[G-Cracker]

Hey all...

I've been training for the Kansas City MS 150 coming up in early September, and up unti now I've been riding on my knobbies. I recently purchased a set of wheels, skewers, a cassette and some semi-slicks so I could have easily interchange my "road" wheels and my knobbies depending on what I needed.

I finally got all the parts yesterday and assembled my road set, then put them on my bike (97 Raleigh M7000 double-shkwishy "TANK"). I love the new road wheels except it seems they are slightly thinner than my original wheels.... which means my brakes are not quite adjusted correctly.

The brakes work and stop the bike, but I've really got to pull on them to get it to stop. I don't like the difference between the two wheelsets.

My question... (is there) and what is the best way to adjust the brakes so I can still easily swap my road/offroad wheelsets without spending an hour adjusting the brakes every time?

The brakes are Shimano STX center-pull.

Thanks , monkeys!

 

[MikeD]

Get discs. With identical hubs/rotors on both wheels. Seriously, it's the best way.

Without that, there's no quick fix I know of that will let you instantly adjust your brakes to a new wheel...simply using the barrel adjuster *might* get them close enough to use, but I can't imagine you haven't tried that.

Maybe there's a brand of v-brake that's got an easier method of pad adjustment than your current cantis?? My old ones were pretty easy to adjust compared the the hokey method on my cantis... roughly align pads, center brake, loosen the pads a bit, squeeze brake, tighten pads, let brake go and then just fine-adjust from there.

Sorry I don't have any real advice except new brakes and hubs (and thus a new wheelbuild and probably frame if you're on a frame from the canti-brake era!!)

MD

 

[BikeGeek]

Are the brake pads out of alignment with the new rims or are they just too far away?
If the only problem is that they are too far away, I think your easiest/cheapest fix is to shorten the "yoke" that the brake cable pulls on. I colored it red in this picture. To shorten it, loosen the circled bolt, pull some cable through, and re-tighten the bolt. I usually make sure that the barrel adjuster on the brake lever is somewhere in the middle of it's adjustment range so I can adjust a little in (pads farther from rim) or out (pads closer to rim) as needed. When you put your knobbies back on, just readjust the "yoke" to where it was.

 

[MikeD]

But by shortening that yoke or dialing in the barrel adjust, you're going to swing the pads around their axis of movement, not move them straight inboard...so they'll be out of alignment (top edge closer than the bottom) when they contact the rim.

That does give me an idea, though!

MAGURA HYRAULIC RIM BRAKES!!! Bet you can scare up a pair very cheaply. (HS33 system)

The pads on these move straight in and out via a dial, so it'd be dirt-simple to readjust them, and you can get a set that'll mount on canti posts....

Unconventional solution, but it's the best thought I've had yet...

MD

 

[BikeGeek]

Originally posted by MikeD
But by shortening that yoke or dialing in the barrel adjust, you're going to swing the pads around their axis of movement, not move them straight inboard...so they'll be out of alignment (top edge closer than the bottom) when they contact the rim.

Good point, I hadn't thought of that.

 

[speedbump]

Rather than going crazy buying new brakes, it may be cheaper to replace the wheels (or at least rims) you bought with ones that are a similar width to your off road pair. Same rim width=no need to adjust brakes!

 

[MikeD]

I dunno...a used pair of HS33s shouldn't be more than $100 or so...cheaper than new wheels or a rims, spokes, and rebuild...plus they're a lot better than cantis!!

MD

 

[speedbump]

You're right about the HS33 option. I was posting more in reference to the disc option. His bike is from '97 and is unlikely to have disc mounts anyway.

 

[G-Cracker]

Thanks for all the advice, everyone. I wish I could get disks, but my old bike isn't set up for it... so that's a huge expense, even as cool as it would be. I'd like to invest in a front fork sometime soon, but can't do much without the proper mounting area on the the frame of the bike (can I?) *sigh*

For now, I've resigned myself to this problem and have been adjusting and fine-tweaking the brakes for the past hour. I pulled the cable in a bit, then loosened up and realigned the pads so they contact the rim correctly. (That was a good move because they were all glazed over, too.) I scuffed them up and put everything back together.

Since I won't be putting my knobbies on anytime soon, I'll just readjust when I do and maybe invest in some better wheels that are the same width.

Thanks again....

 

[MikeD]

G, if your cantis rely on the ridiculous method of adjusting pad position that the ones in the pic do (turning the body to adjust toe in/toe out) I'd suggest a nice new cheap set of Avid brakes and levers to make the pad adjustment that much easier, and getting awesome rim-braking power to boot.

MD

 

[G-Cracker]

MikeD... yep, they are. Here's a pic of the same STX on my bike. I agree that I need better stopping power and that's on my list of things to do.

Magura, huh? Just did a search on ebay... that looks like an interesting option... thanks for the tidbit!