came down the Galibier fast in snow, sleet and rain.  Brakes worked fine.  I weigh 85kg and carry 20kg plus.  You need decent pads.
Move Faster and Bake Things

Re: Brakes on tourers, how much better are discs?
« Reply #3 on: 24 January, 2017, 01:43:26 pm »
Properly adjusted cantilevers with decent pads will stop you. They won't be as good as BB7s.

You'll need to be aware that water affects your braking and allow for more braking distance. You'll need to squeeze considerably harder on the levers.

In wet conditions smearing a bit of washing up liquid on the rims does wonders for the braking power.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Kim

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Re: Brakes on tourers, how much better are discs?
« Reply #4 on: 24 January, 2017, 01:52:00 pm »
There's rim brakes and there's rim brakes.  V-brakes are fiddly to adjust, but once set up will perform as well as discs in the dry, and with the right pads almost as well in the wet (albeit with some scary lag).  Hydraulic rim brakes are more lovely than they reasonably ought to be.  Lesser brake systems are lesser, but plenty of people find them perfectly adequate for general use.

Re: Brakes on tourers, how much better are discs?
« Reply #5 on: 24 January, 2017, 02:21:40 pm »
there's good discs and bad discs, good rim brakes and bad rim brakes. 

Tektro 992AG are better known as 'Oryx'.  Like all cantis they will vary in how they work depending on where the bosses are set on the frame, and how they are set up.   However this model of brake does not have the finest reputation, despite being very similar in design to some other brakes (like the older model Avid shorty) which work really well .  On investigation I think I have found out why:

1) the OE brake blocks are not very good. Instant upgrade required.

2) the instructions say to set the canti straddle to 90 degrees included angle.  If the brake is set thus so that 90 degrees is the angle when the brake is on then the braking will be OK; not brilliant, but OK.  Really the straddle ought to be set lower so that the angle is nearer to nearer 120 degrees if you want real power. You can do this by fiddling with the spacers on the brake blocks (which are standard V-type ones) and/or changing the straddle for a shorter one.

3) When you do set the straddle lower, the straddle cable then fouls the slot in the RH (on front brake) arm. This forces the straddle to kink, and the springiness  in the straddle then causes the brake centring to go all to cock.  It is possible to set the brakes up OK but it usually requires deliberately kinking the straddle cable and/or filing a little more out of the slot, and/or adjusting the spring tension on the arms etc.

The spec of the bike doesn't indicate which brake levers are supplied; IME Tektro recommend some odd pairings which don't always work that well. Shimano road bike brakes have migrated to a new (New Super SLR, 'NSSLR') longer cable pull standard in recent years (all newly launched road STIs since 2008) and Tektro have quietly adopted this in many of their products.  If the brake levers supplied are to the NSSLR standard then these cantis won't work very well, specifically they will lack power and will feel wooden.   

I would use something like shimano  BL-R400 or BL-R600 with those brakes.

Overall the spec of the bike isn't terrific value for money; OK it comes with tubus carriers but past that I think you are paying a fair bit for the name on the frame.

Normally an advantage to rim brakes (vs discs) is that the fork can be built springy, but a bike that is meant to carry a load might well not be like this and may have a harsh ride when unladen; you will only find out by test-riding one.

hth