Avid Mechs: An observation...

[x]

Have Hope hydraulics on my FS.

Put Avid mechs on my hardtail a few days ago.

Initial impression: geeze!!!! these things are pretty good.

Well I still think they're pretty good but....

I'll confess to the occasional bout of irritation when fooling around with my Hope pads. "I mean, do
they *really* need cotter pins to hold these things in? These new Avids don't need any such
over-engineering...."

Tonite, I was playing around with swapping wheels on the bike with the Avids.

Turns out they're held in by a little spring steel clip.

Also turns out that Magilla The Gorilla here must've slipped a rear wheel in cockeyed enough to bend
said little clip....Took it down the driveway for a test ride and all-of-a-sudden, no rear
brake..... The pads fell out. Still got the clip, but no pads...

Oops!

My apoligies to Hope.
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

 

[Bill Wheeler]

On Wed, 16 Apr 2003 00:55:16 GMT, "(Pete Cresswell)" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Have Hope hydraulics on my FS.
>
>Put Avid mechs on my hardtail a few days ago.
>
>Initial impression: geeze!!!! these things are pretty good.

Yes indeed!

>Tonite, I was playing around with swapping wheels on the bike with the Avids.
>
>Turns out they're held in by a little spring steel clip.

Strange my Avid pads are held in magnetically. (2002 version) Wonder why they changed?

Peace, Bill The mind serves properly as a window glass rather than as a reflector, that is, the mind
should give an immediate view instead of an interpretation of the world.
:-]

 

[x]

RE/
>Strange my Avid pads are held in magnetically. (2002 version) Wonder why they changed?

Dunno, but that would seem to explain what I noticed when buying Aztec replacements: Some packages
had the little spring clip and some didn't.

Same part descr/number: "PB8300 AVID HYDR & MECH"...
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

 

[John G]

(Pete Cresswell) wrote:
> Just tried installing the new pads and it looks to me like there must be a *third* variation.

I'm glad I had the foresight to purchase and carry _two_ spare sets in my 'Bak.... never
needed,them(yet) but they are there just in case

 

[Shaun Rimmer]

(Pete Cresswell) <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Just tried installing the new pads and it looks to me like there must be a *third* variation.
>
> The ones I just got have slot-like springs that fit over the nubs in the
center
> of the caliper's anvil and the plunger - and it looks like they'll keep
the pads
> from falling out as long as there's a disc/wheel in place.
>
> But now there's nothing to make the pads retract when the plunger
retracts. The
> ones I lost has a spring clip that went around the edges of each pad and
had the
> effect of pulling the pads apart.
>
> The new ones just sort of lay in there. When the plunger retracts, they
don't
> want to retract with it. Net result is that if the brakes are adjusted
tight
> enough to work, there's some *serious* drag going on down there...
>
> If the nubs on the plunger/anvil had a groove cut around them, the springs
would
> catch in the groove - like a "C" ring - and probably would retract with
the
> piston...but they don't...
>
> Oh well....at least they weren't that expensive (about $7.50 per set).
> -----------------------
> PeteCresswell

Shoulda bought some Hope hydros.

Shaun aRe

 

[x]

RE/
>Shoulda bought some Hope hydros.

I've got C-2's on my "real" bike....

The Avids are on a bike that has S&S couplings, so I wanted a rear cable that could be split.

In retrospect, however, I'm wondering what the big deal would have been to just yank the Hope rear
brake lever if/when the bike was broken down...4mm allen key, a few turns...
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

 

