Brakes Pads & Rims

[George Schick]

We were kind of hijacking Bill's new canti-Roa bike post with discussion about brakes, pad material, and rims so I decided to start a new one to continue.  Bill has stated that in his experience over the years as a mechanic he was required to address all kinds of issues from cyclists concerning brakes, but nothing about rims.  He also said that the rim material was just as important if no more so than brakes or pad material.  I'm inclined to take his word for it, given his work experience, but I'd like to toss a personal episode into the ring:

A number of years ago I bought a set of Tektro SP brakes for an existing road bike.  This bike has wheels with Mavic Open Pro rims.  Given the fact that those rims, though they are machined, do not have the most optimal braking surface.  However, I really had to pull hard on the levers to get those Tektro brakes to stop the bike.  So I decided to swap the pads for those dubiously touted "salmon" colored pads and braking improved dramatically.  The point being that there may be something to the pad material after all.

Thoughts? Experiences?

[Steve]

Pads, brakes, brake levers, rim braking surface, and even the frame and fork that the brakes are mounted on -- they are an integrated system, they all work together to slow and/or stop the spinning wheels. Change any one part and, for better or worse,  you've altered the system. 

[Garth]

At best I can say that "everything matters". The pad, the rim, the brake, the bike, the rider, the conditions, the intangibles ... all that equates to infinite variety of what's called "the experience". Heck, it varies from day to day for that matter. While I've used mostly Kool Stop pads over the last 25 years, I like the black compound as well as the red and salmon. Mavic Open Pro as well as the A719/T519 rims I have are spec'd as having a harder alloy(Maxtal) for strength. I'm sure it changes the braking somewhat, but just how I can't say, or if it matters. I have one Rhyno Lite rim(regular 6061) and if it brakes any worse than the Mavic it's not enough to be be relevant in practice on the road.

On Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at 10:24:36 AM UTC-5 George Schick wrote:

[Patrick Moore]

I'll add: for cantilevers, the front brake housing hanger. I recently swapped out a very nice, sturdy Shimano steel hanger for a tres chi chi RH hanger because I wanted a headset-mount and stiff hanger to get more drop (3.5 cm vs 1 cm). The braking is modestly, but noticeably better with the RH hanger.

Patrick Moore, who dimly recalls the forlorn hopelessness of aftermarket leather brake shoes that were a cheap alternative to rubber on many 1960s Indian roadsters -- after a few rides in the wet and some sun they turned into ceramic and were about as uselessl for braking.

[Patrick Moore]

At the risk of jerking this thread even further awat from the original intent: has anyone ever gotten Mafac cantilevers to work well? If you did, how did you do that? Those on my erstwhile Herse were among the worse brakes I've ever used, and I tried, in front, the longer tandem version as well as the single version -- absolutely no difference. Salmon pads.

Patrick Moore, enjoying perfectly adequate braking from his Paul cantis (Touring rear, NR front) with brazed-on rear hanger and RH front hanger and salmon pads on EQ 21 rims.

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

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