Despite new callipers, (Rover 400) pads and discs at just a few hundred miles ago the rear brake performance seems very poor and the handbrake is aready next to useless barely holding the car on a modest incline. Is this normal for a libra? are the MGF rear callipers better?
Anyone got any tips to improve the rear brakes especially the handbrake?

Are all the parts fitted properly? Are the calipers brand new or reconned? What discs did you get, are they the correct 10mm thickness? Does the handbrake adjust up properly initially?
I seem to recall yonks ago when I got rear calipers new the adjuster mech didn't work properly. I think it's important the handbrake actuators return to their stops with the handbrake lever down or they won't adjust properly as the pads wear (or as you take up the initial slack after fitting).

My Libra has a strong handbrake, holds the car no problem and I have the standard rear calipers/discs etc.

SAS

Parts were replaced by Dudley at Talon over xmas so I would have expected the parts to be correctly fitted and adjusted. I will have to check this out.

I have had similar problems to you with my handbrake. The performance has been poor ever since I built the Libra in 2005. In the past it has always struggled to get through the M.OT but this year I was very concerned that it would not make it so I took it to Dudley and asked him to do what it took to get it through. He said that the MGF calipers were working o.k. the pads were o.k. the only thing he had to do was reposition the hand brake lever to get a good pull.
It went through MOT this year with no problem. Talking to my MOT Mechanic, he said that all Rover/ MG handbrakes were rubish, it was to do with the handbrake leverage. I suggest that you take it back to Dudley and let him have another go at it.

Ahh Don, "Talking to my MOT Mechanic, he said that all Rover/ MG handbrakes were rubish" In a way that was what I was looking for. I did wonder if it was to do with that though the brakes generally seem poor. The fronts work very hard and the rears hardly at all. Since the Rover and MG calipers have different piston sizes and the metro and MG master cylinder sizes are different as well I wondered if there was a pressure issue as well.

Hi bigvern,
My Libra has the standard Metro mastercylinder/servo, with the front brakes using a vented Metro disc and Montego calipers. The rears are MGF calipers and solid Metro discs.
I have no problems stopping (Yet!) with standard road use and there appears to be no brake balance problem.

try http://www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/group2/brakes/index.htm this may have info you may find helpfull

I have the Metro/Maestro front brakes and Metro M/C with rover 400 rear calipers. The piston size in the rover calipers is smaller than the MGF rears. As the rears don't seem to do much I wondered if there benifit to fitting MGF rears. The hand brake works but just seems unable to hold the car on an incline, even with the handbrake 'heaved' on there is still a creaking sound from the brakes as they slip all be it very small amount.