General Cycling Discussion - If you are not satisfyed with your brakes...

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Inoplanetyanin
05-20-03, 07:05 PM
All right, here is what was going on on my old Schwinn, before any repairs were done. The right brake lever required significantly more pull compared to front one. The problem was that the cables were old and had rust inside, which caused increased friction, and therefore brakes felt "hard" and not very effective.
This can be relatively easily fixed. Both front and rear brake cables cost me 10$ from local bicycle store.
The only tools required was good diagonal wire cutter, and screw driver to release the safety brake lever.
Result: brakes are SO SMOOTH, easy to apply, just like power automotive brakes verses old conventional.
Easy and important repair! Suggest to everyone who is unsatisfyed with the brake performance. :)
Thought I'd share this...
http://www.angelfire.com/al2/misha18male6/mvc/may20_bike5.jpg
Good point. I think people neglect cables. Anyone who has had one snap won't though!
cyclingshane73
05-21-03, 02:26 AM
What happens if you have hydraulic brakes? j/k. :D
Seriously though. Is that the bike you bought off the guy in the WalMart parking lot? I must say a little bit of cleaning, handle bar tape, new cablesand she's looking as good as new. :beer:
Originally posted by stiffee_shane
What happens if you have hydraulic brakes? j/k. :D
:beer:
You still have the shift cables to replace...
Yes, cables are often neglected. Cables are usually the causes of Shifting and Braking problems.
Inoplanetyanin
05-21-03, 09:09 PM
Originally posted by stiffee_shane
What happens if you have hydraulic brakes? j/k. :D
Seriously though. Is that the bike you bought off the guy in the WalMart parking lot? I must say a little bit of cleaning, handle bar tape, new cablesand she's looking as good as new. :beer:
Thank you for good feedback. Yes, it's the bike I bought for 20 dollars. However, I have spent already a 100 more for different parts and spent many days off working on it, which I enjoy thought. I rebuilt all the axles, put new pedals, crank, actually new rear axle... New Michelin World Tour tires...
Still needs front rack and new paint job. :) If you look close at it, you will see how old the paint is, plus I didn't like that gray color from the beginning.
Thanks again for nice comment. :)
Looks like you did a good job on it, not a bad bike for $120!
Inoplanetyanin
05-21-03, 09:55 PM
I love that bike :D :D :D :love: :love:
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