Questions tagged [rim-brake]

Questions referring to the braking system in which pressure is applied to a track on the rim of the bike tire.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
1 vote
1 answer
55 views

Height-adjustable V-brakes?

I'm converting my Surly LHT from 26" to 650B, requiring to adjust the height of the V-brake pads. I have learned this can be done using a V-brake such as the Motolite by Paul Components 1. ...
sebastian's user avatar
  • 175
2 votes
2 answers
190 views

700c to 26in V-brake conversion

I have search high and low and feel like I’m kinda close to the solution but.. does anyone know if there is some sort of adapter that facilitates my V-brakes to be lower, offering me the chance to put ...
duhnlic's user avatar
  • 141
1 vote
1 answer
70 views

Very slight high spot in a rim affecting braking - can/should I do anything about it?

One bit of my rim (less than the distance between 2 spokes) is 0.2--0.3mm wider than the rest. It causes a pulse of increased braking once per revolution, which is annoying. As the rim isn't worn ...
Chris H's user avatar
  • 55.8k
3 votes
3 answers
469 views

How do barrel adjusters for v-brakes work?

I have been thinking about barrel adjusters and I don't see how they can be truly effective although they appear to work, except on this particular bike where they don't seem to do anything. Is there ...
vfclists's user avatar
  • 185
2 votes
3 answers
217 views

Aluminium rim brake wheelsets

I'm looking at upgrading the wheelset on my entry-level, rim brake road bike. I don't want to break my bank, so I'm looking into budget aluminium rim brake wheelsets. What features should I prioritize?...
korxz's user avatar
  • 59
1 vote
1 answer
174 views

Wide rims for rim brakes for gravel bike?

I have a decent gravel bike that I put together from parts. It has cantilever rim brakes and 40c tires. The wheelset is an old Mavic Open road one which has narrow rims. I'd like to switch to a wider ...
Old95rpm's user avatar
  • 300
5 votes
2 answers
497 views

Cantilever Brake Installation (can thick and thin cup washers be swapped?)

I'm reinstalling the rear cantilever brakes after taking them off for a thorough cleaning. I'm also upgrading the pads at the same time to a Kool Stop model with "extra material" (i.e. ...
SSilk's user avatar
  • 4,020
5 votes
2 answers
498 views

Ultegra R8000 rim brake compatible with Zipp 303 Firecrest?

Update I have successfully mounted a Zipp Firecrest 303 wheel set onto my Cannondale R800 CAAD 4 frame with Shimano BR-R8000 rim brakes. Thanks for the advice! I would like to buy a carbon wheel set ...
sebastian's user avatar
  • 175
1 vote
2 answers
167 views

Btwin tilt 120 brakes

I feel like the stock brakes of my hilt 120 are not strong enough, the rear one is the one giving me trouble, I thought about changing them, but is it worth it? Does anyone have suggestion? STOCK ...
Barone's user avatar
  • 11
4 votes
1 answer
176 views

New Alloy Rims, but can’t brake?

I rebuilt an old Peugeot and swapped out the old steel rims for new alloy rims. I then cleaned the existing caliper brakes and put on new brake pads and cables, but they just don’t stop the bike. So ...
Allen's user avatar
  • 41
5 votes
1 answer
291 views

What brakes are these? Could I upgrade them?

I've picked up a Pashley no.33 cargo trike which I plan to turn into a coffee bike. Are these single pivot or dual pivot caliper brakes? They aren't particularly effective and I wondered if anyone had ...
Jeremy Daubeny's user avatar
7 votes
5 answers
197 views

Braking system conversion for Pashley Cargo Bike

I've picked up a Pashley Classic No.33 cargo trike and am turning it into a coffee trike. Once I've got an extra 120kg + my weight on there I'm aware I'm going to need a pretty good braking system. It ...
Jeremy Daubeny's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
236 views

Shimano S70C brake pad replacement options

I've got cantilever brakes with Shimano cartridge style pads, possibly M70R2 model: The pads are pretty worn out so I'm going to replace them. I see "S70C" on the pad themselves: Searching ...
SSilk's user avatar
  • 4,020
1 vote
2 answers
60 views

brake calyper/bridge types and question- single screw to the frame

I need to replace a front brake for a city/folding bicycle. but I am not used to these "brake bridge" system; I am more into the MTB scene. for some reason the calyper in the picture ...
Daniel Perez's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
87 views

Brake shoe looks good?

I am attaching an image of my cycle's brakeshoe. Is it worn and need to be replaced or did I get ripped off?
Newbie's user avatar
  • 1
1 vote
1 answer
115 views

Is overhauling dual-pivot caliper brakes due when the centering screw is ineffectual?

