Brakes only lasted 6 months?

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ASC1951

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
I reckon to get at least 2000 miles out of a set of standard Campag road blocks on generally varied riding. That's about eight months for me, but these days I take a bit of stopping.

On my fixed wheel, by contrast, I have done over 3500 miles and am only half way through my first set of blocks.
 

Andy in Sig

Vice President in Exile
k turner said:
should I change to disc brakes? are they easier to change? do they last longer? it just took me 2 hrs to do the front!:wacko:

so I just worked out 720 miles per set.

I've got disc brakes (the hydraulic variant as it happens) and they are brilliant and they seem to last for ever. Changing them is a doddle as you just pull out a pin and slip the new pad in, so there's no problem with aligning the new ones, which is good for me as the one knack I can never get is setting up brakes. They are also more efficient i.e. stop you quicker and work just as well in the wet. Brilliant kit provided they are set up properly by the mechanic when you get them. As you get more familiar with your bike and build up general experience you will be able to make a more informed choice about what your second, better bike should be like. IMO disc brakes should be on the spec.
 
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k turner

k turner

New Member
Location
Sheffield
andy in sig - I thought they might be even worse to look after. I have arthritis in my hands which makes it difficult with fiddly things. The bike shop is 8 miles each way with hills and I cant ride that far, so if I get my mum to take the bike in can I put disc brakes on any bike. I have the appollo 24s, halfords replacement for the first one.

I raised my handlebars last night which they said I couldnt do. They are up about 4 ", much more comfortable, no cramps in my hands today and my elbows and forearms didnt cramp this morning either.

I am going to move my seat more forwards again today, as I did that then moved it back, but find I am constantly sliding forwards on the downhills.

It may come from riding the pony, I just feel more comfortable upright and not slumped forward with all my weight on my hands and arms. I have been having lots of pain and swelling in my hand and elbows in particular since it got colder. I make sure I have my elbows bent to keep my arms soft, that is difficult with weight on them.

Is it practical to try and turn my handlebars round so they are closer to me?
How much are disc brakes including fitting?
Thanks andy you are always so much help.
 
k turner said:
andy in sig - I thought they might be even worse to look after. I have arthritis in my hands which makes it difficult with fiddly things. The bike shop is 8 miles each way with hills and I cant ride that far, so if I get my mum to take the bike in can I put disc brakes on any bike. I have the appollo 24s, halfords replacement for the first one.

I raised my handlebars last night which they said I couldnt do. They are up about 4 ", much more comfortable, no cramps in my hands today and my elbows and forearms didnt cramp this morning either.

I am going to move my seat more forwards again today, as I did that then moved it back, but find I am constantly sliding forwards on the downhills.

It may come from riding the pony, I just feel more comfortable upright and not slumped forward with all my weight on my hands and arms. I have been having lots of pain and swelling in my hand and elbows in particular since it got colder. I make sure I have my elbows bent to keep my arms soft, that is difficult with weight on them.

Is it practical to try and turn my handlebars round so they are closer to me?
How much are disc brakes including fitting?
Thanks andy you are always so much help.

In changing your position on the bike and offering advice about handle bars, it would be useful to see a picture of the bike. Have you got good long sleeved tops/arm warmers/gloves to help keep your extremities warm?

I wouldn't go for disc brakes. A set of pads costs about three times more than a of blocks/cartridges for conventional calliper/vee brakes. I have hyrdraulic disc brakes on my mountain bike and they have worn down considerably on the front despite only occasional use.

And I would rather be wearing brake blocks out instead of rims. Also, I think blocks with softer compounds will stop you faster, but in turn also wear out quicker.

Last time I changed brake blocks, it took me about ten-fifteen minutes. If it is a struggle because of arthritis, do you know anyone who lives near you who is savvy with bikes or a mobile cycle mechanic? Maybe someone on here lives close to you and would be willing to lend you a hand occasionally?

All the best
Ed
 

Andy in Sig

Vice President in Exile
Every test I've ever read has shown disc brakes to have more stopping power than normal brakes and it is worth remembering that the performance of normal brakes deteriorates in the wet and discs don't. 10-15 mins sounds about right for changing brake blocks but I always need another hour to sort of align them again properly. Changing discs takes about 90 secs to 2 mins. And of course with disc brakes their are no implications for wheel rims whatsover other than they last longer.
 

Andy in Sig

Vice President in Exile
k turner said:
andy in sig - I thought they might be even worse to look after. I have arthritis in my hands which makes it difficult with fiddly things. The bike shop is 8 miles each way with hills and I cant ride that far, so if I get my mum to take the bike in can I put disc brakes on any bike. I have the appollo 24s, halfords replacement for the first one.

I find disc brake replacement less fiddly than normal ones but for arthritic hands they could be difficult. Changing mine involves opening a split pin, pulling out the old pad (usually with a pair of pliers) and shoving in the new one ditto and then put the pin back in and spread the ends open. As I can be a bit heavy handed and tend to break the split pins, I bought a box of spare pins from the local DIY place.

