Originally Posted by
nayr497
Okay, one of you suggests sanding the brake pads, one suggests not doing this. Reasons? Other opinions on this?
- I will replace the tubes.
- I'll save the tires and use them when the weather gets better. If they feel okay, I'll keep them, if not, I'll update them. I'll probably due that either way. Yeah, 18 years newer is probably better in terms of tires.
I suggest not modifying the brake shoes for several reasons.
First, I have tried the various pieces of advice regarding modern brake shoes, and without fail found new Kool-Stop or modern Shimano or even Campy replacement shoes to make no difference over the OEM shoes, even old ones. Call me an insensitive dolt, but there it is. This is on Campy NR/SR, Shimano 600/BR6207 sidepulls, and Gen 1 Dura-ace sidepulls from 1974. I have a set of Campy dual-pivots on my Mondonico, and those are more powerful than any of my C&V brakes, but I don't think it's because of the shoes. Caveat: I do not ride mountains. I have never had vintage Campy shoes fragment the aluminum of vintage rims.
Second, Deltas are very different from other brakes. If I had a set correctly or at least reasonably set up and adjusted, AND I was going to depend on the bike imminently, I would not change anything that would lead to needing to re-adjust them. Changing brake shoes would be such a disturbance, in my mind. YMMV. Removing them to sand the faces might also affect the setup.
Third, it does make some theoretical sense to remove a glazed surface. But with hard pads, I would expect the surface to HTFU again with use. If you can do this without changing the shoe position, such as by removing the wheel, fine. In my experience I've never done this or seen the need to do this. I have two bikes set up with original Campy NR/SR brakes and shoes, and they stop quite well.
So you asked for some rationale, and there's mine.
What I think is important in brakes are good mechanical geometry followed by system rigidity. Compression or deflection of the outer cable, stretch of the inner cable, and flex in the handle and caliper all detract from my effective use of a bike brake. YMMV, this is just my opinion based on my cycling experience.