Hi
I’ve got this trp brake system on my old tt bike that I like to ride.
I’d like to change the brake system because I find it hard to adjust and lacking power.
It’s under the bottom bracket, but not direct mount.
Anyone knows what kind of brake I could put instead of this one ?
Thanks a lot
I have an Ultegra brake bottom mount that I bought by mistake. You can have it for free for just the shipping. off to a cycling Event so won’t be able to reply until later today. I don’t think priority post would be more than $12.
Isn’t The ultegra bottom mount a direct mount one ?
Don’t think it would be ok
I’ve worked on many of these brakes and they are a little bit of a pain in the rear to set up. But if they are clean, not seized up and well maintained they work just fine.
Take it apart, clean it, grease it, set it up correctly with a fresh brake cable. Toe out the pads slightly, crank up the spring tension on both arms to the max, then release tension on one side only till brake is centered when released, and you’ll be surprised how good it’ll work.
A rear (rim) brake is always a little weaker than the front. But that’s for a reason. You do not want to lock up your rear wheel too soon when braking hard.
What kind of frame? And maybe figure out the specific brake maker & model. I had something similar in my Felt IA16 and I replaced it with a Tririg brake. That one is awesome and my fit yours.
Brake is a trp t925, on a dengfy tt bike (fm018, the one with a “Big nose”)
In live in France and it’s hard to import a tririg… it is also very expensive
The loss of braking strength is probably the noodle combined with a little slop or flex in the brake cable.
Ideally your replacement is a center-mount, center-pull brake that will obviate the noodle. Or maybe an old Ultegra center mount would clear.
Then check your brake cable for flex or binding where it transitions from the stem into the frame.
Thanks for the answers.
I tried an old ultegra but it doesnt fit. Clearance between the chainring is not enough.
Do you know some reference that could fit ?
I’ll also try to fine another noodle as it does not seem to be the original one
Bummer. An Ultegra would clear the cranks on some tri bikes (like mine). I don’t know of any other center pull and center mount brakes.
You can find old Weinmann brakes (and others) that are a mirror image of modern brakes - the cable goes to the other side of the caliper. However, IMHO DavidNeu’s answer was best. Plus the real stopping power comes from your front brake.
I’m surprisingly, nobody said to do this.
Two bikes set up with these absolutely perfection.
I was going to suggest the noodle swap too. I had TRP brakes on the Argon and whilst had the same issues, swapping the noodle did help. This was after 10 years and the inner liner of the noodle had worn and was causing friction on the inner cable. That radius and the smoothness of it is fundamental to the operation. Using Dura ace cables also gives a noticeable improvement over basic cables.
Reality is thought you are never going to get the power and modulation of other brake systems.
Someone also mentioned that the specific setup has a lot of influence. You can set the cable/pads up to work in several ways, but to get best performance you want the cable as short as possible between the arms, which means it’s harder to get the best setup with new pads. They are therefore fiddly as you need to do some work to keep them working at their best.
Somebody did. OP replied they are expensive and hard to get imported to UK.
As others have said, the TriRig brake is the best solution. Failing that, look at reducing friction in the cable housing (I’ve found letting a few drops of lube wick down the cable/housing helps), and getting better brake pads (I have a rear disc with an aluminum brake track, and swapping out the supplied pads for KoolStop Salmon pads made a big difference).
