Brake pad orientation

[sotal]

Just got back from my first test ride since assembling my old frame with new tiagra 4700 components.

I've noticed that I fitted the pads on the front upside down compared to the rear. I presume the rear is correct as the writing is the wrong way round. The only thing is that the pads don't fit very well the correct way round on the front.

Is it ok to have them this way up?

Front ones look like this...


The rear ones look like this...

 

[fossyant]

Nope . You'll end up rubbing the tyre, so flip them

 

[AndyRM]

You've got it right on the rear ones.

 

[Sharky]

+1
In what way dont they fit properly?

 

[sotal]

+1
In what way dont they fit properly?

With them the correct way up this is where they sit when set at the lowest possible setting

 

[fossyant]

Try a different pad, or undo the bolt on the fork crown to see if the calliper will drop down a little. Most likely the pad.

 

[Sharky]

Silly suggestion, but is the wheel fully in the fork ends? I had one wheel/fork combination that needed a bit of filing to make it fit snugly.

 

[sotal]

Silly suggestion, but is the wheel fully in the fork ends? I had one wheel/fork combination that needed a bit of filing to make it fit snugly.

Yes, it has quite pronounced lips, so you can't get it in the wrong place. It is also the original wheel that came with the frame / fork.

 

[Sharky]

Just to recap then, the frame and forks are old and the brake calipers are new.
Do you still have the original brake calipers? Is the drop different?

I think you just have to accept that you really needed a longer drop brake caliper for the front. You might be able to file the calipers a little to get an extra mm drop. If the brake shoes work upside down and no rubbing against the tyre, then I guess it is safe to use them like that, as long as you keep an eye on future wear and tyre rub. You could cut the fin off to mitigate against future rubbing.

Hope it works out OK.

 

[Ajax Bay]

This issue: the 'drop' the calipers offered: is why I didn't swap my RX100 calipers for shiny new (to me) 105s on a steel frame/fork: the drop was just not quite enough. The OP has exactly this problem. Are the brakes any better than the old ones? Best not to have the blocks threatening the tyre wallls, especially if the tyres are Continentals - on thread?

 

[sotal]

Yes, the frame and fork and wheels are original.

I still have the old front brakes. The brakes do feel better in the one ride I have used them, although the old ones weren't bad in the dry (they were useless in the wet though).

I originally want going to swap the brakes but I read that the pull ratio was different for the new shifters, so I needed to change them. The rear caliper has room to spare on the drop but the fronts are just that bit too tight and I'm always a bit worried after I had a blow out on the rear down a steep hill when the rear brake pad had become misaligned and rubbed through the sidewall. They don't half go with a bang!

They are gatorskin tyres.

Upside down seems to work fine and they don't have a bevelled leading edge like some so I don't think it would make much difference. The fin is miles off the tyre at the moment but will obviously get closer as it wears. I am tempted to just cut the fin off. Any ideas on what its purpose is?

 

[fossyant]

The fin just helps you locate the wheel better as you insert it. That's it.

 

[rogerzilla]

The old pads may have been thicker.

Some old-style brakes (like Dia-Compe 750 centrepulls) need really thick pads so that (a) the pads hit the rims squarely and (b) the brake has sufficient mechanical advantage.

 

[bikingdad90]

Can you flip the little concave/convex washer round to see if it will give you the extra mm or two you need?

 

[sotal]

Can you flip the little concave/convex washer round to see if it will give you the extra mm or two you need?

Only the first war is concave, if I turn that round nothing sits nicely.

I just got the old caliper out, interestingly the pads were on the lowest position on the original stock caliper. The drop appears to be the same on the new and old calipers.

I tried the old pads in the new calipers and they fit ok. I think they fit because the pad isn't quite as wide where it hits the rim. So the bottom edge is in the same place but the top edge is fractionally lower.

So I'm left with the following options...

1. Trim off the fins on the new pads and fit them upside down.

2. File the slotted hole an extra mm or 2 on the new calipers too slow the new pads to sit slightly lower.

3. Buy new pads for the old calipers and fit them to the new ones. I didn't like the current ones, they are half worn and although they work fine in the dry, they just created a paste in the wet.

I'm edging towards option 2. I don't like option 3 as the pads look out of place in Chrome holders that don't match the rest. Option 1 might confuse me when I forget about it and fit new pads in the future 🤣. Option 2 gives an easy permanent option to just forget.