[Chris Phillipo]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> Just tried installing the new pads and it looks to me like there must be a *third* variation.
>
> The ones I just got have slot-like springs that fit over the nubs in the center of the caliper's
> anvil and the plunger - and it looks like they'll keep the pads from falling out as long as
> there's a disc/wheel in place.
>
> But now there's nothing to make the pads retract when the plunger retracts. The ones I lost has a
> spring clip that went around the edges of each pad and had the effect of pulling the pads apart.
>
> The new ones just sort of lay in there. When the plunger retracts, they don't want to retract with
> it. Net result is that if the brakes are adjusted tight enough to work, there's some *serious*
> drag going on down there...
>
> If the nubs on the plunger/anvil had a groove cut around them, the springs would catch in the
> groove - like a "C" ring - and probably would retract with the piston...but they don't...
>
> Oh well....at least they weren't that expensive (about $7.50 per set).
> -----------------------
> PeteCresswell
>

those spring clips are in all versions that I have seen even if there is a supplemental magnet
holding the pads on. The clips get lost frequently which is why they are sold separately.
--
_________________________
Chris Phillipo - Cape Breton, Nova Scotia http://www.ramsays-online.com

 

[Tom Walker]

Another little warning with the Avid Mechs, make sure you trim off the excess cable at the caliper.
My buddy had a set of these and left a little bit of a tail on the cable. Not a lot but maybe an
inch of cable for future adjustment. We were out riding in a flat clearing and he endoed VIOLENTLY
out of nowhere. Turns out the extra cable was drawn into the pads and stopped the wheel dead.
Needless to say, he now trims the cables back as far as humanly possible.

Other than that, great brakes.

Tom

 

[Spider]

[email protected] (Tom Walker) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Another little warning with the Avid Mechs, make sure you trim off the excess cable at the
> caliper. My buddy had a set of these and left a little bit of a tail on the cable. Not a lot but
> maybe an inch of cable for future adjustment. We were out riding in a flat clearing and he endoed
> VIOLENTLY out of nowhere. Turns out the extra cable was drawn into the pads and stopped the wheel
> dead. Needless to say, he now trims the cables back as far as humanly possible.
>
> Other than that, great brakes.
>
> Tom

They say to leave no more than 20mm, IIRC.

With new pads, if you set the lever cable length adjusting screw at one full turn away from full
lack, I think that you can actually move the actuating lever on the caliper through it's full range
of motion using just the brake lever adjusting screw. In addition, any pad wear can be accounted
for by the piston positioning knobs. I left 15mm, and crimped on an end - this allows you to loosen
the cable clamp screw to let it out to full slack - just enough to get the cable stop out of the
lever (Avid SD7s). Came in handy when I swapped the front brake lever from left to right.
(Motorcycle style.)

If you just dabbed a bit of epoxy on the end of the cable, you could probably get away with 10mm.
Just a guess.

Hope your pal didn't hurt himself or the bike.

Spider

 

[Clydesdalemtb]

> [email protected] (Tom Walker)

Hey Tom where you been hiding?

Spider wrote:

> If you just dabbed a bit of epoxy on the end of the cable, you could probably get away with 10mm.
> Just a guess.

Old School'ers would solder the end.

 

[Spider]

ClydesdaleMTB <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> > [email protected] (Tom Walker)
>
> Hey Tom where you been hiding?
>
>
>
> Spider wrote:
>
> > If you just dabbed a bit of epoxy on the end of the cable, you could probably get away with
> > 10mm. Just a guess.
>
> Old School'ers would solder the end.

Hard to do with stainless steel. I understand that super glue works too. There was a discussion
about this recently in rec.bikes.tech.

Spider

 

[Bill Wheeler]

On Thu, 17 Apr 2003 15:39:41 -0300, Chris Phillipo <[email protected]> wrote:

>those spring clips are in all versions that I have seen even if there is a supplemental magnet
>holding the pads on. The clips get lost frequently which is why they are sold separately.

According to Avid:

The B3 Disc Brake Pads are fully sintered pads that hold up to extreme riding conditions. These pads
will hold up against anything mother-nature can throw at them without making a whimper. For 2002,
they come with a pad spreader.

Is what you're calling "spring clips" the same as the "Pad spreader"?

If so, I guess I'm missing mine.....guess I don't need it. They've never become unseated
at any time.

Peace, Bill The mind serves properly as a window glass rather than as a reflector, that is, the mind
should give an immediate view instead of an interpretation of the world.
:-]