Roller Brakes

JohnInStockie

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2006
1,048
1
Stockport, SK7
Hi

Does anyone know how you service these? Do they have any parts that need replacing, and if so, what parts and at what intervals?

Thanks

John
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,763
30,349
Shimano say there's no user servicing for these, the setup having to be left to dealers if at any time a repair is necessary. On very rare occasions they can dry out and cause noise, but generally the included grease lasts for years.

These brakes as a whole are very long lived, and that's their major attraction. I quite like them as rear brakes on hard working bikes since their comparative weakness doesn't matter so much on the rear, and the avoidance of maintenance is a real benefit.
.
 

HarryB

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 22, 2007
1,317
3
London
I would hate this to be seen as yet another criticism of my Torq but my rear brakes make a terrible rattle when riding along only cured (temporarily) by an application of the brakes. Also I find them not very progressive - you pull and pull and not much happens, then suddenly the rear wheel locks. Maybe something is wrong with them. On my list of things to get rid of I am afraid.
 

DBCohen

Pedelecer
May 2, 2007
155
0
Manchester
I find on my Cadence the rear roller brake is so ineffective that I often find myself mentally querying my decision to pull that lever!

Is the non-use of a rear roller brake poor cycling technique?

David.
 

Ian

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 1, 2007
1,333
0
Leicester LE4, UK.
The thing that puzzles me is that while the brake cannot be taken apart or serviced Shimano do supply the special grease as a spare part.. with no indication of what to do with it.:confused:
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,763
30,349
I think it's supposed to be for dealers to use, but like all Shimano stuff, available to the public.

As for the braking action, I used to use it as the only brake most of the time on the Torq to avoid rim wear on the hub motor wheel. It's always best to brake well ahead of time anyway so as not to get caught out by something, so just applying it normally gives the necessary braking without feeling the need to pull too hard and generate a locked wheel.

The action is progressive, so it will generate the stopping force if given the chance, and the only time I used the front brake was for any sudden need for fiercer braking caused by another road user.

When I turned the Torq into the T bike with rear motor and V brake there, the back wheel went to the front and the roller brake then had to go since it isn't suitable as a fast bike front brake, that being where rapid action is needed. In addition, the front brake now does most of the work to avoid rear motor wheel rim wear.
.
 
Last edited:

Ian

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 1, 2007
1,333
0
Leicester LE4, UK.
I've just been looking at the downloadable parts list, there is a grease hole at about 4 o'clock on the brake body, it should have a bung in it but mine must have got lost.

Shimano do make a version for the front wheel, but that doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

I must confess I am slightly concerned about rim wear having seen it's effects in the past, although so far the lathe tool grooves are still just visible on my Torq front rim indicating negligible wear, there's more to quality brake pads than stopping power. I'm fairly sure the worst cases of rim wear are caused by highly abrasive cheap pads.
 
Last edited:

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,763
30,349
I'm fairly sure the worst cases of rim wear are caused by highly abrasive cheap pads.
I agree Ian, and sometimes the wrong types such as using pads intended for ceramic coated rims.

Nonetheless, on a bike I'm using long term I prefer not to wear the motor wheel rim solely because it's the worst one to rebuild. That's most important on my Q bike with it's 20" wheel combined with quite high speeds, since in my hilly area I'm often braking from 25 to 30 mph downhill and that's tough on fast spinning 20" rims. On normal bikes I always just used both brakes of course.

By the way, my Torq brake also didn't have a bung, so perhaps they don't bother with them or the assemblers don't realise there's one in the box!
.
 
Last edited:

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,763
30,349
Yes, and just finding a 20" rim can mean fun and games. A cursory look around a little while ago only found one, at SJS as you might expect, but it's a chromed steel one with indented braking surfaces to try to give some wet weather braking. I don't think I fancy that, maybe more for kids bikes.

Here it is. Rim
.
 

HarryB

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 22, 2007
1,317
3
London
I finally got round to replacing the rear roller brake, my main reason was that the braking performance was marginal at best. I have made bit of a cock-up as I wanted to match the front hydraulic magura rim brake that I can only describe as fantastic. However... the rears are not so easy to fit as the lugs are close to the chain line - fine for normal rim brakes but the maguras are a little bit taller and foul the chain. I know they have been fitted on the rears before by PeterE and I think this is the Torq that Aldby recently sold, so the question is how were they fitted that they didn't foul the chain in the top gears? I can go back to the normal rim brakes but the hydraulics are really powerful and progressive.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,763
30,349
Though true about the hydraulic Harry, any cable V brake can easily lock a rear wheel so is powerful enough. That's why I used a cable one on the T bike conversion, using a front brake to bring the cable out on the left away from the chainwheel:

 

HarryB

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 22, 2007
1,317
3
London
Though true about the hydraulic Harry, any cable V brake can easily lock a rear wheel so is powerful enough. That's why I used a cable one on the T bike conversion, using a front brake to bring the cable out on the left away from the chainwheel:
Yes the problem is that the magura rears have a quick release mechanism that raises the brake into the chainline. It maybe that I can swap things around and have it on the other side or swap the front with the rears. Having wasted my money on these brakes it seems I should perservere a bit longer (especially while it is off the road waiting for the new battery).