Bicycle Mechanics - Grease on Brakes???

Im in the process of rebuilding an old cheap 10 spd mountain bike. Everything is coming along pretty good and I just had a question about the brakes:

When asembling the brake calipers (side pull) I noticed that the pieces of it were a little bit rusty and little grindy, and I was woundering if maybe putting a little grease on it would make it work better? My only concern is that I want the brakes to be able to stop the wheel and not slip. So i was just wondering what u guys thought about that. And also is WD 40 good enough? and should I put a little on the cable??

I would say clean any rust off with fine emery cloth and WD-40. WD-40 sucks for lubricating anything on the bike but to aid in removing rust its fine. If you want to lube the brakes grease will work fine if you want to go to the trouble of disassembling everything and getting it inbetween everywhere it needs to go. I would just get some teflon based lube such as Finish Line or Triflow and use that as it will work its way in the small areas it needs to get into. You can also use the teflon lube on the cables. Just be real careful to avoid getting any lube on the pads or the rim.

I would say clean any rust off with fine emery cloth and WD-40. WD-40 sucks for lubricating anything on the bike but to aid in removing rust its fine. If you want to lube the brakes grease will work fine if you want to go to the trouble of disassembling everything and getting it inbetween everywhere it needs to go. I would just get some teflon based lube such as Finish Line or Triflow and use that as it will work its way in the small areas it needs to get into. You can also use the teflon lube on the cables. Just be real careful to avoid getting any lube on the pads or the rim.

If I lube up the cable, is it ok to lube it up in the place were its gonna be screwed into the caliper? and also can I use Finish line and Triflow on the chain and gears? (are they sprays or do u drop it on, or does it even matter?? cause I already have a bottle of chain lube)

I generally try not to get any lube on the end of the cable that goes to the anchor bolt. The lubes you asked about are fine for the chain. There is no need to put any on the gears themselves, just a small amount sprayed into the chain, or dropped in if you use a liquid. Wait a minute or two and wipe off the excess with a clean rag. Remember that you are lubricating the INSIDES of the chain- the rollers and pins, not the exterior. Getting most of your lube on the outside of your chain will only gunk up your drivetrain faster and require even more maintenance.

Take your brakes off and disassemble and lube. If it's an old bike, there will be all kinds of dirt and old lube in the pivots. Take the assemblies off, spray them down with cleaner, wipe them off, and steel-wool any rough spots or rust. Then lube with a good oil as you reassemble. Once everything is clean, they will work like new. I've rescued several old bikes that stuff "didn't work anymore" just because old grease or oil was gooing eveything up. A nice clean-up does wonders.

Pat

My V-Brakes (dont remember brand- I'm at work) don't appear to come apart at the pivot. To clean out the joint, I put a paper towel around a thin knife and worked it in a nd around until it came out clean. Then lubed.