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-   -   2-fold brake question (https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-mechanics/694049-2-fold-brake-question.html)

bigbenaugust 11-09-10 04:51 PM

2-fold brake question
 
So I hit the bike swap meet over the weekend and scored a set of nearly-new Deore LX M570 V-brakes. My commuter currently has an Avid SD5 in the front and a Tektro MT14 in the rear (which is not that great and is why I was hunting for new brakes in the first place).

My questions are these:
  1. LX M570 vs SD5: who's better
  2. The brakes have an almost-unused set of aluminum-specific pads on them. I can't tell what my rims are made of. Will I endanger myself using them if I have steel rims?

Thanks!

Retro Grouch 11-09-10 05:27 PM

1. I'd rate the LX brakes above SD-5's but that's just a personal opinion.

2. If you want to you can check your rims with a magnet. If they look like metal and a magnet doesn't stick, they're aluminum. Honestly, unless you have a department store bike, and a low end one at that, your rims are surely aluminum.

bigbenaugust 11-09-10 05:46 PM


Originally Posted by Retro Grouch (Post 11761943)
1. I'd rate the LX brakes above SD-5's but that's just a personal opinion.

2. If you want to you can check your rims with a magnet. If they look like metal and a magnet doesn't stick, they're aluminum. Honestly, unless you have a department store bike, and a low end one at that, your rims are surely aluminum.

These rims came off of my wife's 2005 Giant Yukon. The refrigerator magnets I have handy don't stick... but some stainless steels aren't ferromagnetic. Maybe I am overthinking this.

I will do a double brake swap in the office tomorrow. :)

JanMM 11-09-10 05:58 PM

Those would not be stainless steel rims.
Aluminum has been the norm on anything except really really crummy bikes for a long time.

fietsbob 11-09-10 06:34 PM

Most all rims are made by extruding aluminum, into a complex shape
and formed next into a hoop. and pinned or welded across the joint.

steel rims were formed of sheet metal and have been rolled into hooked edges, and into the hoop,
you can tell somewhat easily when the tire is off the rim.

Kool Stop salmon colored compound pads are a good upgrade in many cases..

even on my already good stopping Magura Hydrostop hydraulic rim brakes.

Put KS Continentals on my single pivot CLB brakes on my Brompton,
and they have been fine..

badamsjr 11-09-10 11:21 PM

2 Attachment(s)
If the KoolStop salmon's do not give you enough stopping power, you might think about a set of 'boosters'--aka stabilizers. I used them on my touring bike (before switching the front to disc), and it is like having a 26" disc! (in my case--yours will be whatever your wheel diameter is).

I had to go up to a 203mm rotor to match the stopping power of the setup!:thumb:

FastJake 11-09-10 11:47 PM

Why aren't your current brakes good enough? Most brake issues are caused by poor setup or excessive friction. Your pads could also be junk. I see no reason why a Tektro V-brake wouldn't be sufficient to lock up your rear wheel.

bigbenaugust 11-10-10 12:28 AM

Actually, I have black KoolStops on the Tektro in the rear right now (and I think Serfas pads on the Avid front brake). My issue with the Tektro is that it's become nearly unadjustable for centering/tension, and no amount of cleaning/lubing seems to do the trick anymore. It's always that the pads are either waaaay too far from the rim, or they're almost right, but off-center. I've wasted hours on this.

Also... brake upgrade to a matched set for $10. Who doesn't succumb to a little upgrade fever at the Bike Expo?

Captain Blight 11-10-10 05:18 PM

My standard advice for brakes is to FIRST set your pads quite close to a very true rim. Most braking problems go away with this treatment. Mind you, nothing is going to make aged pads work on a steel rim in the rain.


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