# CAAD 10 Tektro Rear Brake Issue



## effersl (Apr 22, 2011)

Hello all,

Haven't had any issues on my 2011 CAAD 10-5 since yesterday. Releasing the rear brake does not snap the rear brake calipers from touching the rim, there isn't any force when the brake isn't engaged however it does not snap back like the front brake does.

It seems to be an issue with the spring on the caliper housing. Would it be something else which I'm missing? The cable line has not been touched and when the brake pads do not disengage, there is significant slack on the cable running along the top tube. Because the line isn't pulled back by the calipers, there is quite a bit of play on the brake handles.

Anyone else have this issue with the Tektro brakes which come stock on the CAADs?


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

Chances are you may need to clean the caliper. Also, check for bolts that may have tightened up over the year which could be causing binding in the caliper.

Since there is slack in the cable...I'm doubting your cables are worn out, so I would look at the caliper it's self.

I've ran into this with other bikes and loosened up the bolts enough I could get cleaning products/tools into the caliper, then gave them a through cleaning and tightend everything back up. This generally solved the problem.


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## effersl (Apr 22, 2011)

Thanks! I'll take it apart and see what I can find.


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## Dan Gerous (Mar 28, 2005)

Typical of those brakes... I had a set who had the same issue... but after just a week. Rear one too, the rear brake gets sprayed by water and dirt a lot more so it appears quicker than on the front.


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## effersl (Apr 22, 2011)

Surprising! I was reading around and I thought the general concencus was that tektros were decent. Would it be worth a brake caliper upgrade in the future? I read that switching the pads out was a night & day improvement.


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## Dan Gerous (Mar 28, 2005)

I'd do as Wookiebiker suggested, if the issue comes back too soon or too often, maybe an upgrade would be a solution but it might not come back. Not sure what the pivots are like (mine were on a city singlespeed bike with a flip-flop hub, I took the brakes off completely and put the wheel in it's fixed gear side so I haven't even tried to fix the problem), maybe greasing them would help too... They're decent brakes indeed, just sensible to dirt I guess.

And yes, the stock pads are not the best.


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## ph0enix (Aug 12, 2009)

effersl said:


> Surprising! I was reading around and I thought the general concencus was that tektros were decent. Would it be worth a brake caliper upgrade in the future? I read that switching the pads out was a night & day improvement.


I've put about 5,000 miles on the cheap Tektros (R580) without issues - never had to take the calipers apart to clean them or unscrew the bolts. Wookiebiker's advice sounds good though. The biggest problem I ran into were the Tektro pads. I replaced them with basic Shimano pads which greatly improved stopping power.


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## climbinthebigring (Mar 13, 2011)

Those brakes suck. As someone who races and rides in all conditions they were constantly gummed up at the pivots and they are just plain mushy.. Upgrade them when you can but if your not super hard on your equipment like I am they should be good until you want something nicer.


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## chill716 (May 12, 2011)

My front Tektro is doing the same things as your rear brake. If I had the money i would piss on it and replace it with Shimano.


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## neilcrumpton (Aug 5, 2010)

i had the same issue multiple times on my tektro back brake - replaced both brakes with Shimano Ultegra 6700's (great deal on Amazon) and never had the problem again (4,000+ miles later).


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## effersl (Apr 22, 2011)

I took the brakes off the other day and cleaned them off. Calipers worked fine but within an hour they jammed up again. It is quite frustrating and I am contemplating a caliper upgrade... would tektro do anything on a warranty or will lbs subsidize an upgrade?

Neilcrumpton - how much did you end up paying for Ultregra calipers if you don't mind me asking?


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## neilcrumpton (Aug 5, 2010)

effersl said:


> Neilcrumpton - how much did you end up paying for Ultregra calipers if you don't mind me asking?


They were around $110 delivered, I think - I thought it was a good price at the time (from a reputable seller!). You can also buy them for $115 shipped on Ribble...or even cheaper if there's a coupon out there!


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## effersl (Apr 22, 2011)

neilcrumpton said:


> They were around $110 delivered, I think - I thought it was a good price at the time (from a reputable seller!). You can also buy them for $115 shipped on Ribble...or even cheaper if there's a coupon out there!


Thanks! Will consider. 

Any compatibility issues with 105 5700 levers and Ultegra calipers?


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## Pete_G (Oct 2, 2011)

Can't say I'm impressed with their rain/grime tolerance either as I went through the same experience over the weekend. First time they've ever been wet and the next day I went to ride I noticed them dragging because the spring couldn't make them fully disengage.

Quick fix is to pull them from the bike and throw them in a bowl of soapy warm water, rinse, and then re-install. It seems to bring them back almost instantly. Not sure yet on how long this fix will last...

Going to replace them soon though, I've never had any of my Shimano's gum up after an outing in damp conditions before.

Update: How long did that fix last? NOT LONG. Dragging again. Drop of oil on the 2 pivot points on each brake has solved the problem for now until they get replaced.


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## RCMTB (Apr 20, 2012)

Anyone know how much lighter are the Ultegra caliper versus the 105 caliper?


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## neilcrumpton (Aug 5, 2010)

effersl said:


> Any compatibility issues with 105 5700 levers and Ultegra calipers?


They are fully compatible - no issues whatsoever.


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## ph0enix (Aug 12, 2009)

RCMTB said:


> Anyone know how much lighter are the Ultegra caliper versus the 105 caliper?


Ultegra 6700 vs 105 5700 = around 40-45 grams difference.


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## effersl (Apr 22, 2011)

Thanks for updating your feedback Pete. I dropped some lube in the pivots and they’re working OK now but I’m just waiting for the next time they gum up again.

Really considering the upgrade to Ultegra callipers now – looks like cheapest shipped is around $120 from Ribble at the moment.


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## CAD10 (Jul 15, 2012)

same here....less than 500 miles on mine and they started creaking. little drop of PB Blaster on the hinges seemed to solve it for now.


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## Everest17 (Nov 4, 2009)

Yet again, same issue here. I was coming down from Vail Pass in CO 2 weeks ago and noticed that my rear cable had slack in it once I let go of the brake. For the life of me I couldn't figure out why until I got home (20 miles downhill later using only my front brake) and took the brake off. The spring looked like it wasn't pushing hard enough to push the caliper back open. Tossed them and replaced with Sram Rival calipers. Awesome deal on ebay.


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