Help! Is it me or is it the brakes? and should I get an upgrade of some sort?

[teawoman]

Last fall I took a spill on a hill. I was on the hoods, couldn't stop at the bottom (or switch to the drops--was afraid I'd fall over), hit obstacle, flew off bike, broke ribs.

I seem to have very little braking power from my hoods, even on little hills.

Several people in my bike club who saw the whole thing say I should be able to get much better brake leverage from the hoods than I did. People I've described it to say I should have been in the drops all the way down the hill.

I don't want to ride in the drops every time I run into even a small hill, but it's starting to look as if that'll be the case...I know once I get back on the bike I'll be paranoid as all get out.


Here are my bike specifications: Giant OCR1w http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/...ad/1243/29268/

I was under the impression that Shimano 105 were good (or good enough) components, but that the Tektro caliper are cheep and cheesy for the setup. Others say I should get new brake pads and that will do it. Still others say it's an adjustment that needs to be made to the levers/calipers/whatever.

I am taking the bike into the shop to have them look at it, but it's driving me nuts not knowing whether it's me or the bike.

Someone else posted here saying that she had the same problem with the OCR1w and they couldn't fix it, but I can't remember who that was.

I'm preparing for a season of hill paranoia

[mimitabby]

don't know about your brakes but it sounds like the reach is too far for you!
when you go to the bike shop, have them check the way the bike and you fit.

[VeloVT]

Regardless of whether or not you have relatively better grip on the brakes in the drops, you definitely **should** be able to brake adequately from the hoods.

It's possibly a reach issue. It also could be a brake cable issue. I have seen brakes get really hard when a bike was put away wet for some time and the cables weren't routed that well to begin with. The lube dried up and the levers felt like one of those hand-strengthening things. Stopping from the hoods was actually sketchy and difficult. We ran new cables with better routing, and lubed them, and the brakes were restored to normal responsiveness (so I could get plenty of brake power from the hoods).

I was going to write this like "I had a friend..." but shoot, I admit it, I put my commuter away wet and left it for a few weeks over Christmas break. I promise not to do it again .

Edit: oh, seeing SK's post... we sandpapered the pads too, they had gotten a bit glazed. And I cleaned my rims with rubbing alcohol. They were grimy, partly with dirt but mostly with what looked like brake pad residue. Riding in wet weather is hard on every part of the bike, best to avoid it when possible. But in my case these repairs solved the problem and my brakes are fine again.

And reading SK's post again... poorly adjusted calipers could definitely make it hard to brake from hoods too. Really either way could make it difficult -- throw too long or throw too short.

[luckeeesmom]

When I was looking on the road bike review site after getting my Giant OCR2 I recall reading something about the brake pads not being great and that people had replaced them and got a much more responsive stop.

I am new to riding and probably not the expert on all this but when I ride I feel like the bike doesn't stop as quickly as it should without putting a great deal of pressure on the levers. I've only had my bike a couple weeks so I figure that next time I need break pads I will try a different brand to see if it makes a difference.

[tulip]

Sounds like the reach is too far (have you had your bike fitted to you) and/or a brake size issue. Do you have small hands? Small brake levers are made. The fitting should indicate if you need smaller levers.

I hope you feel better soon.

[SadieKate]

It could be bad pads; it could be glazed pads; it could be poorly adjusted calipers and/or cables; it could be dirty rims (with road grease). So many possibilities.

Take it to the bike shop and talk to them.

[teawoman]

Aww thanks...you all are so kind and comforting. Why I love posting here. Our first club ride of the year is this weekend. I'm excited, but paranoid. I think the hills are rolling rather than steep where we are going, so it should be ok for a first time out in the Spring.

I just got back and she's in the shop now. The bike is a really good fit, judging from how comfortable I've been riding it (and they are short reach levers)...we are going to try moving the hoods/bar around a bit when I go back, but first they are going to check everything and he said possibly change the pads too.

I do love my LBS: they take lots of time with me (took a loooong time with my fit) and explain stuff and don't condescend.


p.s.

When I was looking on the road bike review site after getting my Giant OCR2 I recall reading something about the brake pads not being great and that people had replaced them and got a much more responsive stop.

This is a bit of a relief to hear: thanks! It's frustrating, tho. I otherwise *love* the bike.

[spokewench]

You should definitely be able to brake with 105 brakes. The gals all have great ideas, but yes, take it to the bike shop. Dirty rims, badly set up brake pads, worn out brake pads, stretched cables, can all cause the bike not to stop well.

Next time, if you are going down hill and need to stop and it doesn't seem to be working well enough, check behind you make sure you can pull into traffic, and move out of the way of the obstacle. Steering out of a problem can help immensely. I've done it many times. Do not fixate on what you think you are going to hit. Look away from it and you probably won't hit it. Same principle as riding a mountain bike, do not look at the rock that you want to miss. If you look at it, you will hit it.

Take your bike in and ask the bike shop to look at it, fix it if need be, and tell you what kinds of things can affect the stopping power of your brakes, i.e. grease on the rims, etc. Hope that helps.

spoke

[ttaylor508]

I had problems with my Giant OCR 1 brakes. We tried to upgrade, but were limited to what we could do because I think they were long reach calipers. In doing some research to try to solve the issue, I found this review in Bicycle magazine: http://www.bicycling.com/biketown/Giant_OCR.html that says the Giant has a problem with stopping. The only upgrade we could make was with the pads, which did help a bit. I ended up selling the bike and bought a Specialized Ruby Expert. The difference in braking power is really amazing. I was always so paranoid on the giant that I wasn't going to be able to stop in time and I have never had that fear with the Specialized. I will be curious what your lbs says for your option with upgrades, so please update with their advice.

[aicabsolut]

I think 105 calipers are pretty crappy. I often encounter a stoplight at the bottom of a very steep hill---one where I need to stop while still on a steep grade usually and that's bad enough that I have to be extra careful about cleat/shoe slippage. I brake early and often, and my hands still hurt by the time I get stopped there. I brake from the hoods for a more stable dismount. My reach to the brakes is fine. I couldn't imagine going with calipers even worse than 105. Every time I hit that hill and have to stop (nearly every training ride) I wish I had at least Ultegra calipers.

That said, unless you were really bombing down the hill and hit the brakes too late, you still should've been able to stop with your setup, even though it may have been hard. This makes me inclined to agree with those that say you ought to reevaluate your reach to the levers from the hoods and how tight the brakes are. This doesn't mean your brakes are too loose. In fact, I feel I get better braking with slightly loose brakes, because I can really grab the lever tightly instead of only getting it to depress a little bit before the pads make contact--I can apply more force that way. You can get short reach 105 hoods (kind of a waste) or you can just put wedges into the hoods so that the brakes are closer to you. Being sure the hoods are positioned well on the bars for you, that the bars are rotated where the reach is comfortable in both hoods and drops, and also having bars designed for smaller hands will go a long way towards giving you braking stability without changing the levers up at all. If all that is ok, go with better calipers and pads for sure.