So my girlfriend has a crappy Huffy that she got second-hand for $25 a long time ago, and the brakes are working terribly. The pads hit the rims, but the braking action is extremely weak -- you can jam on the brakes hard and it still takes a long way to stop. We wanted to improve it, but she knows nothing about how bikes work, and I'm still a beginner at bike maintenance!
The bike has some sort of caliper brakes. From what I've been reading, those sometimes have an inherently lower mechanical advantage, so I suspect that's part of the issue. That notwithstanding, here was my beginner's plan to trying to improve them. Does it make sense?...
1.) Clean the rims. So the pads hopefully grab the rim better. I see some people saying use isopropyl alcohol, others saying to use a degreasing agent. I have some crap called "degreaser concentrate" for washing hands - is that OK to use, or should I use something else? Any recommendations?
2.) Install new brake pads. Not that hers are worn out, but I'm sure they're crappy nonetheless, surely old and brittle. Her current ones are shaped like
these Grey Matter pads, but I'd rather use
these Aztec pads if I can. Will it be possible to install the Aztecs on her caliper brakes? I just want to check to make sure there's no incompatibility.
3.) Adjust the pad position correctly. Goes without saying, but at least one of her current brake pads is hitting the rim at some crazy angle and not getting much surface area contact on the rim.
Does this plan make sense? Any feedback or other easy tips I can do? Remember, I'm a beginner, so I'm not ready for something like "rip out the brakes and install new V-brakes" yet...