Brake advice please

[Wolfie4560]

I'm rebuilding a vintage Coventry Eagle Elite Tourist bike for some weekend camping tours next year and at the moment it has Weinmann 730 sidepull brakes fitted.

I'd like a bit more stopping power if possible so wondered what brakes and blocks would be best. I'm not far from the Peak District so this will probably be my destination and I know how steep some of the hills can be which could be 'interesting' on a laden tourer

 

[davidphilips]

i find duel pivot calipers give great stopping power compared to single pivot or center pull brakes but you may not want to fit more modern brakes if so then swiss stop pads, if you do go for duel pivot calipers just check drop to make sure you use calipers that fit.

 

[Wolfie4560]

i find duel pivot calipers give great stopping power compared to single pivot or center pull brakes but you may not want to fit more modern brakes if so then swiss stop pads, if you do go for duel pivot calipers just check drop to make sure you use calipers that fit.

Thanks for the reply. I'll need deep drop brakes (57mm) so I'll search for dual pivot. Any brands that are better than others?

 

[jim55]

Thanks for the reply. I'll need deep drop brakes (57mm) so I'll search for dual pivot. Any brands that are better than others?

105 calipers and swisstop pads / shoes will give u all the braking u need ,I had some unbranded calipers on the front of my s/s ( I think it was promax ) and u could actually see it flex when u pulled the lever firm , fitted a used 105 caliper 15£ on eBay with pads fitted and it is far better

 

[Wolfie4560]

105 calipers and swisstop pads / shoes will give u all the braking u need ,I had some unbranded calipers on the front of my s/s ( I think it was promax ) and u could actually see it flex when u pulled the lever firm , fitted a used 105 caliper 15£ on eBay with pads fitted and it is far better

105 would be a good choice but I'd have to get older versions due to the recessed bolt fitting. I don't fancy drilling out the mounting holes being a 531 vintage frame.

 

[jim55]

105 would be a good choice but I'd have to get older versions due to the recessed bolt fitting. I don't fancy drilling out the mounting holes being a 531 vintage frame.

My frame was 531c and I had to drill the rear of the fork mount ,wasn't hard it was drilled in seconds as behind the hole there was nothing and there is a hole their already , well worth doing

 

[Wolfie4560]

My frame was 531c and I had to drill the rear of the fork mount ,wasn't hard it was drilled in seconds as behind the hole there was nothing and there is a hole their already , well worth doing

I'll have a look at my frame and forks tomorrow. I'm guessing the holes don't need to be enlarged too much? I'd like to do the rear as well.

 

[jim55]

No ,it's only needing enlarged on one side ( to fit recessed bolt ) it's minimal drilling in a spot you can't really see , the hole is say 4mm and u just enlarge it to 5 I think , took me longer to find a drill bit than it did to drill it

 

[Wolfie4560]

In that case, I'll look online for a brake set and drill once I get the size of the recessed bolt Thank you for the info. Much appreciated

 

[raleighnut]

In that case, I'll look online for a brake set and drill once I get the size of the recessed bolt Thank you for the info. Much appreciated

If you can get 105s with enough drop to fit then there is an easy way to get around fitting the rear caliper, just get a 2nd front one, the only difference between them is the bolt length and the front has a longer bolt in fact long enough to fit through the rear mount and accept a nut on the back (the bolt on a 'rear' caliper is too short and needs the rear brake bridge drilling)
I'd quite happily drill out the back of a steel fork to 8mm to accept the sleeve nut but wouldn't drill the rear brake bridge out as there just isn't enough 'meat' to do it.

 

[uphillstruggler]

any pictures of said bike.

would be good to see what your doing.

 

[Nigeyy]

TBH, i think the first thing you should do is try cleaning your rims, checking your cables and brake setup and then fit other brake pads such as Koolstop Salmons (and I assume Swiss Stops are similar, just not had experience with them). It's a really cheap option, and you'll see if your existing brakes are capable or not. If that doesn't work then.....

FWIW, I have center pull brakes on my old Raleigh Supercourse. While I still don't think they are as good as good quality dual pivots -and I'd also recommend you go with those if you can -they are reasonable once I put in Koolstop Salmons and a brake lever with slightly longer pull (still a short pull lever, but longer pull than some other short pull Shimano levers I had). Again, not as good as dual pivots, but an option if you want to try to retain a more period look.

+1 for measuring the drop as well! You can also get some long reach dual pivots as well (google "Shimano long reach dual pivot brakes" and you'll get some listings).

i find duel pivot calipers give great stopping power compared to single pivot or center pull brakes but you may not want to fit more modern brakes if so then swiss stop pads, if you do go for duel pivot calipers just check drop to make sure you use calipers that fit.

 

[Wolfie4560]

any pictures of said bike.

would be good to see what your doing.

This is the bike in question 'as bought'. It's now stripped to commence rebuilding and to get rid of the godawful lug lining

Originality isn't top of my criteria as I'd rather have a safe, reliable touring bike so a triple chainset and possibly bar end changers are earmarked. I'll stick with friction shifting just because I actually miss it after riding indexed for so long

 

[User169]

Velo Orange Grand Cru - loads of stopping power!