February 21Feb 21 Can anyone recommend good v brake pads i have been using clarkes but they seem a bit harsh on my alloy rims, anything out there better please.
February 21Feb 21 Not sure different pads will make much difference. Wear of the rim is down to how much work the brakes are doing, much higher on an electric bike because the speed and weight are higher. The answer is a new rim as often as needed, and the cost of that vs disc brakes is a nudge towards discs!
February 21Feb 21 Koolstop. But make sure you get them with the holders type. About £15/pair. Brakes are too important to skimp on. I'd also agree wholeheartedly withe Mathew above, as in discs are far superiour, especially in the wet. Just as long as your bike/fork has provision for them, which they probably have. If you are on ebay, 2nd hand Hope's are far better than basic shimano or tektro and probably of similar outlay. But ask on here for advice before buying anything. Most here are disc users and can best advise Edited February 21Feb 21 by AndyBike
February 21Feb 21 I don't think it matters much which v-brake pads you use, because road grime between pads and rims will erode both. Make sure you have a good supply of decent rims at reasonable prices. No I'm not going to clean my bike.
February 21Feb 21 Kool stops are good, keeping your rims clean can make a difference (use isopropyl acholol). Taking the v brakes off the frame / fork posts and cleaning the posts / applying fresh grease on them can help People report that using Jagwire compression-less housing provides better braking performance.
February 21Feb 21 On discovering my own front wheel rim wear post conversion i swapped the stock 50mm pads for what i took as premium 70mm clarks pads with spare/different exchangeable pads.. an ad for similar ones Ali express will supply you with bulk quantities of different compound pads to try too But with a healthy/heavy? front brake hand and a good motor/battery combo I at least am resigned to accepting front wheel rims as a converted ebike consumable.. Are steel rims even an option these days??
February 22Feb 22 Are steel rims even an option these days?? If you've chosen death yes. On the subject of rim wear, chances are its going to take a few years to wear through to a dangerous level. While V's are good and a massive improvement on cantis, they were never as good in the wet, and as Guerney says they do wear the rims out. The option i went for (before starting with discs in about 1997- Hope C2) was with Mavic X517 ceramics, which has a ceramic coating on the rim, which more tripled rim life and used system specific harder pad. In the dry ceramics are amazing, especially paired with XT/XTR parallel push V's and levers. In the wet and mud they made a shushing sound, and though not as good,still did the job. But thats the same with all rim brakes when its raining.
February 22Feb 22 Are steel rims even an option these days?? If you've chosen death yes. I don't think using steel rims would be wise - back then I used abrasive v-brake pads which contained metal or ceramic particles, it was the only way to stop. Have considered steel rims but couldn't find 20" diameter with at least 19mm inner rim width. Those abrasive brake pads of old don't appear to be available either. On the subject of rim wear, chances are its going to take a few years to wear through to a dangerous level. On my bike, it takes about a year and a half for the wear line to disappear. Rear wheel erases first. Edited February 22Feb 22 by guerney
February 22Feb 22 my own front wheel rim wear post conversion [mention=18796]Sturmey[/mention] uses these adapters [mention=6303]Woosh[/mention] posted about, said they work. I might try one someday on my 26" folder - I have a spare front cable disc brake from the bike I found dumped in the woods. https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/pashley-britannia-conversion.49393/post-759837 https://www.amazon.co.uk/AASHOPPERS-Bicycle-Modification-Bracket-Mounting/dp/B07G4LNR7X/ [mention=16007]harrys[/mention] uses this disc brake adapter on his 20" wheeled folding bike: https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/converting-a-little-folder.47261/#post-714686 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403908567418 Edited February 22Feb 22 by guerney
February 22Feb 22 +1 for Koolstop and if my experiences are anything to go by, there are perceptable differences (in braking ) between pads. As has been said, disc brakes are easier in effort terms, to bring the bike to a stop than V-brakes, but there are differences in V-brake brands too. You'll notice the difference between say a cheap 'no-name' V-brake and one from the Shimano range like Deore. I'm 92Kg and have Deore on my 21Kg e-bike and the power of my grip is average for a septugenarian and I have no issues stopping in time, rain or shine. So if you can't or don't want to go the disc route, fit quality V-brakes and Koolstop pads. The brake pads and your wheel rims will always benefit from an inspection of the pads for finding and removing imbedded grit.
February 22Feb 22 [mention=18796]Sturmey[/mention] uses these adapters [mention=6303]Woosh[/mention] posted about, said they work. I might try one someday on my 26" folder - I have a spare front cable disc brake from the bike I found dumped in the woods. https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/pashley-britannia-conversion.49393/post-759837 https://www.amazon.co.uk/AASHOPPERS-Bicycle-Modification-Bracket-Mounting/dp/B07G4LNR7X/ [mention=16007]harrys[/mention] uses this disc brake adapter on his 20" wheeled folding bike: https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/converting-a-little-folder.47261/#post-714686 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403908567418 Polished turds. Very shiny ones. I suppose if you have a turd, there are a few things you can do - flush it down the toilet, put up with the smell and leave it as it is, or polish it. In my case, I have another option that just arrived in the post: Put a stick in it and post it off somewhere to check whether I'll still be around to post rubbish like this. Some of you will know what I'm talking about. Edited February 22Feb 22 by saneagle
February 22Feb 22 Polished turds. Very shiny ones. I suppose if you have a turd, there are a few things you can do - flush it down the toilet, put up with the smell and leave it as it is, or polish it. In my case, I have another option that just arrived in the post: Put a stick in it and post it off somewhere to check whether I'll still be around to post rubbish like this. Some of you will know what I'm talking about. Good luck mate. I hope all goes well for you.
February 25Feb 25 Somewhere here I wrote about v brakes. My take is by 3000 miles your bike rims will be paper thin and not much you can do to stop that
February 26Feb 26 I'm 92Kg and have Deore on my 21Kg e-bike and the power of my grip is average for a septugenarian and I have no issues stopping in time, rain or shine. Gentle braking coming up to traffic lights etc pretty much any brake will do. A good test is in the wet. Get up to speed and perform an emergency stop. And the same in the dry. With my brakes id probably die lol Edited February 26Feb 26 by AndyBike
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