Eggplant Jeff

I decided to save myself some money on my project bike by reusing the old brake pads. They're hard as rocks, but I used a coarse file to remove material from the face of 'em until they were smooth and it seems like I got through to some softer material.

Just felt like sharing. If you never hear from me again it's because I died in a firey bike wreck.

P.S. It's a fixie and I'm running front and back brakes... which is why I felt they were less critical than they might otherwise have been.

bbattle

If you are hard up and can't afford brake pads, I'll send you a pair. True, not as critical on a fixie but brake pads are cheap insurance.

AnthonyG

Aww h*ck. Every bike manafacturer in the WORLD saves money on the brakes somewhere in the product line!!

Don't feel bad.

Regards, Anthony

Eggplant Jeff

Nah bbattle I'm not hard up, just reckless .

And not that bad either, they can hold the wheels pretty well when I rock the bike back and forth... I'm sure once they break back in they'll be fine. The bike's not done yet so I can't actually try them out, but even before I filed 'em down to fresh pad material, they stopped the bike on my test ride before I bought it.

So don't worry too much about me . It just struck me as funny that I was reusing old brake pads.

huhenio

My brake pads seem to be the same vintage of the bicycle ... but they stop as intended.

1971 - good year.

jur

About a year ago I posted a trick my dad showed me: Drizzle some *brake fluid* on the pads. I tried it and was amazed at how the rubber softened up and my brakes were very sharp whenever i did it which was many times over the years on that one bike. Of course that was then, dunno what the rubber compound was.

Of course I was flamed to death after posting it, for putting a lubricant on brake pads and for causing unknown decay to rubber. I tried it out on some old pads I had lying around but couldn't say there was improvement or worsening after soaking these in brake fluid for some weeks. It performed about the same before and after so I piped down.

2manybikes

You did reach softer rubber inside. It works.

Eggplant Jeff

Assuming you're using DOT 3 or DOT 4 (well I doubt they use the same classifications in Oz, but the glycol-based brake fluid) it isn't really much of a lubricant. If it leaks onto automobile brake pads/rotors it causes very grabby brakes prone to seizing up. It's used for its hydraulic properties and high temperature resistance rather than its lubrication abilities (there really aren't a lot of moving parts in a hydraulic brake system anyway, and they don't move fast or far). DOT 5 (silicone) is much more of a lubricant, I wouldn't use that. And I've had no experience with DOT 4.1 (mineral oil based) fluid so I can't say about that one.

I've never known the glycol or silicone brake fluids to have any detrimental effect on rubber. Oil-based products definitely can though (motor oil, transmission/power steering fluid, household oil, etc).

jur

That trick was done in my school days, mid 70s, I suppose the fluid was common or garden stuff, none of your fancy synthetics of these days. And so were the pads, the same rectangular ones still seen on old bikes. And chromed steel rims, of course.

Eggplant Jeff

I'm certain both glycol and silicone fluids were available in the 70's... most likely you were using glycol, in the US it is by far the most common type.

huhenio

So jeff .... did you ride the bike yet?

catatonic

my rear brake line was rubber on my old sunbird...I know it was rubber since I was under the car in twenty below zero weather, looknig at it and screaming profanities after discovering why I almost lost the back end while trying to not fall off the edge of the off-ramp (and down a small gorge)...the muffler mount broke, causing the muffler to rest on the brake line, which softened the rubber enough to melt it shut.

so I'm sure brake fluid will not eat rubber....however falling mufflers will.

Eggplant Jeff

Catatonic: There are numerous different compositions of rubber used in different fluid lines on a car, gasoline, oil, brake fluid, and air all have different types of rubber line. That being said however, I've never seen brake fluid hurt any of them.

Huhenio: I sat on it, if that counts. I just ordered the remaining minor parts (BB, cranks, chain, that kinda stuff) and UPS says they'll be here tomorrow. So hopefully I'll be able to go for a test-ride, if not tomorrow, then Friday. However I'm also involved in the massive insanity known as packing and trying to sell my house, so that may crimp how much time I have to work on the bike. (Although the more parts I put on, the fewer I have to pack..... hmmmmmmm..... )

BostonFixed

I hope this is just a sick joke.


What do brake pads cost, like $10-20?

Eggplant Jeff

Joke? Why would I be joking? The bike came with brake pads. Kool Stop Salmons (which these basically are, I think they're the old brand that used the salmon material prior to Kool Stop) are like $15 a pair. Which would you rather have, new brake pads, or a BB? At least I can RIDE the bike.

They're old, but it's a fixie... some people ride 'em without any brakes at all.

huhenio

I went to the bike store today - oldest in this side of town - and they sold me a perfectly fine set of 175's for meager 20$. Now I can access easily and change the chainring, which gives you the fine tunning on your gear ratio.

I am very excited! - I guess that new bike will have to wait since now I will be having all posible gear combinations that I can fathom on the non-freewheel bike.

Rings are cheaper than cogs, rings win every time in my new 130 BCD 5 hole crank. (So I remember)

jur

I told you so...

catatonic

Actually this is a normal practice.

New pads, and the pads of bikes that have been stored for a while should always get a good filing, to get the hardened rubber off of them.

Just don't run them below minimum recomended height, and you are fine...usually once you go balow that height, the pad holders start rubbing the tire, and that's all bad.

operator

More like 3 bucks. That is if you don't go ultrabling koolstop.

DigitalQuirk

Just an FYI, automatic transmission fluid does not have any detrimental effect on rubber or polymers; in fact, it's critical that it does not. It is considered a "Safe" lubricant where contact with rubber or plastic is possible, such as inside a modern automatic transmission.

Eggplant Jeff

Not true, try it out.

ATF in fact swells rubber, it's supposed to in order to keep the rubber seals supple and sealing (otherwise the rubber gets hard over time and then they leak, I know that from personal experience... one of the downsides to buying a truck that has sat for 5 years).

There are many varieties of rubber, and I am 100% certain the composition of brake pads is different from the composition of automatic transmission fluid lines.

Bikepacker67

Pads, of ANY SORT, should never be re-used!

TYB069

Wait a tick, thats actually really disgusting...

bbattle

Not true.

bkaapcke

I'm constantly amazed by how cheap some bicyclists are. It seems to be rampant among the over 50 crowd, and they can usually afford it. But they just won't, instead choosing to ride the crappiest equipment. Also, it seems like whining is the most 'fun' part of being cheap. I mean. I have a friend who will whine about the cost of restaurant meals even when somebody else paid the tab. He just loves to whine about money.