Gery L

I just put an old, but good conditioned Atom drum brake on my heavy bike. The stopping power is not impressive, but I think it needs adjustment. The shoes look in good shape. Does anyone know of any source for replacement shoes? They can be relined....but, I'd rather avoid the turn around time. Also, any hints on improving performance.

cman

Drum brakes tend to work better on the front than the rear. On tandems, they are often refered to as drag brakes because they just help to slow down the bike and not stop it. If the pads look fine then read BikeSmith's tutorial for setting the pads correctly.
https://bikesmithdesign.com/tips/drum-brakes.html

If you need new pads,start searching. One place to try would be the forums at Schwinn. The Atom is the brake used on the front of the old Krate bikes.

Gery L

Thanks CMAN. All good advice and info. The Bikesmith page is excellent. I'm tweeking, etc. and getting good effects.
Best, Gery