ix826@sdcc6.UUCP (tim drabik) (09/11/85)
To fix squeaky brakes, follow the suggestion of Eugene Sloane in The
{New, All New} Complete Book of Bicycling: With pliers, gently twist
the brake calipers so that the pads toe in slightly, that is, make
contact on the forward end first. If you have brakes that have this
degree of freedom adjustable, then do the equivalent.
Tim Drabik
UCSD Applied Physics
...sdcc6!ix826zsd@utcsri.UUCP (Jim Diamond) (09/18/85)
The remedy of toeing-in the brakes fascinates me. I can see this working for a while, but what happens when the brake pads wear down a bit and are once again parallel to the rim? Then do you toe-in some more? (No, obviously not.) Replace the pads? Well, why not adjust the pads in the first place, and not the brake levers? On the other hand, maybe I'm missing something here... Jim Diamond ...ihnp4!utcsri!zsd
levy@ttrdc.UUCP (Daniel R. Levy) (09/19/85)
In article <2202@sdcc6.UUCP>, ix826@sdcc6.UUCP (tim drabik) writes: >To fix squeaky brakes, follow the suggestion of Eugene Sloane in The >{New, All New} Complete Book of Bicycling: With pliers, gently twist >the brake calipers so that the pads toe in slightly, that is, make >contact on the forward end first. If you have brakes that have this >degree of freedom adjustable, then do the equivalent. > > Tim Drabik > UCSD Applied Physics > ...sdcc6!ix826 By forward end, I presume this means the end toward the front of the bike itself (which meets the rotating rim after it has passed between the rest of the brake pads)? Yes I know dumb question but I want to be sure. -- ------------------------------- Disclaimer: The views contained herein are | dan levy | yvel nad | my own and are not at all those of my em- | an engihacker @ | ployer or the administrator of any computer | at&t computer systems division | upon which I may hack. | skokie, illinois | -------------------------------- Path: ..!ihnp4!ttrdc!levy
levy@ttrdc.UUCP (Daniel R. Levy) (09/19/85)
In article <1402@utcsri.UUCP>, zsd@utcsri.UUCP (Jim Diamond) writes: >The remedy of toeing-in the brakes fascinates me. I can see this >working for a while, but what happens when the brake pads wear down >a bit and are once again parallel to the rim? Then do you toe-in some >more? (No, obviously not.) Replace the pads? Well, why not adjust the >pads in the first place, and not the brake levers? > >On the other hand, maybe I'm missing something here... > > Jim Diamond > ...ihnp4!utcsri!zsd If there's some way the pads can be adjusted to toe in/out without bending the levers, I'd like to know too (involving some kind of wedge shaped shim with a hole in it)? But presuming the levers were adjusted, and the pads wore, and started squeaking again I suppose the pads could be swapped (but then you'd get twice the original toe-in). -- ------------------------------- Disclaimer: The views contained herein are | dan levy | yvel nad | my own and are not at all those of my em- | an engihacker @ | ployer or the administrator of any computer | at&t computer systems division | upon which I may hack. | skokie, illinois | -------------------------------- Path: ..!ihnp4!ttrdc!levy
kreek@rocky2.UUCP (Mary Jeanne Kreek) (09/22/85)
The reason toeing in your shoes works is not because you use the front of your shoe more than the rear. It is because the force of the rim that applying your brakes resists normally twists the caliper arms. When this happens, the rear of the shoe curls towards the front. Then is springs back. All of this happens very fast, which is why it comes out as a squeak. Now that your shoes are toed in, your shoes actually are rather flush with the rim, depending on how fast you are going and how much you and your bike weigh. You will find that you won't wear the fronts of the shoes much more than the rears unless you make many heavy stops with a lot of weight on your bike. Tom Reingold 36 Ellwood St New York, NY 10040 (212) 304-2504
eirik@tekchips.UUCP (Eirik Fuller) (09/23/85)
In article <1402@utcsri.UUCP> zsd@utcsri.UUCP (Jim Diamond) writes: >The remedy of toeing-in the brakes fascinates me. I can see this >working for a while, but what happens when the brake pads wear down...? > >On the other hand, maybe I'm missing something here... > What you are missing is the reason that toeing-in brakes works. A brake is more likely to squeak when a pad makes incomplete contact with the rim. A pad which starts out parallel to the rim will wind up with only the back touching when the forward motion of the wheel twists the arm. Two things to notice here: 1) A pad which starts out parallel will wear far less evenly than one which is properly adjusted (the back will get munched). 2) A properly adjusted brake will often squeak if the wheel is turning backwards (believe me, I don't try this often).
bb2@ihuxm.UUCP (Bugar) (09/23/85)
> In article <2202@sdcc6.UUCP>, ix826@sdcc6.UUCP (tim drabik) writes: > >To fix squeaky brakes, follow the suggestion of Eugene Sloane in The > >{New, All New} Complete Book of Bicycling: With pliers, gently twist > >the brake calipers so that the pads toe in slightly, that is, make For squeaky brakes, I just talk a fine wood file and file down the crud on the contact surface of the pads and readjust the cables. Cleaning your rims will also help. bill bugar ihnp4!ihuxm!bb2
fish@ihlpg.UUCP (Bob Fishell) (09/24/85)
> For squeaky brakes, I just talk a fine wood file and file down the crud > on the contact surface of the pads and readjust the cables. Cleaning > your rims will also help. > > bill bugar > ihnp4!ihuxm!bb2 *** AC T YOUR AGE *** I clean my rims with rubbing compound, and this seems to help. I also keep after the pads. A lot of netters have recommended toeing in the brake arms. What I do is adjust the pads so that they are at a slight angle with respect to a line tangent to the wheel at the center of the brake. This does not appreciably diminish braking capacity, but it does seem to help. It also saves you from bending metal, something I'd be reluctant to do considering my weight (just under 200) and some of the speeds I've hit (39 mph on a hill near here). I don't think I'd want a brake failing from metal fatigue under such circumstances. __ / \ \__/ Bob Fishell ihnp4!ihlpg!fish
E8D@psuvm.BITNET (09/25/85)
Ok, time to get involved in this brake stuff. My Aztec pads have
adjustable toe-in because the pads are connected to the arm with a sort
of cone in cone (rounded washer and ??) which I find very difficult to
describe. What you do is put a piece of cardboard between the rear of
the pad and the rim and tighten the bolt while applying the brake
and voi-la toe in. However, although these pads seem to work well,
I did manage to distort one during instalation & am suspicious of the
way the bolt is just attatched to the middle of the pad with nothing
securing the end of the pads. You can bet I keep checking for cracks
in the pad around the bolt. Besides they were almost as expensive as
Mathausers (sp?).
As far as toe-in causing excess wear at the front of the pad
(Bike frame frame of reference), Once the brakes are applied the whole
pad better contact the rim or else you have WAY too much toe-in. So
it seems to me that the difference in wear will be minimal.
Has anyone tried sanding the polish off older pads to get rid of
squeeks? I just had that done on my auto -- it made things worse but
seemed like a good idea for some problems.
Finaly, don't dispair, there are some advantages to noisy brakes.
I once barely missed a kid who stepped in front of me because the
squeek froze her long enough for me to slip by.
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Evan Dresel
Dept. of Geochemistry E8D @ PSUVM (bitnet)
318 Deike Bldg. ...!psuvax1!psuvm.bitnet!e8d (uucp <-->
Penn State University bitnet gateway)
University Park, PA 16802 e8d%psuvm.bitnet@wscvm.arpa (arpa)
(814) 863-1666
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