BMX - front brakes not gripping

Hey, I`ve had my bike down in my basement for a couple years and finally got it out and started riding again but my front brakes are sliding too much. The brake pads are plenty thick but the front rims feel pretty smooth. I was wondering what I could do to get them sticky again. I was thinking about sanding the rims with some rough sand paper or something like that... any ideas???

I don't guarantee anything but you can make cuts in the brake pad with a razor. Never sand your rims.

sanding the rim can actually work fine as long as you clean them really good after. Just get new pads.

Sanding the rims will wear them out a lot faster than they would otherwise have worn out.

You'll probably find that the surface of your brake pads has become fairly hard and smooth/shiny while the bike has been in storage.

Quickest bang for the buck: rough up the surface of the pad with a bit of sandpaper, which you can do without taking them off the bike. If you don't have any sandpaper handy, take the brake pads off and rub them across a concrete surface for the same effect. You want the surface that contacts the rim to not have any gloss or shine at all.

Hey, thanks guys for all the advice. I think I'll try roughing up the brake pads and see if that works untill I can get me a new set of pads (I live an hour away from any bike stores.)

This tip may be obvious but I'll add it. Make sure your rim is clean. I use Fantastik or Simple Green.

Spray on a paper towel, spin the wheel and wipe on sidewall of the rim. Sticky sweet.

you know what works real well? ripping them things off haha. no but yeah roughing up the brake pads with sandpaper helps and if that doesnt work THEN i would rough the rim up slightly. but please dont purposely spill soda on your rim, people are soo dumb for doing that.

Why, it works...

Speaking of brakes, mine are sticking. How would I fix this problem and get them dialed?

i suppose you have a valid point fuzzy. but i guess personally i cant see myself with a can of coke pouring it all over my rims, so many other options to consider ya know

for sure, more of a last resort.

Speaking of brakes, mine are sticking. How would I fix this problem and get them dialed?

Lube the cable and posts, retention the springs.

Just spray some WD-40 down the housing?

no Teflon preferably, or you can take the cable out of the housing and rub it against candle wax, or grease.

careful though
my friend did that and couldnt get it back in

That's why you keep the end of your cable clamped so it doesn't fray.

My cables are already frayed. It would be impossible to get them back in.

needlenose pliers and twist real hard

For some reason, it seems as if they've kind of fixed themselves. Now I need to get more tubes because I blew two on Sunday. And I thought I had some extras but I guess not.

For some reason, it seems as if they've kind of fixed themselves. Now I need to get more tubes because I blew two on Sunday. And I thought I had some extras but I guess not.

Heh, I blew out a tube on Saturday. It was two years old though.

Wow. I'm surprised it lasted that long.

i suppose you have a valid point fuzzy. but i guess personally i cant see myself with a can of coke pouring it all over my rims, so many other options to consider ya know

I've never seen anything else work as well if complete brake locking is desired. Not very good for feathering your brakes, but for someone like me who primarily does nose pick, abubaca and tailtap combos on spines, nothing comes close