Crono Tech Tips

Here are some interesting photos I’ve taken over the past few weeks of cables and housing that were overdo for replacement. We believe real strongly that cables should be replaced at least once a year. The reason for this is because over time dirt from the road gets in the cable housing causing friction which can lead to poor shifting and over time the friction can start to wear out the shifters and derailleurs. If you are riding over 3000/year, up around 4000 or so you might want to consider replacing shift cables and housing twice a year.

*Tip-Every time you lube your chain (we recommend about once a week) put some rubbing alcohol on a rag and wipe down the cable at the point it enters the cable housing on the bike. This will help keep dirt out of the cable housing!

Have a great ride!

The most important reason to check and make sure your pads are in good shape is so you can stop your bike. Another reason, is that over time brake pads can become contaminated with debris and pieces of metal from your braking track, causing horrible braking, squeaking, and if you switch between carbon wheels and alloy wheels that debris embedded in your pads could potentially ruin your nice carbon wheels!

So what does a worn out pad look like? Below are pictures of worn out pads compared to new ones.

The next question we get a lot is, “Is there a difference between brake pads?” And our answer is always yes!

For carbon rims: the pad we prefer and the only one we stock is the Swiss Stop Yellow King pad. With all the pads we tested, this is by far the best pad we found for carbon rims. It provides predictable and consistent braking not found with other carbon pads we rode, also amazing stopping power in wet conditions.

For Alloy rims: again we have to give our vote to Swiss Stop Green. Again it has all the benefits of the carbon version, but for alloy rims. Where we noticed the biggest difference with the Swiss Stop Green compared to stock pads was the predictable and consistent braking in wet conditions!

Come in or call if you have any questions, and as you know this part of the website is for you! So if you have any questions, or topics you would like covered please feel free to email me: mike@cronometro.com

Thanks and have a great ride!