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Post by lellow on Feb 24, 2006 18:32:16 GMT 8
I'm using v-brakes on my bike to save weight but I feel like I have to grip really hard (since I'm only using one finger) to get them to lock even for a manual. I just cleaned the rims and it helped a bit but what brake pads should I use to get it really stiff?
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Post by lellow on Feb 24, 2006 18:32:36 GMT 8
I mean what are you all using?
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Lance_R_evo
All-Mountain Rider
GT is Da Bomb!!!!
Posts: 176
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Post by Lance_R_evo on Feb 24, 2006 18:43:48 GMT 8
what V-brakes do you use? even my shimano acera V-brakes locks really hard with just one finger....endos and pull-ups easily done.
Your's might just be set-up wrong.
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Post by konablack on Feb 24, 2006 20:14:24 GMT 8
Tips:
1. put oil on the brake cable regularly like for once a week, so when you pull the brake lever, it travels smoothly...
2. Clean the brake pads regularly too...
if it's old replace it...
3. If you want, you could put brake boosters so you could maximize the stopping power of the v-brake...
4. I was onto v-brakes a couple of years ago, if it's setup nicely, it would do just fine...
like what Lance_R_revo said its on the set up of your v-brake according to your preferences...
right now i'm currently onto disc brakes...
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Post by lellow on Feb 25, 2006 10:06:43 GMT 8
Thanx for the tips. I'm using the pads that came with the system. It also came with these double A battery looking things that say "power modulators" on the side, is this what you're talking about... boosters? I don't know what you call them. I'll consider replacing them.
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Post by lellow on Feb 25, 2006 10:08:21 GMT 8
the brakes are shimano by the way, I just let the lbs slap em on because I didn't know which ones to get, the plan was to go disc after saving up but I decided against it because of the weight.
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Post by Patrick on Feb 25, 2006 13:11:32 GMT 8
go get a brake booster, they look like horse shoe thingies that prevents your vbrakes from flexing.
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hance
Free Rider
My personal tattoo artist.
Posts: 389
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Post by hance on Feb 25, 2006 18:09:54 GMT 8
Thanx for the tips. I'm using the pads that came with the system. It also came with these double A battery looking things that say "power modulators" on the side, is this what you're talking about... boosters? I don't know what you call them. I'll consider replacing them. The battery looking things are modulators, remove them if you want more power or if you want your brakes to lock better. |
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Post by mountguitars on Feb 25, 2006 18:59:42 GMT 8
even the ordinary MOB pads work fine. i don't even use the boosters. check for the correct setup or visit your nearest LBS if you've done everything you can. good luck brad.
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Post by lellow on Feb 27, 2006 10:35:47 GMT 8
go get a brake booster, they look like horse shoe thingies that prevents your vbrakes from flexing. Patrick: horse shoe thingies? what if I wanna ride natural will they get in the way? On my very first ride in Maarat it rained bullets. My tires were severely locking up because of the mud between the bakes and the rims. As in when we stopped every 5min, I had to remove pounds of muck off of them with a stick. Will the brake boosters make it even worse? Thanx in advance. Hance: I'm going to remove the modulators today, thanx for that tip. |
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Post by the D. on Feb 27, 2006 11:43:02 GMT 8
most BMX freestylers put " saing " on their rims.
this gives extra stoping power (sticky) on the brakes,
you can get them at a regular " Palengke " or
at Arman's bike shop at North bay, Navotas.
it only cost 5 pesos
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Post by lellow on Feb 27, 2006 13:27:43 GMT 8
what exactly is saing?
