acidfast7

Hi all!

I just did the first front brake pad swap on my SS bike at 2100km (1304mi).

Here are the old pads next to the next pads ... as you can see the old pads are totally worn out:

comparison of old and new pads (top view)


comparison of old and new pads (45° view)


comparison of old and new pads (braking surface)


old pad surface after front duty for 8 months in english rain:


threw on some Jagwires Basic Pad (for £1.99)


braking surface ...



FINALLY, the real question ... how do I know when the rim is worn through ... it does have a groove and i can feel that it's less than the rear groove. it is when it's worn smooth or will wear indicators appear? just curious ... seems like I'll be lucky to get 5000km of out of the rim as I live at the bottom of a steep hill

fietsbob

Measure .. you need to compensate for the hook on the rim edge. do you have a digital caliper ?

concave surface may be a hint.

the wear indicator is, when the one groove machined in the brake track, is not there any more.

acidfast7

I am a little surprised that I didn't get more out the pads ... but I guess one English winter is enough.

fietsbob

OEM pads are a cost choice & you did go low ball on the bike choice.

try Kool Stop Salmon color, the continental should fit your caliper

It fits on with a stud molded in it and a Nut, Nyloc type is included .

the Oregon company makes a "Rim Friendly Compound" ..

https://www.google.com/search?q=Kool...ml%3B300%3B250

acidfast7

Cool, thanks!

I'll check them out for my next brake pad purchase, which should be in about 6 months at this rate!

wolfchild

I don't mean to sound like an alarmist, but having only one brake in the front and riding down steep hills is just dumb...Forget fashion and trends and get a second brake at the rear of your bike or change over to fixed gear so you have some braking power in the rear wheel.

acidfast7

Hi!

The hilarious thing is that I do have a rear brake.

Here comes the not so nice part ... my chain stretched and I move the rear wheel back in the stays and now these "BMX" brakes don't reach the rim. They slightly rub on the tire ... so, I'm waiting for them to wear out , so that I can replace them with a long reach calliper.

So, I am effectively running front brake only for now, but it seems to be wearing the front rim surface out faster than I would like.

Could you recommend a long reach rear calliper?

Something from here as they guys seem cool (and moderately technical as list mm drop precisely):

Single Speed Components

Thanks!

spare_wheel

i used to wear down a rim in 12-18 months running koolstop salmon pads. in my experience they are no better than any other pad when it comes to rim wear in chronically wet and gritty weather (e.g. the pnw and uk).

spare_wheel

rear brakes are pretty much irrelevant during emergency stops. when i ran rim brakes i would feather the rear so that they would have some grip on wet descents (in case the front stopped functioning) but pretty much all my braking was via the front. now that i run disc brakes i typically do not use the rear at all. the only time i use the rear is on slick road surfaces (ice, oil, slick muck). imo, the only advantage of rear braking is that it somewhat inhibit slide outs during periods of low traction.

acidfast7

i agree with this ... the only time i used my rear hydraulics (on my MTB) in frankfurt, was that I could fell that front wheel was losing traction and in danger of washing out and leaving me with a busted collar bone.

however, it is a matter of principle and i would like to have a rear brake with the reach to "reach" the rim when the chain gets old and slackens.

a longer reach brake is cheap (seems to be 15 GBP shipped) on that page, so i'm being derelict if i don't put one on, no?

wolfchild

Your BSO has crap brakes ...I have Tektro R556 on my fixed gear, those brakes have a lot of adjustability, even when the wheel is moved back or forward I can still adjust the pads to be exactly in line with the braking surface on the rim. Plus there is lots of clearance for fenders with up to 32mm tires.

acidfast7

I agree with you ... my BSO has crap brakes!

Is that the brake you would recommend off of the page I linked?

(｀_´)ゞ

I ask because I like those guys and would like to support them with my business.

wolfchild

It doesn't matter. I still believe that every bicycle which is used for commuting in traffic should have two working brakes. Using two brakes will always stop you faster then using only one brake....In my situation, since I ride fixed gear I can get away with only having front brake, I can easily skid stop if the cable on my front brake snapped.

spare_wheel

i agree with this and i consider a fixed dt to be a working brake.

wolfchild

I think you need the ones with up to 73 millimiters of reach. ..My Tektro R556 have between 55-73 milimiters of reach, which gives me plenty of adjustability.

acidfast7

fair enough ... i'll order one right now!

ok ... i just ordered the longest-dual pivot on that page ...

it better work or you're accountable

Single Speed Components

wolfchild

Good luck, I hope it's the correct part and will work with your frame.

acidfast7

why wouldn't it? reach?

gregjones

I had Tektros on a MTB, same caliper front and rear. I ordered Kool Stops for the front within a week. I couldn't decide.....I got dual compound. Instant functioning brakes!!!

Talk about pad life....the OEM Tektro pads wore out on the rear and were replaced by the nearly new ones that I had taken off the front when I got the Kool Stops. The second set of OEM pads are at least half gone and there's still at least half of the Kool Stops left on the front. And front pads are supposed to wear faster.

FSA Gossamer calipers on the road bike. Kool Stops were a worthwhile investment. Definite braking improvement rain or shine.

fietsbob

Will a pad wear faster , , stop the bike well but not wear the rim as fast as a harder wearing pad
but the wear on the rim is increased .. but a wheel is dirt cheap
like $10 pads $50 wheel ..

you'd Have to do a controlled experiment

acidfast7

I'll get some PhD students to build a rig in the lab with an electric motor ... in their spare time.

cue diabolic laughter!

gregjones

Get a US government grant under the guise of ecological advancements for the experiment. A little ol' quarter million bucks should be enough to give us an idea of whether or not a $18 pad will make our $45 rim last enough longer than a $10 pad to make it worthwhile.

acidfast7

Why US, I can get an EU economic development grant ... like the Estonian guys that made this...

viks : steel tube fixed gear urban bike : design : indrek narusk : velonia bicycles : estonia | openhouse

TransitBiker

Yea, I have tektro v's on my breezer, and they are extremely adjustable. The frame has mounts for other rim brake types , so I may experiment with that in the future.

Once the groove wears flat, get new rim. Every now and then might be wise to take a toothpick and clean the brake compound out of the groove. That way in wet it doesn't dirty your wheel all up.

- Andy