Forum

[MadMike]

Les one of the reasons for skimming the linings and hub is to ensure that they both perfectly match each other. This will maximise the lining contact area from the very beginning. In addition it also ensures that any malformation (good word if you play scrabble) of the hub due to wear, the wheel builders art or both is eliminated. Has anybody ever checked the roundness of their brake drum? I did once and was stunned at how far out it was.

However in order for the now round hub and linings to work correctly it is essential that they are centralised when the wheel is fitted. The wheel bearings will be a precise fit on the spindle but the brake plate will almost certainly have a clearance hole around the spindle. Centralisation is normally done by lifting the front wheel clear of the ground, spinning the wheel as as fast as possible and applying the front brake hard and fast. Continue to hold the lever very tightly when tightening the wheel spindle and any pinch bolts and/or torque arm fixings. Some people even have an additional .020 to .030 skimmed out of the central hole in the brake plate to ensure the centralisation can be achieved.

The efficiency of twin leaders is also dependent upon getting the adjustment of the operating arms absolutely spot on. HTH.

[Riggers]

Many, many thanks guys for all your (VERY helpful) comments. Taking onboard all that has been said I think I'll give the bedding-in process a little longer to produce results. I shall be doing another few hundred miles this weekend, so I'll see what happens after that. When I installed the said 'improvements' I was careful to ensure that all was properly greased, oiled (where appropriate!) and correctly adjusted. I'll post on this again in a while and let y'all know how things are going (hopefully not from a hospital bed!).

[Peter 53]

Riggers - I too have had bad luck with my TLS front brake no matter what I did, and I have recently changed the complete front end so now I have a disc and I can stop!

Regarding the MOT, I was also surprised that mine passed in its original state last December.
Whilst the front wheel was on the roller, the MOT tester told me that the test speed was 5 miles per hour - any faster and I'm sure it would have been a fail.

Does that make a mockery of the whole MOT test?

[Alan R]

Hello PETER 53}--------- my understanding of the brake test within the MoT system is that the retarding force supplied by the brakes must be at a certain % of the vehicle's measured weight. That's why they weigh them first, then test the brakes on a "Rolling Road". Have a look at this }--google}--VOSA Form VT40M----and scroll to the very bottom.-------- They then record the actual efficiency. This may not be the very latest form now in use but it does give an insight as to what's required. For the likes of a motorised push-bike ( Aren't they all, really?) or mopeds, autocycles etc. then the examiner is allowed discretion as to how best determine the brakes performance. These days they DO NOT take bikes out for a road run----Insurance, H&S, your permission needed etc has stopped all that. I don't know where that 5 mph comes from,---our roller tester ran at a set RPM. Be seeing you-----------

[John J]

Is there a general opinion out there that copper grease is best for brake cam/shaft and for pivots and shoe faces.

[Alan R]

Hi JON J---------- that's what I use BUT SPARINGLY !! You don't want any on the linings now, do you ?? That would give the old Cardio-Vascular system a good work-out, I think !! Just make sure each sub-assembly of the brake set-up is free to turn / move/ pull etc. as you build and that there are no snags / tight bends on the cables or rodding. Also remember that any NYLON LINED cables must NOT be lubed with WD40 or traditional oils but with a silicone-type spray. Maybe a piece of red heat-shrink on the end of that type of cable to remind you ??

[trevorch]

Even when my TLS was well set up, it was not great, so needed to be quick through the gears and funnily enough, the rear brake was good enough to lock up on a dry road. Could not compare with hydraulic disc brake.
If the MOT specifies say 30% of weight, then with a 180kg bike plus 90kg rider, the retarding force on the from wheel would be 81kgf or 27 kgfm (265 Nm). Since with a fixed maximum squeeze on the break lever, the torque would be the same at any speed, the stopping distance increases proportionately to the square of the speed. Nothing you can do about it except get a better brake or think further ahead the faster you ride with a SLS or TLS or even a disc.
Cheers Trevor

[John L]

John J -
Personally, I would never use "copper grease" on a mechanical brake assembly. There are various types available, but I believe most are intended as "anti-seize" assembly compound rather than lubricant. As it tends to dry out over time, it can actually gum things up rather than lubricate, anyway.
What's wrong with using proper "brake grease" intended for mechanical brake assemblies ?
Alan R - My Bullet doesn't have any nylon-lined cables, but some of my other bikes do; I've always used light oil to lube them, and have been for 35+ years. Not had a problem yet. Incidentally, Venhill (probably the largest supplier of nylon-lined cables) recommends for their cables cleaning by spraying through with WD40, followed by lubing with light oil.

[Alan R]

Hello JOHN L ----What actually constitutes "proper brake grease" ?? Could you give JOHN J some commercial names to look for ?? I tend to use either the copper-slip or graphite grease types mixed with a small drop of an EP oil on the main pivot pin/bush within the backplate for exactly the reason you say ie anti-seize, and just a VERY thin smear ( without the oil ) on the shoe/cam contact faces. Re} Nylon-lined cables,-ah well,there you go then. Hoisted by my own petard, yet again. I'm always amongst the first to say that practical experience outweighs whatever the scholastic theologian might like to proffer. It's just that I'm sure somewhere down the mists of time that piece of info came to me from an equally authorative source---Johnson Cables I think. However I still stand by my comment that you don't use WD40 and the like for actual LUBRICATION as it is by nature a solvent. Have a look at this }-------------http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SILKOLENE-SIL ... 055480?pt= ------------ I've not tried it yet but others say it's just the ticket for nylon-lined cables ( Cyclist etc.). Finally, I can't tell you the actual heavy-duty grease I use on my outside trunnions,links etc as it also does the same job on MBT's---APC's,---Land Rovers, whose owner paint them in a drab olive colour. Cheers----------

[John L]

Alan R -
Brake grease : I have "Girling Mechanical Brake" grease on 2 different part nos. and I have in the past used Castrol PH grease.
I expect these may be long-since obsolete as nearly all my workshop consumables are donkey's years old; I'm too tight to keep buying new materials unless I absolutely have to. (We can't all blag stuff from the MOD, you know.......)
However, there should be modern/current alternatives, (I would have thought).
The requirement is for a HMP grease that stays greasy/slippery even after it has dried out with age, brake dust, moisture, etc.
Maybe if "brake" grease isn't available, something like Castrol MS3 would fill the bill. (Don't know, as I haven't tried it)