perfecting brakes?

[sixdegrees]

LUBE YOUR CABLE!!!

You may already know that, but i cannot put enough stress on the importance of a smooth, friction-free cable with lots of lube. tri-flow or white lightning work well. do NOT use wd-40 or thick bearing grease.

I disagree partly, WD40 is fine. It may kill the grease / lube but if you do your cable every other week you'll have a slick / friction free cable. Becaise the cable is long the WD40 takes w hile to dry out inside the casing and so you have great friction reduction, afterall WD40 is an anti-sieze compund.

Agree with the overall comment tho....... smooth, friction free cable is key to good brake performance.

[Getaway]

First make sure your wheel is fairly true, then adjust the pads so they hit the rim flat, doesn't have to be perfect but the flatter to the rim they are the better, then make sure the springs aren't too hard or too soft THEN adjust the cable so that both the pads hit the rim at the same time and try to get them about 2-4mm away from your rim, it sounds close but when you squeeze the lever you'll realise why, if your rims a bit buckled then you might have to set the pads a bit further away.

EDIT: also clean your rim and make sure your pads are clean and not worn out, if they are buy some new brake pads you can get them for pretty cheap, most koolstop brakepads are good. Also make sure your the bolts that hold the cable are tight but not to tight.

[hardcore08]

how do you make the brake pads even with the rim? I try to adjust them but they never come out perfect
and will putting cola on the rim will it make the brake pad grip better or will it kill the rim?

[Getaway]

Adjust the hanger cable or adjust the springs so they pull evenly, if not there's a mod you can do for straight cable which makes life much easier but you'll need a london mod.

[cody ciesielski]

try to file down the pads and soak them overnight in pepsi or coke they get way tacky and lock up insanely but yea lube the cable and tension the arms evenly or they wont work well

[hardcore08]

k ill try that 2night
last night i put some pepsi on the rim and ill see what will happen
i really appreciate all of the help
thanks

[fluorescent]

1. Lube cable
2. Check spring tension is equal, about 1/4 turn on each side, no more or they'll screw up
3. Tension cable right, you need to be able to spin the bars, but adjust your linear cable to the right tension so that the brakes are pretty sharp.
4. Make sure pads are equal distance from the rim! (can be altered by spring tension, a crappy cable hanger, or a gnarly straddle cable.)

[mattyjo]

you said it's a new setup- has the cable stretched out yet?!?! is it lubed? is your spring tension not too loose, not too tight, just right? are your rims and brake shoes clean? i scrub em with a little green scotchbrite pad and they get grippy again. brake shoes should be toed in just enough to stop the squeal, but not so much you diminish braking surface area.
tips: 1) you can use a long velcro strap as a low budget third hand- it will hold your brakes tight against the rim as you adjust and set the cable. 2) after your initial cable tightening, work the brake lever for 10 or 15 minutes, squeezing REAL hard (2 handed even), to stretch your cable. you may need to readjust and tighten it after that, but from then on it should be settled in, with minimal stretching after that.

[FreeEnterprise]

First off, putting sugar water (coke, or pepsi) will work but it is a bad way to go, as it is very short term, and it builds up and you have to take off your pads to clean them and the rims quickly. Plus it will ruin the finish on your rims.

Here is a Pro rundown on 990 style brakes.

First off, teflon lined cables. Use Tri-Flow inside the cables, and MAKE SURE they don't bind. If they bind, all your work is worthless.

Get good levers that don't flex. Tech 77's are good.

Look at the calipers, do they flex? Or are they tight? They should not move up and down, they should be very smooth opening and closing.

If that is not the case then, take off your brakes, (making sure you don't mix up the springs, there is a left and a right spring, or loose the washers). Clean them till they are spotless, and put some light grease on the top of the brake mount, and on the shaft of the brake mount, and any washers.

Slide the arm back on, and put on the spring and dust cap. Now put some more grease on the bolt and start to tighten it. When you have it on don't tighten it up just yet, and do the other side. When both sides are done they should move easily with little effort.

Now, this is the hardest part, You have to set the tension of the springs so that they are the same. I Turn the bolt until the pads touch the rim and then I turn them about 1/4 more. They key to this part is that they are the exact same, otherwise one side will hit first and that will make them not work as well. You have to have a allen wrench and a wrench on the set bolt at the same time to set them correctly.

Then tighten everything down. Making sure your cable bolt is super tight, you don't want that to slip and ruin all your work.

If they are new cables, then in a few hours you will have to reset everything because the cables will stretch.

Set your brake pads so that they are parallel to the rim. NOT TOED in or out. They should hit flat on the rim. The best way to do this is to pull the lever (with your foot and the bike upside down) while you tighten the nut, Holding on to the pad so it doesn't move.

Softer the pads, the better they will work.

Chrome rims work best for braking.

If you want to spray something on your rims, get some simple green. It is amazing spray a little on your pad and rim, and ride with your finger barely holding the pad against the rim until they start to squeal.

When they squeal they are perfect.

Learning to dial in your brakes is an artform. And all good riders must learn this process some time, why not today?

[Stephen G]

someone knows his stuff ^.

and basically you NEEED linear cables with lubricant, a nice thin one, well you can get away without a linear but they'll feel slugish as the outer compresses on the inner, go buy an odyssey linear, it's the only one i've found to be any good.