Brake Pad Toe
I recently overhauled a 1979 Raleigh and outfitted it as a 'cross bike (sort of...I basically just put 'cross tires on it) for my girlfriend to have a bike to hit some of the local trails. Project went well, except for one thing: major whining and shuddering from the rear brakes. I went through the standard checklist...toed the pads in to various degrees, made sure the rim was true and braking surface clean, switched to a harder pad compound. The harder pad compound with a ton of toe-in helped, but still the whining and shuddering remained. Finally, as a last resort, I toed the pads out so that the lagging pad edge is what contacted the rim first. Result: clean braking and no sound/vibrations.
I'm definitely happy with the results, but I am a little concerned about the stopping power of the brakes when toed out. Has anyone else had to resort to brake toe-out? And is braking compromised with this type of pad-to-surface contact?
Oh, by the way, pictures of the project to come soon on the classic and vintage forum.