by "DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
Published 05/10/2017 at 22:22
by "DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
Published 05/10/2017 at 22:22
Tags: Bikelopnik
STARS: 2
And expect more posts about it than Zoidberg’s Celica! :)
Just kidding, I don’t have that kind of creativity.
Anyway. So i replaced the front intertube today. My mom had one she bought for my sister to replace it with, but she never did. At least now I have an official claim to the ownership of the bike, huzzah!
It was an OEM part too!
Well that was easy. After a test ride I found the brakes, one front and one rear, were dragging.
Any adjustments to the caliper(?) wouldn’t stay after applying the brakes. I tried adjusting the cable itself, since it was catty wompous, between the left and right calipers, and I found this.
So I’m going to visit the bike shop tomorrow and see if I can order two more cables. Since the front and rear brakes look identical and the rear probably has the same issue. I left it intact for reference while working on the front.
Random conclusions.
My stupid self finally looked at the badge and it’s a Mesa Runner. I still know nothing about that model, but now I can google more effectively.
Second. The handle bar grips are as awesome and comfy as they look.
Lastly, it much more enjoyable working on things as simple as a bike. Not having to pour through forums, YouTube videos, and repair manuals to see how to do something. It’s all just out in the open and fairly intuitive. Even though this is my first time working on a bike in ages it already feels like I’m actually pretty competent at this lol.
"benjrblant" (benjblant)
05/10/2017 at 22:29, STARS: 0
Be sure to specify MTN brake cables as road ones are different. I’d recommend replacing the brake pads- those are some old school cantilever brakes.
"DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
05/10/2017 at 22:31, STARS: 0
Just the pads or the whole “caliper” system?
"benjrblant" (benjblant)
05/10/2017 at 22:34, STARS: 2
Just the pads. They should be relatively inexpensive, under $10/pair. Looks like this guy:
Arguably brand is less important. Anything will stop better than 30 year old rubber.
"SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media" (silentbutnotreallydeadly)
05/10/2017 at 22:35, STARS: 1
Cantilever brakes! Great fun....adjusting them is an artform but when they work they work really well for a rim brake.
Grab some new pads, two new straddle cables (the short cables that connect the left and right calipers) and new front and rear brake cables (mountain cables as benjrblant says, they have different lever ends to road brake cables and can be thicker too).
You could also replace the old canti’s with Shimano XT V-Brakes for about $20 per end. Easier to adjust and perform just as well as the canti’s.
"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
05/10/2017 at 22:36, STARS: 1
The Schwinndle.
"facw" (facw)
05/10/2017 at 22:38, STARS: 0
That cable fraying on the brakes is why that type of caliper isn’t used anymore. There’s the risk that if one of those snaps, then the whole thing falls into the wheel and gets hooked on your knobby tire leading to badness.
Still if you replace the cables they should be fine. The shifters likely need new cables as well, though you should check if the derailleurs move freely, and move when you manually move the cable.
"DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
05/10/2017 at 22:42, STARS: 0
Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner!!!
"DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
05/10/2017 at 22:43, STARS: 0
They move, but the chain doesn’t. Although I did this while stationary. I can’t remember if you have to be moving to shift a bike or not. It’s been a few years lol.
"facw" (facw)
05/10/2017 at 22:50, STARS: 1
The chain has to be moving (and moving in the normal forward direction). Doesn’t matter what the bike is doing. If the derailleurs move but the chain does not, you check the adjuster screws, though I’d expect it to shift at least a little bit if that were the problem.
"facw" (facw)
05/11/2017 at 00:21, STARS: 0
Don’t the v-brakes need different brake handles as well? My recollection is that there is a difference in mechanical advantage between the two.
"SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media" (silentbutnotreallydeadly)
05/11/2017 at 08:28, STARS: 0
Nope. Well at least not in my experience. There is a difference between canti and caliper style brakes but not so much between C’s and V’s.
"facw" (facw)
05/11/2017 at 09:10, STARS: 0
I probably got my info from here:
People with brake problems often think that they need more “power,” when they actually need less! In particular, when modern low-profile cantilever brakes are used with drop-bar type brake levers, the combination produces excessive mechanical advantage. This problem also arises when using direct-pull cantilevers (such as Shimano’s “V-Brakes”) with levers made for other brakes.
If there is too much mechanical advantage, the lever will be all-too-easy to pull, but it will run out of travel and bump up against the handlebar before the brake is fully applied. Once the lever hits the handlebar, it doesn’t matter how much harder you squeeze! If you try to correct this by tightening up the cable, you will wind up with the brake shoes too close to the rim when at rest, which will cause them to rub, especially if the wheel isn’t perfectly true.
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/rim-brakes.html#ma
"SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media" (silentbutnotreallydeadly)
05/11/2017 at 18:21, STARS: 1
And that’s right. Trusty Sheldon. But in OPs case... he’s got cantilever brakes and long pull levers so he could run Vs no problems.
You can run Vs on short pull drop bar brake levers but only if you also use a leverage doubling widget from Problem Solvers. I’ve done it and they work really well.