Boosters

[Sam T]

Hey guys,

Went back to maggie yesterday. I had a fresh grind put on, and Tnn Pads. Problem I have is with my 2 bolt Tensile booster ( cut the bottom 2 off ) the brake wasn't very good. I took the booster off today and the brake was really good, and the noise was good aswell. I'd keep it like that, but the frame flex's so much.

So what booster is best or what could i do to my normal Tensile booster to allow a little bit of flex, but not a stupid amount?

Thanks,

Sam

[crispyboy]

what ever happens your accual brake performance will be better with a booster

everyone thinks that noise means better brake but what makes noise ?

Vibrations so a booster reduces vibrations so more power if put into the brake

so yes your brake may have less bite but the hold will be increased but some people like more bite and less hold

but to be honest i would pick hold over bite (noise) any day.

Put the booster back on and make sure your pads are set up well

[totally steaming!!]

man up

[Julius Czar]

man up

Lol.

Seriously though, crispyboy is right, it doesnt matter how poo the brake sounds, its statistically correct that boosters increase brake performance. I personally prefer bite, but hold is a necessity to do trials properly, and I run Tnn LGM's on an 09 echo lite without a booster, and theres a fair bit of flex in the frame but it holds enough for my level of riding.

Edited October 26, 2010 by Julius Czar

[Endohopper]

Moreover , the absence of a booster allowed everything to flex so that the pads bit into the rim fully - good power , but not sustainable as the pads will wear unevenly and all related hardware may develop play . Given that you'd only tested the new setup for day be patient -remount the booster and allow the pads to wear in .

[Krisboats]

what ever happens your accual brake performance will be better with a booster

Seriously though, crispyboy is right, it doesnt matter how poo the brake sounds, its statistically correct that boosters increase brake performance.

Not necessarily. And..... Links to the 'statistics'?

Seriously though, not every setup benefits from a booster. You've got 6 variables that come into play and changing just one of them can make it entirely different to someone elses. You've got the type of rim surface (light/heavy grind, smooth), the frame, the booster, the rim, lever blade length and the pads.

Some boosters are stiffer than others, the heatsink booster and echo control boosters were some of the stiffest i've ever used and they both made the brake worse on my already stiff t-rex frame. Some frames are very flexy indeed and so a booster does tend to help brake performance but then some are so stiff that using a booster is a hindrance.

The only logic i can conclude to this is that where not using a booster would normally allow a slight flex in the frame and mounts when the brake is applied it takes strain off the pads. However using a set of hard pads like tnn belays or phatpads on a stiff frame with a stiff booster and a long lever blade will take all the flex from the frame and add a bit more force to the pads through the longer brake lever. Seeing as the pads are now the only point of flex, what often happens is applying the brake results in the pads being fully compressed to a point where they won't compress any more. At this point the hold seems to go out the window, there is no bite to the brake and the pad material (if used on a grind) often shreds off into shavings of polyurethane.

The only thing i can suggest is to experiment with a couple of different setups on your own bike and see where you're happy to make compromises. At the end of the day a lot of the problems can be alleviated through adapting your riding anyway so if you prefer good bite and have to sacrifice hold in order to get it then make sure you land things properly without coming up short and vice versa if you want hold be prepared to apply your brake sooner to compensate for the slower bite response.

[Sam T]

I drilled and cut a few bits of my booster to try and make it a bit more flexy. I'm running Tnn pads. For what i can see, they're set up flat against the rim. I would also change the lever blade, but im running an 04 Magura. Maybe it's time for a new brake.

Thanks for the advice!