I believe there are mounting kits which can be put on bikes which are not already rigged for disc brakes. I haven't a clue how good those kits are, nor do I know how much disc sets cost (mine were on the bike when I got it). Perhaps a quick google on Wiggle? Mickle, who seems to know all things technical inside out, might be worth asking on this.

I think if I were in your shoes, I would tend to stick with the bike I've got while putting away a few quid every month for a new one. By the time you have got the money together you will know exactly what design and spec the new bike must have. At that point you select the model which, within budget fits the bill.

Did you get the gloves thing sorted out by the way?

As for the set up of the bike, it is such a personal thing that you are probably doing the right thing by tweaking as you go along. It might be worth you starting a thread asking for recommendations for bikes with a relatively upright sitting position.
 
I got seven weeks (~450 miles) out of my last set. I put a set of Koolstop Salmon on last weekend .. chuffed to bits I was, did it all myself and I am mechanically inept. They even seem to be working and everything. I might have a bit of a tinker again this weekend as I've got a bit of a squeal at the front .. need a bit more toe-in, methinks.
 
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k turner

k turner

New Member
Location
Sheffield
Yes andy got the gloves sorted out. Use leather ones for norma use, and thick warm ones with marigolds on top for the rain.

I think adding disc brakes to this bike would be too involved. I will save for next summer to change the bike, and consider disc brakes then. I will consider shock absorbers again too, they made the first bike very heavy and without it this one is lighter.

I did the front last night, and will do the back today, I didnt realise I would go through brake pads quicker than tubes, so I have 6 tubes never used and only one set of brake pads which I am changing to now.

I will look for more upright bikes on the internet too. Cant believe they told me the handle bars were fixed. I saw how to do it on Bicycle Tutor and low and behold I had a screw on the top of mine.
 
k turner said:
Yes andy got the gloves sorted out. Use leather ones for norma use, and thick warm ones with marigolds on top for the rain.

I think adding disc brakes to this bike would be too involved. I will save for next summer to change the bike, and consider disc brakes then. I will consider shock absorbers again too, they made the first bike very heavy and without it this one is lighter.

I did the front last night, and will do the back today, I didnt realise I would go through brake pads quicker than tubes, so I have 6 tubes never used and only one set of brake pads which I am changing to now.

I will look for more upright bikes on the internet too. Cant believe they told me the handle bars were fixed. I saw how to do it on Bicycle Tutor and low and behold I had a screw on the top of mine.
Ah, but now you've said that ^, the p******** fairy is on your case. :biggrin:
 
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k turner

k turner

New Member
Location
Sheffield
I was just considering swopping some of them at the shop and immediately stopped mid-thought saying, but then I am bound to get flats.:biggrin:


Some of the uprights have hub brakes which Sheldon says are hard to change, but do they run out so quicklly?
 

dodgy

Guest
Can't believe some people have been through as set of pads/blocks in a day! The pads on my Giant TCR2 lasted 3000 miles and on my MTB the pads in my hydraulic shimano disk setup have lasted about 1500 miles.
 

jimboalee

New Member
Location
Solihull
It seems a bit rotten. The better the brakes are, the more complex they are to repair. I haven't yet ventured into hydraulic disk brakes, and as a car restorer, I don't think I will.
I would have cable-pull disks.

The best brakes I have experienced are the Nexus Roller hub, but there I needed to call on my motorcycle wheelchanging experience to fix a puncture.

Hub brakes are miniature motorbike brakes. Effective, durable but a pig to mess with when a punctu*e happens.
There isn't ( to my knowledge ) a CA, like the AA to call when disaster strikes.:becool:

Maybe I could start a new company. There is a set-up in San Francisco that respond to bicycle breakdowns. There was on Monty Python. :biggrin::biggrin:
 

Andy in Sig

Vice President in Exile
jimboalee said:
It seems a bit rotten. The better the brakes are, the more complex they are to repair. I haven't yet ventured into hydraulic disk brakes, and as a car restorer, I don't think I will.


I was vary wary until I got my bike with hydraulic disc brakes but they are basically fix and forget and just change the pads now and then. The only thing that seems to matter is that the bike shop must correctly position them on first fitting, something which I would not attempt to do myself.
 

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
I've had V-brakes and wore the pads out quite quickly (hills), and didn't clean the rims enough so wore them out in a year (more expensive than brakes pads to replace). I went down the disk brake route hoping they would be better. Well somehow I bent my rotor - so in 8 months I'm on my second rotor and pads (I think it may have been contaminated), it took about an hour of my husband swearing trying to get the pads back in. I think this should get faster the next time hopefully. I think disk brakes are less maintenance on a daily basis but I hate when they squeak/squeal in the rain. And they do stop you better too. Hubby upgraded his bike to disk brakes - it would have been cheaper to buy another bike in the long run but he is using this as a learning experience.

I would go with the suggestion to save up for one with disk brakes on already... use this bike as a learning experience to decide what you want from the next bike. (Plus winter is hard on a bike - more cleaning of the rims needed - the right time for a new bike is after winter!!!)
 
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