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Post by maxbuwaya on Feb 27, 2006 15:42:54 GMT 8
maybe you should use two fingers
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Post by anthrax76 on Feb 27, 2006 16:03:49 GMT 8
if you're going offroad a lot, you might want to consider shifting to discs. if not, hmm...yeah, check the setup of V-brakes. i've used both cantilever and V-brakes and no problems. there's a trick by trials riders at the X-games. they put tar on the rims. then again that's trials, i don't think you need that much stopping power. you might travel more than the bike every time you press the lever, he he he  |
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Post by konablack on Feb 27, 2006 16:50:20 GMT 8
the only downside of using tar is that they are hard to clean and it is an extra work for you...
about the brake boosters, i think they would also serve a purpose of blocking mud?!?
they don't get in the way when youre riding natural trials, your brake would look like the magura hs 33 without the hydros hehehe
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Post by lellow on Feb 27, 2006 18:40:17 GMT 8
Max: I can do it with two fingers hahaha but thanx
Anthrax: I considered that but I just don't have the budget right now plus my frame isnt disc capable so dagdag gastos pa for adapter then hubs pa and whatnot, its making my head hurt but yes eventually I think I'll get em.
Kona: eww tar hehe maybe eventually
Patrick: Do you know a mechanic named Bicol? Your name came up when I mentioned trials or maybe that was another patrick.
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Post by anthrax76 on Feb 28, 2006 14:51:19 GMT 8
lellow, yeah, best you can do now is brake boosters. unless you want to upgrade to ceramic rims, but you'll need to change your brake pads too.
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Lance_R_evo
All-Mountain Rider
GT is Da Bomb!!!!
Posts: 176
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Post by Lance_R_evo on Feb 28, 2006 20:00:08 GMT 8
I used to use tar on my BMX too back then...might not look good, but does the job for one finger braking.....
especially in trials, the more fingers on the bar, the better....
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Post by Patrick on Feb 28, 2006 20:30:16 GMT 8
Patrick: Do you know a mechanic named Bicol? Your name came up when I mentioned trials or maybe that was another patrick. : I dont know any mech by that name, from which LBS? If you ride on wet conditions you may want to shift to diskbrakes, the reason most trial bike uses rim brakes is probably of the diskbrake tabs (fear they might give) & weight. I would shift to maguras(HS33, hydraulic rim brakes) if I can afford them. I just wont bike in the rain. |
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Post by konablack on Feb 28, 2006 20:33:09 GMT 8
Patrick: Do you know a mechanic named Bicol? Your name came up when I mentioned trials or maybe that was another patrick. : I dont know any mech by that name, from which LBS? If you ride on wet conditions you may want to shift to diskbrakes, the reason most trial bike uses rim brakes is probably of the diskbrake tabs (fear they might give) & weight. I would shift to maguras(HS33, hydraulic rim brakes) if I can afford them. I just wont bike in the rain. let me know if you buy one, I'll use the front and the rear is yours... |
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Post by gilbs72 on Feb 28, 2006 20:33:11 GMT 8
I'm changing my opinion of brake boosters (the horseshoe shaped frame reinforcements). I learned a lot about this braking issue from fellow PMTBers and from actual experience.
I actually still have the booster on my rear, but I feel I don't need them. As we brake hard to stop, all weight shifts forward due to momentum. As this happens our rear brake approaches uselessness. It eventually locks up but simply because your weight has shifted to the front wheel and your rear is approaching "lift". So naturally, it will lock up (with a little 'skidding').
Maybe boosters will contribute a bit if you have an old frame which flexes as your brakes push back against the rim (specially flexier steel, cr-mo tubes... maybe titanium) but as I mentioned, the rear brakes don't really stop you but only useful for speed control or as secondary brakes.
On the other hand, having the boosters in front is redundant since most forks already have a rigid bridge right where the boosters should be.
Just check the setup or have competent mechanic check them. My brakes aren't even genuine Shimano. Just 'GTS' (Taiwan stuff) paired with Acera levers. They always locked up (front/rear) even before the boosters came on. I'd probably rather invest in wheels with better braking surface. For regular vees (non-ceramic) I recommend the Mavic X221 with machined braking surface... mine also has a large groove in the middle which I dunno what for--maybe for drainage.
I've also been looking for KoolStop brake pads which a lot of people in MTBR.com swear by. They supposedly use some effective rubber compounds. Still haven't found them here. Those might help too but I can't comment.
