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Front brakes - how responsive should they be?


Uni

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Posted

I've noticed recently my front brakes have become a lot "sharper" - there doesn't seem to be middle ground, its on or off, even if i feather lightly with one/two fingers. 

avoiding a dog over the weekend at emmerentia i almost bailed over again as i couldn't slow down - just come to a dead stop (and I wasn't going that fast)

 

is there something i can tweak or is this best left with someone that knows what they're doing? Heading to karkloof in a few weeks and I have a feeling i'll be needing my brakes  :blush:

Posted

Shimano? Get used to it...

 

:ph34r:

 

(One back for all the Avid-bashers out there...)

 

It could be that your pads were never properly bedded in from new, and you've now managed to get them working properly. Practice your one-finger braking and modulation, you'll get used to it pretty quickly. You should be able to shoot yourself over the bars with one finger on most hydros, or at least lock up, without too much effort.

Posted

Shimano brakes? They don't have a reputation for having the best modulation. Avids have some other issues, but they have better modulation / control.

 

I've read that swapping to a 180mm rotor could give you more control, but it will also make it more potent. Maybe switching to a smaller rotor could help to weaken the brakes.

Posted

Another thing to watch is pad compound. Resin pads versus sintered metal. Resins bite much quicker.

 

If you want to reduce the bite try a set of sintered pads if you are running resins (which it sounds like)

 

But most people are trying to get sharper brakes, rather than the other way around.

 

However you need control with power (Ask Spiderman)

 

I suggest you learn not to grab a handful cause that braking power is great to have...

Posted

Another thing to watch is pad compound. Resin pads versus sintered metal. Resins bite much quicker.

 

If you want to reduce the bite try a set of sintered pads if you are running resins (which it sounds like)

 

But most people are trying to get sharper brakes, rather than the other way around.

 

However you need control with power (Ask Spiderman)

 

I suggest you learn not to grab a handful cause that braking power is great to have...

 

Some lower end Shimano rotors can only be used with resin pads, so you've just got to check which ones you've got.

Posted

Some lower end Shimano rotors can only be used with resin pads, so you've just got to check which ones you've got.

from the silverback site

 

Brake set: Shimano BR-M447, Open Hydraulic System, Resin Pads, Shimano M445 Levers; Rotors Front: 180mm; Rear: 160mm, Centre Lock, Black

Posted

from the silverback site

 

Brake set: Shimano BR-M447, Open Hydraulic System, Resin Pads, Shimano M445 Levers; Rotors Front: 180mm; Rear: 160mm, Centre Lock, Black

 

Will most likely be resin-only rotors. It'll be stamped somewhere on the rotor near the model number.

Posted

from the silverback site

 

Brake set: Shimano BR-M447, Open Hydraulic System, Resin Pads, Shimano M445 Levers; Rotors Front: 180mm; Rear: 160mm, Centre Lock, Black

Uni

 

Not asking what you weigh or how tall you are but if you are less than 65Kg and if your wheels are 26 or 27.5 then you likely don't really need a 180mm rotor up front.

 

Some brake levers allow you to adjust reach and deadband (freeplay before it bites). If yours can do this then set the brakes so they don't bite hard while the lever is still out at your fingertips -will give more control if you are not reaching out for them.

Try also riding with only one finger on the brakes if they are strong enough - this allows you to hold the bars better in rough stuff and will put less force on the levers.

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