Upgrading Promax RC482 brakes on Charge Plug 2

[TheRedEyeJedi]

Hi,

I have a 2014 Charge plug 2 that I got on the wiggle offer and as much as I have enjoyed it as an alternative to my full road bike, the brakes are verging on dangerous.   Especially when I use it in a group its becoming a bit sketchy especially if there is any dampness about - I need to have brakes and freewheel option for group rides or its just too hard to keep a steady pace within the group.

I have only ever used shimano 105/sora v brakes and I am not sure what brakes I need to get to replace these promax jobs?  I presume I need to look at long drop, canti road brakes?

Also - the levers are quite nasty to use but im assuming a complete new pair of brake calipers with decent pads will provide a good upgrade on standard even using the promax levers?   I have never changed the actual levers on a road bike - is it worth me looking for new levers too?

[TheRedEyeJedi]

This bike.....

[Chris N]

Don't know if you got anywhere with this, but the first thing I'd do is fit new pads - Kool Stop or similar.  Then look at cables, then the calipers.  If you do want to replace the calipers, then a deep drop caliper brake is what you're after.  47-57mm drop/reach, typically.  Shimano make some nice ones - BR-R451 or BR-R560.

[Torslanda]

...which really shouldn't be used with the oe pads. They're very harsh on the wheel rims.

Don't know the exact Promax levers you're running but it sounds like you might have v-brake levers pulling your calipers. Too high ratio (ie trying to pull too much cable) will make the brakes feel dead, wooden and require a lot of effort to stop.

I know in theory that they shouldn't have been fitted but mistakes can happen on the production line. If you can find the manufacturer's part number on the lever (possibly under the hood) you can eliminate that with a little searching. From the look of the photo the bike is already using dual pivot brakes. Have you disconnected the cables to see if the brake operation is smooth?.

Regards upgrades, keep an eye on Ribble & CRC as they often have Tiagra levers and calipers heavily discounted . . .

[Rhys W]

Don't know if you got anywhere with this, but the first thing I'd do is fit new pads - Kool Stop or similar.  Then look at cables, then the calipers.  If you do want to replace the calipers, then a deep drop caliper brake is what you're after.  47-57mm drop/reach, typically.  Shimano make some nice ones - BR-R451 or BR-R560.

Ribble will almost certainly have the best price for these. I've had both and TBH there's very little difference between them. Certainly better clamp bolts etc than the alternative (I had a set which I think were rebranded Tektro). The BR451 come with all-in-one pads, but I'd just replace them with 105/Ultegra shoes/pads when they wear out. (And then replace the pads with Swiss Stop when they wear out...)

[TheRedEyeJedi]

Thanks all - its still on my list to do but I have not been commuting on the bike recently so its not been a priority.

I run swisstuff pads on all my other bikes and they are great - I will give the pads a go first then change the cables.

To be honest I suspect its just a combination of poor levers, poor calipers and terrible pads ... I have seen the shimano long drops on offer so I may just take the plunge on some