[Article] How to inprove your rims for better braking power!

[Louis K]

Okay I have done this many many times, usually when I try flatland of stall tricks on my ramps, and it definetly improves your brakeing power in under an hour and it last for a while too!!

Materials
Bottle of rubbing alcohol - $1
Pack of sand paper - $5
Utility Knife - $3
Pack of like 200 Cotten Balls - $ .50
Total - $9.50
Yeah the price is pretty high up their, but you will be able to do this atleast 200 times! :D

Step 1: Take your brake pads off of your brakes.
Step 2: Check your brake pads for a sign of wear, if it look like metal or is very hard and rough you should throw them out and get a new pair. It will be worthit. But if not - Very carefully with your utility knife cut little X's in your brake pad on the bottom.
Step 3: Now with a little piece of sand paper sand the brake pads down a bit so that way it gets smooth in some spots and rough in the other.
Step 4: Now go get a cotten ball and put some rubbing alcohol on it. Then rub the cotten on both sides of the rim. Then get a rag that doesn't have any grease or any dirt on it and take all of the rubbing alcohol off the rim.
Step 5: Now put your cotten ball over the rim and make it so its all covered in rubbing alcohol. But not too much so it drips all over the place.
Step 6: Wait 30 mins for your rubbing alcohol to fully and correctly dry.
Step 7: Put your brake pads back on, and now try out your new better brakeing!

NOTE: If you don't have any rubbing alcohol, then I heard of people using simple green. I heard it works but I never tryed it personally. But if you have the rubbing alcohol I can guarntee you that it will work :)

NOTE: Also, I heard of people boiling their brake pads, so it softens them up. I also never tryed this, so I am not 100% sure that it would work.

NOTE: If you can afford brand new chrome rims, and a pack of brand new brake pads. Then go for it. Your braking power will increase 110% and i'm sure alot of people agree with me!

[PArider]

simple green on your rims works the best out of anything, although it turns brakes into fog horns. and boiling your brake pads dose work!

[Louis K]

Yeah thats another plus about using the rubbing alcohol, it helps reduce that loud sound that will embarass you :lol:

[reyesjr02]

as long as your brakes work, who cares how they sound?

[Louis K]

true :D

[nutsgeezer]

steven where are you getting these articles from? are you writing them yourself? Im guessing not because they are all really well spelt and puntuated :P

[Street Cowboy]

as long as your brakes work, who cares how they sound? i do .. where as it is fun coming up behind some one and giving them a heart attack with loud breaks it get tiersome. the most noise i like to make comes from my free wheel. or my pegs crashing down on concrete. anything els is a bad sound!

[Louis K]

steven where are you getting these articles from? are you writing them yourself? Im guessing not because they are all really well spelt and puntuated :P

LOL I am just writeing them from personal experience. I actually spent some time with these articles, since i'm injured, cleaned my bike, regreased everything, painted everything. I spent my time correcting myself and adding more whenever another thought appears. And well, im just so damn bored to death and want to ride! But yes, I wrote all of these by myself :)

[b_m_x_X_x]

Simple Green...
Orange Citrus Blast... (wipe off afterwords... will eat away chrome)
Pepsi... (Cherry works best)
Chrome Polish

Just get your rims a little moist about a half hour b4 you go riding.

[ridesavolume]

Rather than make all this stuff , i prefer to just dial the brake , in the first place.

[old_school_goose]

my best brake tips is rough the pads down with sand paper, then take a torch to it, and let it warm up real good, then stick it in warm soapy watter, and let them cool. much more tacky.

[DeathisCertian]

Loud bikes are the sh*t. Really, like chis king hubs, you can hear those for miles, I love loud brakes and hubs, and anything that makes noise, just aslong as I know where its coming from and its not ruining my bike.

[Bladerboi2k4]

what a great article, someone should make an article on how to dial brakes

[Louis K]

Thank you! yes I totally agree with the dialing brakes article. It would help me out alot also if they included pictures of them doing it. I'm still trying to find out how to dial my evolvers right now the rigth way.

[Street Cowboy]

http://www.bmx-forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=12569

[free_the_bikes]

.... so.... basicly clean your rims with rubbing alcahol...

[nutsgeezer]

grow up ftb. Louis has put a lot of time in to this to help people. No need to slate him for it.

[Korey]

well i once put that gely stuff from inside those airfresheners on my rims... it worked well tou know the ones that stand up and you lift up on the thing and a month later are shivled lol... well i was playing with on and steped on it a bit and noticed my shoe gripped way good after i tried it on my rims works awesome

[PArider]

i dont think anyone noticed but its improve not inprove

[GreenLaser]

Doesn't rubbing alcohol eat chrome or the hard anodize like duralectra?

[Smudge]

well i once put that gely stuff from inside those airfresheners on my rims... it worked well tou know the ones that stand up and you lift up on the thing and a month later are shivled lol... well i was playing with on and steped on it a bit and noticed my shoe gripped way good after i tried it on my rims works awesome

haha dude you really need to work on your punctuation lol

[MCHardmanUK]

Another solution is to angle grind your rim to give it a textured finish this works well i nwet conditions as it displaces the water on the rims quicker. Also you will need to buy a set of Plazmatic CRV or Plazmatic Spanish Fly CRV pads as they are of a harder compound and wont wear quickly unless you drag your brake alot.

The other soloution is spary on glue I prefer industrial strength glue spray on glue which my brother gets em from work, better than tar as it stays there in the wet.

These are all from the trials world so forgive me if Im over doing the brake issue Im just used to a brake that locks up with very little effort if it didnt Id be dead now.

[nutsgeezer]

hair spray makes your grips stick, Ive heard its good for rims too.

[trickdaddy69]

bump

[Street4BMX2skillz0]

I like to use Wight Lighting wax lubricant in my brake cables it increases my braking power and makes it smooth :) .