The balancing/tensioning/centering screw on my rear dual-pivot (rim) caliper brakes is no longer effective. Is it a good idea to disassemble the calipers down to individual pieces, say once every two ...
Sam7919's user avatar
  • 8,842
2 votes
2 answers
102 views

Rear v-brakes sticking after cable change

I got a cheap second hand bike to clean up and cycle around the city, and I changed the brake cables, housing and ferrule caps as they were frayed and damaged. My only problem is that the rear v-brake ...
Gildo's user avatar
  • 31
2 votes
1 answer
284 views

Why are my cantilever brake pads already on rim without pulling brake lever?

I am trying to put together a mtb (1998 Specialized Rockhopper) that was abandoned and given to me. Many components were missing so I'm piecing it together. I'm not very experienced with this. It did ...
Alison's user avatar
  • 817
2 votes
2 answers
562 views

What are the differences between these Swissstop rim brake pads?

What are the differences between the Swissstop Flash Pro Power Black and BXP pads? Also, which one is good for me? I only ride in dry weather unless it rains when it's dry.
Sam's user avatar
  • 318
9 votes
4 answers
2k views

How fast do carbon and aluminium rim brake tracks wear?

Rim brakes wear the wheels' brake tracks. How long do wheels usually live until they're worn (In terms of distance, not time)? Of course I realise this depends on how much I brake, not how much I ride....
chichak's user avatar
  • 693
5 votes
1 answer
636 views

Brake mounting points very close to the rim

I have a bike that came originally with roller brakes. I would like to remove the roller brakes and install rim brakes instead. For the rear wheel (this question is only about the rear wheel) there is ...
abl's user avatar
  • 460
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

Can I replace my rear cantilever brake with a caliper brake?

Can I replace my damaged rear cantilever brake with a caliper brake? I assume there are two things to consider: frame and lever. Frame The frame has a black, hook-shaped part, which I believe Sheldon ...
pateksan's user avatar
  • 2,265
17 votes
9 answers
5k views

V-brake vs hydraulic disk-brake - which is more environmentally friendly

Let me start the question by saying that I have a pretty good impression of the advantages of disk brakes vs. V-brakes, so I'm not asking about performance comparisons. I'm MTB-ing several thousand ...
Cristik's user avatar
  • 277
9 votes
4 answers
2k views

How do bicycle brake manufacturers balance their products' physical limitations?

This question is valid for both mechanical and hydraulic brake systems. Premises: The human hand has a threshold value for what a comfortable level of squeezing force is, which will decrease with ...
MaplePanda's user avatar
  • 15.4k
3 votes
2 answers
350 views

Rim brakes and rim wear outside the brake track

I have recently found out, that my rim brakes were slightly misaligned and the pads had developed an edge over some time and had worn a bit of paint outside the normal brake zone (see photos). It ...
Sherwood's user avatar
  • 210
6 votes
2 answers
3k views

Overheating: Are Latex inner tubes on rim brake carbon wheels safe?

Currently I'm using standard butyl inner tubes on my clincher carbon wheels. My bike uses rim brakes, and searching on internet I have found that carbon rims are not great for dissipating heat: ...
Edgardo Barría Melián's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
185 views

How to lower a road bike caliper

I have a beautiful titanium frame made by Van Nicholas. Unfortunately it uses long reach rim brake calipers front and rear (branded Van Nicholas, but I would say tektro made). They are pretty ugly and ...
Paolo Goatspeed's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
246 views

How can I add cable tension to a Shimano 600 sidepull caliper brake on a 80s vintage road bike?

So I wanted to add cable tension to my rim brakes because I want to reduce the travel. I have small hands and don't have too much leverage on the hoods so if they actuated more easily then I would ...
Kenshin's user avatar
  • 11
3 votes
1 answer
1k views

Vittoria Corsa Tyre impossible to mount on LightBicycle Rim

After much incredibly fruitless painstaking efforts to mount the tyre, I am ready to try anything. My rims are LightBicycle Falcon Wheelset AR56 Road/CX RR56C03. (rim brakes) External Rim Width: 28mm ...
Yuxuan's user avatar
  • 256
3 votes
1 answer
74 views

Rod Brake Eyebolt nut size

I have an old Elswick Hopper, and would like to know the size/thread of the rod brake eye bolt nut?
BigTed's user avatar
  • 31
5 votes
3 answers
231 views

Burning smell from rear rim cantilever smooth pull brakes

Engaging the rear brake results in a burning smell and significant brake wear, so bad that within just a hundred miles or so I caused significant loss of material on a brand new pad set. Looking at ...
Avocado Surprise's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
480 views

V-Brakes squeal very loud when braking

I've been having this issue for about 3 months. The front V-Brakes squeal extremely loud when i fully engage them. This problem randomly started one day when i took my bike for a ride. At first it ...
Stelios Liakopoulos's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
362 views

Rim brake mark on carbon disc wheels. Are they unsafe?

