Stopping my bike.

[doorframe]

3 months ago I finally managed to get a nice local job, and said "goodbye forever" to shift work. The compromise I had to make was a fairly substantial drop in money. To help combat this I've gone 'green' and taken my car off the road in favour of my bike. My commute is only 3 miles but my the bike weighs a ton (full suspension/huge steel frame/cheap rubbish). I've managed to acquire a nice ally hardtail, but the damn thing won't stop in the wet. The old bike had front disc brake that worked really well, but the newer one only has V brakes front and back.

Can anyone tell me how to get these to work in wet?

 

[Jacob]

3 miles all you need is a push bike. I used to do that to school everyday from age 11. 15 to 20 minutes. Quicker if you get fit, as you would!

 

[JakeS]

3 miles all you need is a push bike.

I thought he was talking about a pushbike!

Are the brakes new? My experience has been that they tend to get a bit grippier after they've worn in a bit.

Are they properly adjusted? I can never remember whether they're supposed to point in a bit or out a bit, I have to look it up each time.

Um... or maybe don't cycle so fast? ;-)

 

[SteveTree]

Make sure that all brake pivots are moving freely, cables are lubed and in good condition. Check you're pads, are they clean and lined up with the rims correctly, are the rims clean. That's what I'd check first, after that I'd look at upgrading the brake pads.

 

[SteveTree]

3 miles all you need is a push bike.

I thought he was talking about a pushbike!

Are the brakes new? My experience has been that they tend to get a bit grippier after they've worn in a bit.

Are they properly adjusted? I can never remember whether they're supposed to point in a bit or out a bit, I have to look it up each time.

Um... or maybe don't cycle so fast? ;-)

The pads should toe in slightly so the front of the pad hits the rim first

 

[Gary Morris]

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Cate ... goryID=556
Found this site, lots of pads, with different grip patterns and materials, could yours be for summer use with little or no tread? On my 'sit up and go' I had to brake 4 -5 secs before I'd normally brake, in the wet and hope for the best. Maybe the new materials they use today may help.

Gary

 

[doorframe]

Thanks for all the advise.

Yes Jacob, it is a push bike.

Maybe I just don't remember how bad the brakes were on the old bikes. The disc on the front of my heavier bike was brilliant. But there's no mounting point on the forks on the ally bike, and the old forks wont fit onto it.

The rims are clean, and I've tinkered with the positioning but they don't improve. On that link from Gary the pads are all 'treaded'. Mine are flat. Maybe that will improve the wet performance.

On a + note, I'm already feeling fitter and the weight is coming off. And not having to stop at red lights and ignoring the 'NO LEFT TURN' sign is great!

 

[johngraves]

When you put your brakes on how far back do the levers come? do they touch the handlebars? If they touch the handlebars then your cables need adjusting, if they don't then you will need new pads.
John

 

[johngraves]

As an afterthought get yourself on to retrobike.co.uk, the mountain bike section, good advice, deals and guys in your area who will help.

John

 

[Jacob]

Maybe they just need to wear in a bit?

......... And not having to stop at red lights and ignoring the 'NO LEFT TURN' sign is great!

Tut tut you'll give us all a bad name and cheer up Clarkson fans. They get more irritated if you behave like a gent and wait for the lights etc

 

[Wood Monkey]

Hi Doorframe

The simple answer is...... Standard cable pull rim brakes are less than idea in the wet. If your used to disks then they'll feel even worse.

I commute 200 mile/week in the summer dropping to about 120m/w in the winter (at least I do when I'm not recovering from surgery..!). I mainly use 2 bikes, one hybrid bike with disks predominantly for the winter and one full on race bike with rim brakes predominantly for the summer. The racing bike has top end brakes and I spend hours keeping it in tip top condition. I've also spent a long time and a fair bit of cash looking for a brake pad that works better in the wet because when the weather catches me out it's lethal. I've had some success, but honestly there it not much difference between my standard pads and the best performing wet weather pads.

Having said this, easily the best I've tried are Swisstop pads. They do various compounds for different types of rims/conditions. Their website is excellent and will guide you to what you need.

They are not cheap and the wet weather ones tend to wear quickly in the dry. However, they should last well for 3 miles a day. Maybe consider oversized pads because bigger contact area means more friction which means better stopping. Make sure you set them up properly in the full contact area of the rim and the correct way round. Toe in can help, but the pads soon wear on the leading edge and the advantage soon goes. Keep them nice and clean in the groves as this is where the water goes during pad contact and aluminium rims with soft pads create a mush that soon fills the gaps.

Sorry to state the obvious, but feather the brakes long before you know you are going to stop as this clears the rim. And slow down in the rain ;-)

Jon

 

[SurreyHills]

If the new frame can take disc brakes could you swap the brakes over (will also have to swap the wheels over)? I have bikes with both types of brakes and am always reticent about the bike with rim brakes. One possible option is to replace the rear brake only with a disc brake.

 

[AndyT]

Anyone old enough to remember riding a bike with Westwood style rims and rod brakes squeezing little blocks of plain rubber will know that current technology calliper brakes are many times better than we used to have!

But progress does seem to have meant that there are just too many standards and it's often impossible to make components fit.

 

[Paul Chapman]

IMHO you'd be better off riding a bike with a fixed wheel - gives you far more control, particularly in bad weather when brakes don't work very well. If you've not ridden a fixed bike before, it might take you a while to get used to it but I always found it far safer. In fact in the old days, most club cyclists used to take off their gears and swap them for a fixed wheel during the winter months. Ah, the good old days

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Racers]

Can't you just jam something into the spokes, it worked for me when I was younger carrying a stick while riding my bike, in fact the bike stopped quicker than I did, I seem to remember carrying on over the handle bars for a short distance, lucky the ground was there to arrest my progress.

Pete

 

[graduate_owner]

My first bike had 'rod' brakes. Seems so primitive now. And of course just the one gear, 'sit up and beg' handlebars. I seem to remember that weighed a ton too.

To offer a positive suggestion though - do they still make hub brakes? I seem to remember these were enclosed within the hub (hence the name !!) so they may be more waterproof.

K