Sram brake upgrades

General Road
1

I have force 22 on my roadie with Yokozuna cables, factory brakes and pads.

I feel that the brakes leave a lot to be desired, especially next to new ultegra and even with the cable upgrade. In fact the Veloce brakes on my gf’s SS feel like the stop better too :frowning:

What is out there for a comparable weight that could stop better? Especially with carbon wheels/pads. Black in colour wouldn’t hurt.

Price isn’t too much of a concern but I would probably baulk at $600 ee’s.

I don’t really have any knowledge on cable pull etc so comparability would be a question too.

2

In my experience Sram brakes are the best on the market so dunno what’s going on there…

3

I you are running alloy rims the Kool stop salmons are marked improvement.

What carbon wheels are you running? Some improvement can be had with a pad change as well (provided it is compatible with your wheel).

4

will be running zipp pads & wheels when they arrive.

From all accounts that i have read (and ridden) the new shimano stuff stops on a dime, and my ‘best in market’ not so much. Hence why i’m asking for feedback.

5

henri ive run Force, now running Red, and now also Ultegra 6770 and would say Red brakes are incredible and the shit. Id put Force and Ultegra on par, this with standard pads on alu rims.

Something sounds amiss, is there adjustment in the lever blade? ie for a longer pull?, could it be cable routing issues?

I wouldnt think thered be an issue with the brakes themselves!

6

Pads.
Wait until you try the new zipp stuff then worry about it later.

I tried koolstop salmons on my bike and didn’t like them at all. The shimano 105/ultegra/DA ones are better, but I’m using lifeline pro or something on my commuter and they’re better again. Gonna change to those on the primate next time around.

So yeah, pads.

IMHO.

7

I agree that the shimano ones are good (have them on a couple of my bikes).

I like the “Squish” modulation that I get with the Koolstops.

8

Im with the others, If your force brakes are not working id say its set up or pad rim combo.
You compared them to the ultegra’s is that with same pads and rims?

9

Zipps with grey Zipp pads and force brakes are a formidable combo. I am heavy and they stop me very very quickly and consistently.

Which rims are you running at the moment? It could be to do with the rim surface or the brake pads are glazed. I would suggest taking the pads out and either sanding them a little, or boiling them to get the oils out and sanding them a little. This will improve their performance a little but won’t solve the problem if its your rims.

10

How bout in the wet bro :wink: But yeah I’ve also got force and they stop great I recon… zipp 404 alloy brake track > swisstop green pads.

11

Bikes work in the rain?!?!?

12

Thanks for the advice Rhys. Will give the new pads/rims ago.

Current setup is Ultegra 6800 wheels and the pads look shiny as fuck on the surface, so probably glazed. doh. Will sand them on the weekend and see whats what.

13

get on the swissstop “flash pro black prince” pads for carbon rims. they work a treat and make the standard zipp pads feel a bit meh.

14

+10 fuck me these are a good upgrade. They make my China carbons/105 calipers brake like brand new steel rims. Judging by the brake dust after one river loop I gather the trade-off is reduced durability compared to normal pads. Haven’t used them in the wet so can’t comment.

15

so, terribly?

16

Ok. You got me. By steel I meant non-carbon. I meant alloy rims. I was having beers in the garage when I posted it.

17

for the record, don’t use black prince pads with enves.

18

Seen failure? I was half thinking of trying the reynolds blue on my 3.4

19

I’ve heard of failures, and know it voids your warranty

20

I’ve also heard of a lot of Enve’s failing - not specifically because of the brake pads though.

What about them voids the warranty or causes them to fail?