If I were you, once I get my brakes braking hard, I would put back the modulators (battery looking stuff) up front. Like ABS in cars, they should help keep you from locking up your front--with you and the rest of your bike flying over the front wheel! Something I unfortunately experienced a couple of times already. Anyway, just like the logic of ABS (anti-lock brake systems), lockups aren't supposed to help you stop.
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Post by konablack on Feb 28, 2006 20:35:10 GMT 8
or better, get the magura HS 33 if you can afford it hehehehe
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Post by gilbs72 on Feb 28, 2006 21:04:21 GMT 8
or better, get the magura HS 33 if you can afford it hehehehe Hehehe... after disc brakes went mainstream, I dunno the logic of the Magura hyrdaulic vees anymore. Heavy and expensive. If I can afford the Maguras, then I could probably afford Shimano Disc Brakes na din. Anyone can help me figure this one out?  |
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P-jhay
Free Rider
~ Shred Lang Ng Shred ~
Posts: 342
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Post by P-jhay on Feb 28, 2006 21:39:12 GMT 8
Max: I can do it with two fingers hahaha but thanx Anthrax: I considered that but I just don't have the budget right now plus my frame isnt disc capable so dagdag gastos pa for adapter then hubs pa and whatnot, its making my head hurt but yes eventually I think I'll get em. Kona: eww tar hehe maybe eventually Patrick: Do you know a mechanic named Bicol? Your name came up when I mentioned trials or maybe that was another patrick. lellow
nice to hear about Bicol. yeah, he's a mechanic
of G-Project Bikez bike shop d2 sa Cainta.
You can approach him to fix your bike. He's good and friendly.
Bigyan mo lang ng softdrinks at hansel biscuit! ;D |
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P-jhay
Free Rider
~ Shred Lang Ng Shred ~
Posts: 342
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Post by P-jhay on Feb 28, 2006 21:41:28 GMT 8
and I already heard about Patrick, an 8 or 10 yr old kid BMXer..
am i right?
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hance
Free Rider
My personal tattoo artist.
Posts: 389
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Post by hance on Mar 1, 2006 0:21:07 GMT 8
First off, remove the power modulators as I posted earlier. As their name says, they were designed to modulate and to prevent unnecessary lockups especially during hard braking. However, since you're into trials (based on your previous posts/threads), you need to lock up your wheels firmly and frequently, thus, the power modulators should be removed.
Make sure your rims and pads are free from oil, grease and muck.
V-brakes are powerful as they are regardless of the brand of pads used. I used to have Alivio Vbrakes with cheap MOB pads and I could set them up powerful with one finger braking.
Also, rim brakes are still ideal over disc brakes if you're heavily into trials, otherwise, weigh which option would benefit you more.
Regarding the brake boosters, check your seatstays first if they flex when you brake hard. If they don't, then you would'nt gain any significant amount of braking power when using one. If your seatstays do flex, brake boosters would help.
Regarding the tar usage, unless you're an expert/advanced trials rider, tar is overkill.
Bottomline, before opting to any radical solution, check first if your V's are set up properly. Check if the pads are parallel to the rims and if your cables still run smooth, friction robs a lot of braking power. I used to have Vbrakes set up such that they overpower most of my friends' disk brakes when dry. When wet or covered in mud, well, that's another story.
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Post by Patrick on Mar 2, 2006 18:44:28 GMT 8
guys putting lube in your cables are not recommended, i believe your not suppose to do that. Maybe because dust and grime will accumulate and cause the opposite effect. Get a teflon lined cable.
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hance
Free Rider
My personal tattoo artist.
Posts: 389
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Post by hance on Mar 3, 2006 1:05:59 GMT 8
Oops my bad. I too prefer not to lube cables, although I used to - long ago (unless you're using the "local" variety housings). Edit ko na lang my previous post...
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Post by konablack on Mar 3, 2006 14:47:16 GMT 8
I'm thingking of trying v brakes again?!?!?
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Post by Patrick on Apr 23, 2006 23:42:03 GMT 8
saw an article in a recent MBAction :How to make your rim brakes a 26" diskbrake (not the exact words since I only read it briefly) Anyway its about the Nokon cable housing see a review here reviews.southerndownhill.com/html/Nokon.html |
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