Front brake options

Mads Hilberg · Apr 17, 2003

After a near miss yesterday* I feel once again I need to consider how to improve the braking power
on my SWB. I currently have a caliper brake for which I have purchased very good brake blocks, but
it's not really enough it seems. The problem is that my forks don't have mounts for V-brakes, disc
brakes or drum brakes. The fork is for 451 wheels and is of a rather peculiar size in that there
height from the bottom of the headset to the top of the wheel is very very short. I managed to find
a caliper adaptor for magura hydraulic brakes, but the brake pads where below the rim due to this
short distance. Also finding a new caliper brake that is better than the current one is going to be
rather difficult due to the short distance from caliper mounting hole to the rim and the fact that
the cable must attach from the bottom up to avoid getting in the way of my leg.

The manufacturer of the bike does sell a fork with v-brake mounts, but there are various reasons why
I would prefer not to purchase that particular fork.

I believe one can get a simple adaptor to mount a hub brake on any fork - does something similar
also exist for disc brakes? If so, where can I get one?

Also, while a hub brake takes up a lot of space and would mean I'd have to get all new spokes, isn't
the hub for a disk brake the same size as a normal hub?

Any other ideas or recommendations?

Mads

*) Going 45km/h down a hill on the cycle path. A car pulls into a petrol station in front of me.
When the driver spots me he chooses to stop right in front if me instead of just continuing into the
petrol station and out of my way - deer in the headlights type thing. I jam on the brakes and stop
less than a foot from the side of his car - it seemed to take forever to stop although of course it
was pretty quick.

Cletus Lee · Apr 17, 2003

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>
> After a near miss yesterday* I feel once again I need to consider how to improve the braking power
> on my SWB. I currently have a caliper brake for which I have purchased very good brake blocks, but
> it's not really enough it seems. The problem is that my forks don't have mounts for V-brakes, disc
> brakes or drum brakes. The fork is for 451 wheels
>

It is possible to add the V-brake bosses to the fork that you own and use V-Brakes. If you are not
skilled at brazing, perhaps you can find someone that is. A local bike builder perhaps?

--

Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager http://www.clee.org
- Bellaire, TX USA -

Doug Huffman · Apr 17, 2003

I don't believe that a disk brake should be adapted to just any fork *****-nilly. The braking moment
is constant along the fork's length and the force becomes significant as the axle is approached (the
length component of the moment becomes short).

My front wheel is slightly dished to accommodate the disk.

"Mads Hilberg" <[email protected]> wrote in part in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> I believe one can get a simple adaptor to mount a hub brake on any fork - does something similar
> also exist for disc brakes? If so, where can I get one?
>
> Also, while a hub brake takes up a lot of space and would mean I'd have to get all new spokes,
> isn't the hub for a disk brake the same size as a
normal
> hub?
>
> Any other ideas or recommendations?
>
>
> Mads

Mads Hilberg · Apr 17, 2003

> It is possible to add the V-brake bosses to the fork that you own and use
V-Brakes. If you are
> not skilled at brazing, perhaps you can find someone that is. A local bike
builder perhaps?

Sounds like a simple solution - I'll try the local LBS after Easter.

Mads

John Foltz · Apr 17, 2003

Mads, I wouldn't recommend adding canti posts to your fork. Linear-pull brakes aren't any more
powerful than dual-pivot calipers, and anyway it's easier to buy a new fork if you're going that
route. How about the dual-pivot caliper brake that Bacchetta uses on their Corsa, Strada, and Aero?
Contact them via http://www.x-eyed.com/ and maybe they can help out.
--

John Foltz --- O _ Baron --- _O _ V-Rex 24/63 --- _\\/\-%)
_________(_)`=()___________________(_)= (_)_____

Mads Hilberg · Apr 18, 2003

Hi

> I wouldn't recommend adding canti posts to your fork. Linear-pull brakes aren't any more powerful
> than dual-pivot calipers, and anyway it's easier to buy a new fork if you're going that route.

How about hydraulic rim brakes? Surely they are better than dual-pivot calipers. I currently have a
Magura HS33 on the rear wheel, which I'm very happy with.

Mads

John Foltz · Apr 18, 2003

Mads Hilberg wrote:
> Hi
>
>
>>I wouldn't recommend adding canti posts to your fork. Linear-pull brakes aren't any more powerful
>>than dual-pivot calipers, and anyway it's easier to buy a new fork if you're going that route.
>
>
> How about hydraulic rim brakes? Surely they are better than dual-pivot calipers. I currently have
> a Magura HS33 on the rear wheel, which I'm very happy with.
>

Hydraulic brakes *may* be better, I don't know. Adding a Magura to the front would at least give you
matching brakes front and rear. But if you do it, I'd still recommend getting a new fork. A new fork
will have to be painted. An old fork will have to be welded *and* painted.
--

John Foltz --- O _ Baron --- _O _ V-Rex 24/63 --- _\\/\-%)
_________(_)`=()___________________(_)= (_)_____

Mikael Seierup · Apr 18, 2003

"Mads Hilberg" skrev...
> Hi
>
> > I wouldn't recommend adding canti posts to your fork. Linear-pull brakes aren't any more
> > powerful than dual-pivot calipers, and anyway it's easier to buy a new fork if you're going that
> > route.
>
> How about hydraulic rim brakes? Surely they are better than dual-pivot calipers. I currently have
> a Magura HS33 on the rear wheel, which I'm very happy with.

Drumbrake.

Sure you might have to get new spokes but at 1-2 DKK each its hardly a fortune. The
"adapter" is a bit of metal you can get in every DIY-shop. And it brakes more or less like a disc
minus the squeal.

M.

Tom Sherman · Apr 18, 2003

Mads Hilberg wrote:
>
> After a near miss yesterday* I feel once again I need to consider how to improve the braking power
> on my SWB. I currently have a caliper brake for which I have purchased very good brake blocks, but
> it's not really enough it seems....

Mads,

Get a concrete masonry unit (CMU) [1] and tie it to your bike with a rope of about 2 meters in
length. Carry the CMU on the bike until you wish to stop, then throw it overboard.

[1] Commonly referred to a "concrete block" or "cinder block".

Tom Sherman - Various HPV's Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

98gtw · Apr 21, 2003

"Mads Hilberg" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

....
> I believe one can get a simple adaptor to mount a hub brake on any fork - does something similar
> also exist for disc brakes? If so, where can I get one?
>
....

I had a local framebuilder weld a simple tab (1" x 3" x 1/4" steel) onto the back of the left
fork leg and drilled and shaped it by hand for an international standard disk mount. He did it
for $25. Disk brake and hub came from e-bay for another $50. Spokes and rim from an online seller
for $35 or so.

*** DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME disclaimer*** Was exploring the limits of braking this weekend and
found I could brake hard enough to lift the rear wheel. This on my SWB. Didn't care to try it at
high speed. But I'm satisfied that I've got significantly more braking power than I had with the
rim brakes.

--
Dave 98GTW [email protected] (remove nospam to reply directly) Presto, Presto II, Screamer

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