Recommended rim brake brands

[tomjasz]

My Manhattan townie has OK brakes as a bicycle but moving along with myself and sometimes a total of 250 lbs of gross weight at 20mph I'd like to find a more robust solution short of a disc conversion. Or am I dreaming?

Current brakes," Brake Levers Tektro alloy and Tektro Alloy Linear Pull, Long Reach"

I assume disc would mean new wheels and that just isn't in the current budget. Is there a better rim brake direct fit, or am I stuck dialling down the speed when hauling heavy?

 

[Ykick]

These are my hands down favorites - http://www.ebay.com/itm/390848272569?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

Think of 'em as BIG-ASS hydro disc brakes! The power and modulation is a thing of beauty - absolutely worth every Dollar!

I've bought couple from this seller, everything in German but showed up quick & easy.

Universal lever so get a bleed kit and you can turn a rear into a front easy enough by just shortening the hose.

Or, shop for front/rear sets but they can get pretty expensive.

 

[Hugechainring]

I like rim brakes in some applications and have actually removed older mechanical disc setups from some of my bikes in favor of rim brakes.
Whenever this subject comes up on a "normal" bike forum, somebody mentions Kool Stop pads. I haven't used them (I should, the hard rubber on my 10 yr old Tektros is chewing up my rims), but that is what I would buy as my first choice. Many riders are a little light on the front brake for fear of the "endo", but physics places at least two-thirds of your braking power on the front wheel. If you want to stop fast, use more front brake. But of course you need a good pad.

The Tektro long reach style are actually a decent rim brake, and one of only a handful that will fit around a larger tire like the ones found on cruisers. I would suggest trying a set of the Kool Stops on one bike wheel, and see if it is worth the investment to purchase the other sets. Getting the pads adjusted right is a little of a PITA, and there is a break-in period thereafter before the pad will get full surface contact.

See here http://sheldonbrown.com/canti-direct.html

The other item to look at are the brake levers themselves. If they are 100% aluminum, you're probably OK. If there are any plastic components, the extra effort you are putting into the brake lever may be just flexing the lever and not giving you much additional braking for the effort. Sounds like you have all-alloy levers though.

There is nothing wrong with a hybrid system either. For the same reasons mentioned earlier. you only need to do a front conversion if you are considering disc. Ykick is right, hydraulic vs mechanical is the only way to go on a heavy bike. Tektro has some decent hydraulic brakes too, probably fine for your use. It's going to cost though, $75 for a disc ready wheel, $75 for a brake setup, and $50 on Eb*y for a disc compatible fork. You can pick up some inexpensive bike shop take-offs there as well.

Ride -on!

 

[tomjasz]

Thanks! Many years of riding and a decade on scooters has me without any endo worries. One of the first things I did was to don my scooter protective gear and hammer the brakes on this new E Bike. I'm good and comfy. The brake levers from EM3ev and Lectric are pretty stout and I don't expect a failure there. I'm getting quite comfortable at adjusting the current brakes and will definitely try the pads. I gobbled up all of the SB articles before asking. But thanks for the reminder. I sometimes forget to look there.

Thanks,
T

 

[Chalo]

Magura hydraulic rim brakes are indeed badass. But they are also a pain in the ass because they are hydraulic, and because they have fiddly mechanisms to release them for wheel removal. And they are very expensive compared to regular cable brakes, and they are not field serviceable. I own some, but I don't have them installed on anything because they are not worth their shortcomings to me.

There are two things you can do, besides painstaking adjustment, to make your existing brakes deliver their best:

1) Kool Stop Salmon compound pads. They are the best available by pretty much any measure. Dry friction, wet friction, longevity, minimal rim wear, and resistance to hardening are all unsurpassed.

2) Add a brake booster. This helps keep the brake mounting bosses from flexing and moving out of alignment when the brake is applied. It really works. To find brake boosters anymore, go to eBay and search for "cantilever brake booster". Most Magura hydraulic rim brakes have boosters, which is half the reason they do such a good job.

As for what constitutes painstaking adjustment: Make sure the pad is aligned from top to bottom against the rim surface when it makes contact. The heel of the pad should sit away from the rim by about 1.5mm when the toe of the pad makes contact. I adjust the front tip of the pad about 1-2mm from the outer edge of the rim, with the rear end of the pad about 1.5mm lower on the rim (to be pulled into alignment by braking forces). Cut cable housings to such a length as to enter each fitting tangent to the curve. Grind all housing ends flat and square. Use die-drawn ("slick") stainless steel cables. Adjust cable slack to bring pads into full engagement about 1/3 of the way through the lever's stroke.

 

[Ykick]

Magura rim brakes are certainly different but I wouldn’t call a 1-time setup PITA when compared to constantly fiddling with bolted pads and ever changing alignment found in mechanical rim brakes. Once the Magura’s are setup, that’s it.

Never had a failure in over 4 years so field service hasn’t been an issue but bikes do carry 2 independent brake systems in the event something did happen. Yeah, you gotta get a bleed kit, tubing, fittings and LEARN how to work with them but the smooth performance and braking benefits far outweigh those challenges IMO.

I’ve never had any trouble with QR Magura’s but when used on my motor wheel I often use bolts since it will need wrenches to remove the motor wheel anyway.

If you find manual cable brakes that work for you great, you’re set. But if you always find yourself trying to avoid squealing and generally weak and/or inconsistent braking performance plus the other hassles and no option of decent disc brakes, Magura rim brakes can be a pleasant solution. 'been riding over 3500 miles per year in NYC for nearly 9 years - I've burned my share of bicycle brakes...

Resale value is good so the cost isn’t as wasteful as some might think. Also, an equipped, experienced Magura user might be able to save some cash buying used but when you can source new ones for under $90/wheel, it’s usually not worth the trouble of rebuilding used and I wouldn’t pay more than $40-$50/wheel used unless they come guaranteed not to leak.

 

[tomjasz]

Good stuff, saved for future reference. Thanks!