by "The AE86 of Mt. Akina (Hachi)" (theae86)
Published 06/20/2017 at 10:30
by "The AE86 of Mt. Akina (Hachi)" (theae86)
Published 06/20/2017 at 10:30
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STARS: 1
So quick run down of the bike
- Trek Singletrack MTB frame from circa 1995
- Mission bar stem/handle bars
- Cool as hell white walls
- Single speed conversion
- Odi grips
I’m a newbie to bikes, but I love this thing already. I’m not sure why there’s no front brake, but the rear brake works fine (albeit spongy), so I’m not gonna complain.
"razorbeamteam" (razorbeamteam)
06/20/2017 at 10:40, STARS: 1
Cool bike, looks like someone set it up like a big BMX. I’d get a front brake though, that’s what does most of your stopping.
"benjrblant" (benjblant)
06/20/2017 at 10:41, STARS: 1
That would be killer for bike polo.
"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
06/20/2017 at 10:46, STARS: 2
The spongy rear brakes could be two things:
- Hard pads
- Worn out cable.
With V-brakes I’d suspect the pads more than the cable, just because you don’t need to put as much strain on the cable to do the same job as the old caliper-style. Still, the rear brakes are never as effective as the front brakes and more strain could have been put on it since there IS no front brake, especially if the pads are old. At least change the pads and see if that helps—personally I’d change the cable as well. I’ve had two old cables go on me before—same bike—and they do give a squishy feeling when they’re old or overworked and ready to snap. I had two functional brakes at the time of failure—you’ve only got one. Change the cable.
You really should add the front brake too. I can see the studs for either a V or Cantilever setup. Probably V, as that’s whay it on the back. It’s not a hard job, and the front usually takes most of the strain--it’ll still be supplying braking force when the back is sliding.
"The AE86 of Mt. Akina (Hachi)" (theae86)
06/20/2017 at 10:46, STARS: 0
Thanks!
Yeah, that’s what the previous owner intended it to be. He did a really good job, pictures don’t do it justice. Cool dude.
Definitely considering a front brake though.
"The AE86 of Mt. Akina (Hachi)" (theae86)
06/20/2017 at 10:53, STARS: 1
Thanks!
I think it’s the pads, it’s spongy in that it stops but the last 2mph I need to flintstone stop it. What should I go with in terms of brake pads?
"GTI Sprinks" (gtisprinks)
06/20/2017 at 10:59, STARS: 1
Looks like an old bike polo bike if i’m honest (spoken as someone who plays bike polo). Other’s suggest bmx, but i say nay, bike polo. And used by a left hander if i had to guess. Low gear-ratio, v-brakes on a bike that previous likely came with cantilever brakes (per the era). One brake, for the non-dominant hand to control the brake while the dominant hand swings. I’d wager this was either a beginner’s bike or someone who played years ago and has since given up the sport, as most of the sport has moved back to front brake setups following a slew of dual brake setups (one lever controlled front and rear). Where ya located, i could probably even tell you whose it was.
"The AE86 of Mt. Akina (Hachi)" (theae86)
06/20/2017 at 11:00, STARS: 0
Phoenix
"GTI Sprinks" (gtisprinks)
06/20/2017 at 11:04, STARS: 0
Oh then it’s definitely a polo bike without question. The arizona bike polo scene was a bit of an amazing thing for a while. They evolved in their own bubble, mostly playing grass bike polo. They did well with the migration to hardcourt bike polo too.
Rear brakes were common on grass setups so you could whip the tail around and slide a bit easier. Locking it up wasn’t a disaster on slick surfaces (as opposed to front wheel lockups would tend to cause a player to dab). When hardcourt rose in popularity, front brakes dominated as loss of traction was less an issue.
"GTI Sprinks" (gtisprinks)
06/20/2017 at 11:05, STARS: 1
Exactly what it is.
"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
06/20/2017 at 11:06, STARS: 1
KoolStop Salmon comes highly recommended, although I run KoolStop Reds on my mountain bike and Blacks on my road bike.
http://www.koolstop.com/english/compounds.html
"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
06/20/2017 at 11:09, STARS: 0
Could be... in any case you can see what sort of difference the pads make and go from there. Definitely get that front brake though. It’s good to have a backup plan.
As far as what pads to get, I honestly don’t really know. I have a small local bike shop that I trust to recommend quality parts for me when I need them, I’ve never troubled myself too much about brands.
What I can say is, take an old pad off first when you go to buy new ones--there’s clamp-in pads and bolt-in pads.
There’s also pads where you only change the braking surface (shown in the first pic, actually). They’re good, but to my mind not worth the money. Afaik there isn’t really anything super special about them.
Also fwiw, I prefer a longer pad for the extra braking surface. That does mean that the clamping pressure you put down is spread out more—but with V-brakes you’ve got plenty of clamping to go around. I feel like it give better modulated brakes, less sudden grab but higher overall stopping power when you really need it, but it’s mostly personal preference.
The biggest thing is just to get new rubber, though. World of difference.
"Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland)
06/20/2017 at 11:15, STARS: 0
If you wanted to you could put a front brake on there pretty easy. That is actually a high end frame from trek’s steel line. I had a Single Track 990 from the same era, it was a $1500 bike. I think the 930 was $1000 or so.
"The AE86 of Mt. Akina (Hachi)" (theae86)
06/20/2017 at 12:23, STARS: 0
heh last owner didn’t say anything about bike polo and he was a bike enthusiast too.
"Frank Grimes" (FrankGrimes)
06/20/2017 at 15:44, STARS: 1
Dang thats sweet. I want to build my own. It reminds me of a old cruiser BMX or a bike a cool mexican dude would cruise around with.