Mechanical brakes suggestions for a Decalthon bike

[monti142]

hello i bought a Triban RC 120 with disk brakes and the brakes arent adequate for me, instaling hydraulic brakes isn't an option because that requires changing the whole group set so the next best thing is a mehanical brake, or an cable actuated hydraulic caliper, which model is the best that is currently available

 

[BikeGremlin]

hello i bought a Triban RC 120 with disk brakes and the brakes arent adequate for me, instaling hydraulic brakes isn't an option because that requires changing the whole group set so the next best thing is a mehanical brake, or an cable actuated hydraulic caliper, which model is the best that is currently available

That's a good question. Decathlon's Triban RC 120 DISC is a reasonably priced road bicycle with some compromises - such as the underwhelming brakes.

Even if budget allowed for changing the whole groupset, I would still try to stick with mechanical disc brakes for the ease of maintenance (swapping a brake cable is a lot faster than bleeding hydraulic brakes, especially the road bike models).

Factory discs are 160 mm in diameter (unless the website specs are wrong). Replacing them with 180 mm diameter discs might put some stress on the fork (disc brake fork stress explained) - I would not advise that.

Swapping the discs ("rotors") for some higher quality 160 mm ones wouldn't hurt, but I would first try some good quality brake calipers.

Avid BB7 Road mechanical disc brake calipers are great (link to the bike24 online store). They are durable and perform very well.

Note:
MTB mechanical disc brake calipers won't work well with road brake levers (STI-s). The above-mentioned calipers (Avid BB7 R) are designed for road ("drop bar") brake levers.

The model I linked to comes with 160 mm discs and some mounting adapters - I couldn't find calipers sold separately, but later one, you could buy just new discs when the old ones wear.

You will need compatible pads. These are "semi-metallic" - so they perform OK when cold, but also OK when hot, and aren't as aggressive on the discs as the "fully metallic" pads:
https://www.bike24.com/p2214590.html
I haven't tried them personally, but I can't find other semi-metallic models available right now (doesn't mean there aren't any). Based on the pictures and description, they should work with Avid BB7 calipers.

Having said that, even decent organic pads should work OK, and you could give those a try first with the new calipers, and if you aren't happy with the performance, you could use the organic pads for the rear brake, and put semi-metallic on the front.

Speaking of front and rear, you could also buy just the front caliper in decent quality, as the front brake is what matters most - Avid BB7 aren't cheap.

Hope this helps.

Relja

 

[monti142]

very good, i will most likely order these brakes, is the installtion doable by someone who is doing it for the first time?

 

[BikeGremlin]

very good, i will most likely order these brakes, is the installtion doable by someone who is doing it for the first time?

It should be simple if you’ve ever set up any mechanical brakes (even rim brakes).

If not, then it will be moderately complicated. A good manual/tutorial can help a lot.

Relja

 

[monti142]

good news actually i moved the cable clamp closer, i noticed when i full applied the brakes the caliper wasnt maxed out, now i moved the clamping part on the front and rear brake caliper, braking feels decent now, i actually have to be careful with how i apply the brakes, i guess the reason they set it up like that from factory is that they don't want people to wear them out as fast or lock the front or back wheel and crash, my front brake rubs just a little bit now but i dont mind it it doesnt slow the wheel when i free spin it, i'll see how long this setup lasts,
only problem now is that the brake levers require a lot more force but thats expected with the increased clamping force from the calipers, i understand why people like hydraulic systems

 

[BikeGremlin]

good news actually i moved the cable clamp closer, i noticed when i full applied the brakes the caliper wasnt maxed out, now i moved the clamping part on the front and rear brake caliper, braking feels decent now, i actually have to be careful with how i apply the brakes, i guess the reason they set it up like that from factory is that they don't want people to wear them out as fast or lock the front or back wheel and crash, my front brake rubs just a little bit now but i dont mind it it doesnt slow the wheel when i free spin it, i'll see how long this setup lasts,
only problem now is that the brake levers require a lot more force but thats expected with the increased clamping force from the calipers, i understand why people like hydraulic systems

Cool - and thanks for the feedback.

I'd say it's not really about hydraulics vs mechanics, it's about good versus poor quality brakes.
Avid BB7 allow for fine-tuning pad position without playing all that much with the cable anchor point and even lever travel, so you can get a good mechanical advantage, and a decent pad clearance.

Sure, hydraulics do let you get slightly more braking torque with the same force on the lever, but for anyone with normal strenght in their hands, mechanical brakes are perfectly fine. In fact, I would argue that my current mini-V-brake setup gives more mechanical advantage than even most hydraulic disc brakes (especially for drop bars and road bikes). It boils down to basic physics:
https://bike.bikegremlin.com/1419/bicycle-mechanical-brakes/
That applies to hydraulic brakes too (it's just that brake fluid offers less friction than cables), but I did make a separate video about hydraulic brakes:

And another video about the bleeding and air removal process:

Relja

 

[monti142]

Cool - and thanks for the feedback.

I'd say it's not really about hydraulics vs mechanics, it's about good versus poor quality brakes.
Avid BB7 allow for fine-tuning pad position without playing all that much with the cable anchor point and even lever travel, so you can get a good mechanical advantage, and a decent pad clearance.

Sure, hydraulics do let you get slightly more braking torque with the same force on the lever, but for anyone with normal strenght in their hands, mechanical brakes are perfectly fine. In fact, I would argue that my current mini-V-brake setup gives more mechanical advantage than even most hydraulic disc brakes (especially for drop bars and road bikes). It boils down to basic physics:
https://bike.bikegremlin.com/1419/bicycle-mechanical-brakes/
That applies to hydraulic brakes too (it's just that brake fluid offers less friction than cables), but I did make a separate video about hydraulic brakes:

And another video about the bleeding and air removal process:

Relja

yeah i'll probably upgrade to the BB7 when the time comes and my avg speeds are higher, thank you for the all the advice