Originally Posted by
cyccommute
Yea, he doesn't like the battery part. acidfast is a rabid generator hub proponent...with emphasis on the rabid part.
Yeah, I'm getting that vibe. Personally, I much prefer having battery-operated lights over dynamo-operated lights. I can carry a single set of lights with me and use them on all of my bikes, I don't have to leave lights attached to my bike while it's locked up overnight in Manhattan where they will undoubtedly be stolen the first night, and I actually use my headlight quite frequently as a conventional torch / flashlight at work- I'm the engineering manager at a TV station here in NYC, so I spend a fair amount of time poking around in dark equipment bays. I get excellent battery life with the PlanetBike lights, too. Only have to charge them once every month or two, and they put out a huge amount of light for their size / weight, with a very attention-getting flashing pattern.
But anyway...
Originally Posted by
cyccommute
Back to your original question: Yes, you should strip the paint off. The paint is going to act more as a lubricant when wet than as a braking surface. That's assuming that the rims are aluminum in the first place...do a magnet test to be sure.
It's a foregone conclusion that I'll be taking care of this. Gotta stop by the hardware store and pick up an abrasive disc and some fine sandpaper on my way home today- I left most of my shop equipment behind when I left California, as I no longer have the huge workspace to which I'm accustomed.
(All metal grinding / drilling / etc has to get done in the bathtub these days to contain the shavings, for instance. Aah, city life...)
And, again- my concern here is not so much "fixing" the bike I have now as much as making a decision about which bike I'm going to purchase next. So I'm not going to be spending a lot of money here, as that would defeat the purpose. A $160 bike plug $150 in new parts (wheels, brake calipers, brake pads, etc) means that I'd be better off just spending $320 on a Schwinn FourOneOne instead, which will get me disc brakes and an internally-geared rear hub as standard equipment.
Originally Posted by
cyccommute
For the equipment, start with the squealing problem. The squeal when dry suggests to me that your brakes may not be sufficiently toed-in. If the pad hits the rim flat, the force of the rim can cause the front of the pad to lift. All the braking in occurring at the back of the pad and the brake pad starts to oscillate as it grabs and lets go which makes it squeal.
When I was seriously experimenting with pad alignment, I had the front pads toed in by roughly 1/16" per side. They still squealed, and also started to wear quite unevenly. Honestly, the noise isn't a huge concern. This is New York, after all. They have lots of sirens, diesel trucks, horns, shouting, etc., to compete with. It's more annoying in Hoboken NJ, which is something of a quaint little town, but even there I can live with it.
Originally Posted by
cyccommute
You might want to consider replacing the calipers as well. The stock v-brakes on cheap bikes aren't all that good at doing their job. A better brake like an Avid Single Digit or Shimano works better, is stiffer and is easier to adjust. Single Digits 5 cost around $20 per brake and are much better than the generic brakes that bike has.
I appreciate the suggestion, though I'm not going to be replacing parts as a first-line solution for the reasons outlined above. The linear-pull brakes on the bike now seem to be working ok- I have excellent stopping power in the dry, and can lock the rear pretty easily. I don't see a lot of flex in them when I yank on them hard, and with the cable adjusted properly, I can't quite get the lever to bottom-out on the handlebar. I don't think that the calipers themselves are the most significant causal factor right now.
Originally Posted by
cyccommute
You aren't limited to how much friction the tires can develop like you are in a low CG vehicle but you are limited by how much how much deceleration you can develop before you are spun around the handlebars.
I would be quite happy if I had to deal with that problem. And I'm quite familiar with the phenomenon you describe, coming from a background of riding electrified MTBs with slick tires and disc brakes at 30+ MPH on extremely hilly roads.
To be clear, when the rims are covered with snow / ice, I can yank on the damn levers with all of my strength
(I'm 6'2" and 195 lbs, with gorilla-hands) and the bike makes only the vaguest notion of wanting to slow down slightly. It's really quite terrifying, especially when a taxicab suddenly decides that it wants to be where you are.