brake pad "toe" & grit embedding

[Jim Beam]

so, i've finally converted to the dark side, shimano, and
have a question about the brake toe orientation on their
7700 calipers.

both front & rear are toed slightly "forward", that is, the
tip of the pad to the front of the bike touches first. this
is presumably for modulation & squeal. but isn't it also the
orientation to trap the maximum amount of grit? is there any
reason the toe can't be to the rear so grit gets scuffed off
/before/ getting trapped under the pad?

i'm thinking of rebuilding to swap the front & rear calipers
to achieve this "rear toe" effect, but has anyone else tried
it? any reason /not/ to do it?

jb

 

[Zog The Undenia]

jim beam wrote:

> so, i've finally converted to the dark side, shimano, and
> have a question about the brake toe orientation on their
> 7700 calipers.
>
> both front & rear are toed slightly "forward", that is,
> the tip of the pad to the front of the bike touches first.
> this is presumably for modulation & squeal. but isn't it
> also the orientation to trap the maximum amount of grit?
> is there any reason the toe can't be to the rear so grit
> gets scuffed off /before/ getting trapped under the pad?
>
> i'm thinking of rebuilding to swap the front & rear
> calipers to achieve this "rear toe" effect, but has anyone
> else tried it? any reason /not/ to do it?

If you use rear toe, the back of the pad will be pulled
forwards under braking and the pad may judder badly (it
depends on the rim surface) with only the back making
intermittent contact. Not a good idea, apart from the
grit thing.

 

[Richard Ney]

jim beam writes:

> both front & rear are toed slightly "forward", that is,
> the tip of the pad to the front of the bike touches first.
> this is presumably for modulation & squeal. but isn't it
> also the orientation to trap the maximum amount of grit?

I rub the rear (leading) edge of new pads on sand paper
before installing them to acheive the "toe-in". Grit's never
been a problem with the salmon colored Kool-Stop pads I use.
I stopped using Shimano pads when I saw how much they
trapped grit and chewed up the aluminum rims.

 

[Matt O'Toole]

Richard Ney wrote:

> jim beam writes:
>
>> both front & rear are toed slightly "forward", that is,
>> the tip of the pad to the front of the bike touches
>> first. this is presumably for modulation & squeal. but
>> isn't it also the orientation to trap the maximum amount
>> of grit?
>
> I rub the rear (leading) edge of new pads on sand paper
> before installing them to acheive the "toe-in". Grit's
> never been a problem with the salmon colored Kool-Stop
> pads I use. I stopped using Shimano pads when I saw how
> much they trapped grit and chewed up the aluminum rims.

I agree. The problem is the crappy Shimano pads. Get some
Kool-Stops and be done with it.

Matt O.

 

[Qui Si Parla Ca]

uce-<< both front & rear are toed slightly "forward", that
is, the tip of the pad to the front of the bike touches
first. this is presumably for modulation & squeal. but isn't
it also the orientation to trap the maximum amount of grit?
>><BR><BR>

Don't matter cuz unless you bend the arm, you cannot change
'toe' of 7700 calipers. It took 7800 and how many eyars
before shimano figured oiut how to make the pads toe-able.

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 http://www.vecchios.com "Ruote convenzionali
costruite eccezionalmente bene"

 

[Jim Beam]

Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:
> uce-<< both front & rear are toed slightly "forward", that
> is, the tip of the pad to the front of the bike touches
> first. this is presumably for modulation & squeal. but
> isn't it also the orientation to trap the maximum amount
> of grit? >><BR><BR>
>
> Don't matter cuz unless you bend the arm, you cannot
> change 'toe' of 7700 calipers. It took 7800 and how many
> eyars before shimano figured oiut how to make the pads
> toe-able.

unless the toe is purely a function of the pad holders, if
the forward facing front toes to the front, and i swap the
mounting bolts out [pita], i should be end up with a rear
brake toed to the rear. yes?

 

[Chris Zacho "Th]

Some pads have a "wedged" portion in the back of them so
most of the grit is (supposively) scraped off. If you're
worried, get one of these. Personally, I've noticed no
difference in grit gathering regardless of toe-in.

- -

"May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear
for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner http://www.geocities.com/czcorner