So I purchased this wheelset a while back for a CX build. When they arrived I could see that the previous owner had tried to run them with rim brakes, leaving a mark on the carbon rim. The rim brake ...
soletorp's user avatar
13 votes
3 answers
6k views

Brakes not stopping my bike

I am new to cycling. I just brought a new single speed fixie, Takara Sugiyama. It's for commuting (commute include hills). When I went down a hill, the rim brakes couldn't stop the bike at all. It was ...
Fred's user avatar
  • 131
3 votes
1 answer
673 views

Is thru axle with rim brake okay?

so I have converted my disc brake Road Bike to rim brake. My road bike frame is thru axle but it has a slot for rim brake so i decided to go for rim brake and I removed the rotors from the hub and ...
Kent's user avatar
  • 31
2 votes
3 answers
699 views

Front brake lacks 2mm in reach. Can it be ironed out?

I have been having some trouble with my 6 years old Tektro R539 brakes, see Tektro rear brake does not stay closed and Road rim bike brakes don't open when using the release . So I am now looking ...
Learning is a mess's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
396 views

Road rim bike brakes don't open when using the release

My Tektro R539 brakes do work on the road: they obey to the brake levers at squeezing and releasing times. They do not behave to the mechanism to open them (for wheel removal for instance), they do ...
Learning is a mess's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
488 views

Missing bolt in my brakes, how can I find a replacement?

I was braking in a downhill, the gradient was steep so I was using both brakes mostly the rear. When suddenly the rear brake shifter went totally soft. I did a full-stop using my front brake only and ...
Learning is a mess's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
301 views

How should exactly the brake cable be fixed to V-brake caliper?

Regarding the V-brake calipers, where the cable is tightened with a screw: Should the cable go between the head of the screw and the washer (1), or should it go between the screw head and the body of ...
Attilio's user avatar
  • 543
1 vote
0 answers
273 views

Will current (2021) Campagnolo brakes have sufficient clearance for 28c tyres and mudguards?

I believe that current Campagnolo brakes don't have a quick-release mechanism on the brakes themselves, which means that unless they are paired with Campagnolo levers, it could be awkward to remove a ...
Daniele Procida's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
88 views

Front V Brake squealing on Trek FX 7.4

I know this is a frequent question in this forum... To use a cliché "I've tried A, I've tried B. what do I do now?"... I have a very persistent squealing from my front Tektro v brake, on my ...
Daniel M's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
743 views

Chemically roughening rim braking surface to improve performance

For trial bicycles there is a technique to improve braking performance by roughening the rim surface using a grinder. How-to video Apparently, this technique is not widely seen outside the trials ...
Grigory Rechistov's user avatar
10 votes
5 answers
5k views

Most effective way to improve cantilever brakes

I have a Dawes Super Galaxy touring bike with cantilever brakes, and I'm a bit worried about the stopping power of the brakes when I start loading the bike up with kit to go touring. But I don't know ...
thosphor's user avatar
  • 511
3 votes
4 answers
481 views

Why dual pivot brakes, not longer brake arms?

Dual pivot brakes are marketed as having "more braking power", which in technical terms means higher mechanical advantage. Exactly the same effect can be achieved by longer brake arms (ones ...
Konstantin Shemyak's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
137 views

diamondback cobra 24 rear brakes squeal horribly what can I do to at least tone it down

diamondback cobra 24 rear brakes are squealing loudly all the time it doesn't matter if it's wet or dry and the brakes are lined up perfectly and appear to be new. The brakes are not marking the rim. ...
Pat's user avatar
  • 1
6 votes
3 answers
3k views

Can I combine SRAM Rival 22 Levers and Shimano 105 Rim Brakes?

As the title asks, is it possible to combine SRAM Rival 22 levers (for mechanical rim brakes, of course) with Shimano 105 rim brakes?
engine2 's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
704 views

Removing Magura HS11 rim brake (hydraulic) without quick release lever

My previous Magura HS11 hydraulic rim brakes had q/r levers, but my latest (s/h) Gazelle does not. Which bolt do I remove to remove the brake from the fork to remove/replace the wheel and/or the brake ...
Rog's user avatar
  • 31
6 votes
1 answer
1k views

two grooves in wheel rim

Schwinn midtown bicycle, when replacing brakes I see the wheel has many grooves as shown in picture. I do not remember how it was before. Is this condition normal for the wheel rim? Photo of the old ...
gry2's user avatar
  • 61
0 votes
1 answer
92 views

Using Direct Mount brakes on braze on frame

I've just purchased a frame with a single hole in the middle (of the forks and on the rear bit where the rear brakes mount), and a pair of direct mount rim brakes. I was wondering if there was some ...
flying_loaf_3's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
2k views

Brake cable prevents handlebars from turning

I just got a bike off of Amazon and I'm not sure how well-assembled it is. I can turn the handlebars about 45 degrees to the left hand side. On the right hand side, I can only turn them about 15 ...
Patrick Collins's user avatar