Smelter said:
Alfeng,
The Shimano "long" reach ones I can find are the R600 & A550, both with a reach of 57mm requiring some 3mm of lengthening!
I can assure you my needs are not cosmetic but purely mechanical.
I currently have three stages of braking :-
1) Move the blocks to the rim.
2) Take up the lack in the pivots of which there are 3 in each "arm" from the cable saddle to the blocks.
3) apply friction!
By the time I've got to stage 3 the levers have moved through quite an angle and I really am not sure what my braking distance is!
New pads was my first move and the softer compound rubber has improved things.
Okay ... other than the brake pads, your Weinmann calipers should actually last forever ...
And, some
simple (and, I mean SIMPLE) maintenance is probably all they need ...
You need some common HOUSEHOLD OIL (e.g., 3-in-1) ...
oil the pivots. Let the brakes "rest" for a-few-hours-to-a-day AFTER oiling & squeezing the brake levers a few times ... repeat a day or two later. AND, repeat, again every 24 hours until the calipers move more freely.
If you are ambitious or in a hurry, you can disassemble the calipers, clean them (i.e., polish the pivot shafts with an SOS/Brillo pad), grease them (grease is better than oil), and reassemble.
Now, it should be noted that the OLDER calipers, regardless of brand, had stiffer springs ... but, I only really notice it when I am closing the calipers by hand rather than with the cable & brake lever ...
You want to SHORTEN THE CONNECTING YOKE CABLE. Adjust the connecting yoke cable, when the brakes & levers are "open" whereby the yoke is about half the distance of whatever it currently is above the caliper arms -- yes, that's an arbitrary differential -- making the yoke's angle shallower will mean that the brake calipers will "respond better" than they currently do as they are currently adjusted ...
Now, I didn't realize that MOST people don't know how to adjust their brake cables regardless of whether or not they are centre pull, v-brake, cantilever, single pivot, or double-pivot ... same for cam-action calipers, of course ... until I was helping someone with his bike a few years ago and he asked me if I needed a THIRD-HAND tool ...
Just in case you are one of those people, with your centre-pull calipers (okay, a THIRD-HAND might make things a little easier with centre-pull brakes, but it isn't necessary), you can adjust the yoke's length when the caliper is NOT under tension. You don't need a "third hand" to do this ... just slip the cable off the YOKE CABLE off the metal yoke that is attached to the brake cable by squeezing the calipers with one hand to detension the yoke cable ... now, simply slip the un-anchored end out of the calilper arm ... loosen the anchor bolt on the other caliper arm ... shorten the effective length of the yoke cable by about 1/4" (to start) & re-anchor. Slip the dongle-end of the yoke cable back into its nesting notch on the "other" caliper arm. Slip the YOKE onto the yoke cable. Test your brake lever's pull ...
If it's too tight, then adjust the yoke cable's length accordingly.
If it's still too loose, adjust by a couple of more millimeters.
If your cable hangers don't have adjusting screws, then adjust accordingly by repeating the steps.
FWIW. I like to adjust the distance of the pads from the rim's brake surface so that it is probably about 2+ mm away from the rim ... I know some people who set them much closer.
BTW. The reach on the FRONT is usually several millimeters shorter than the rear ... so, while the reach on your rear may be 60mm, the front may be 57mm ... or, the reach on your front may be 60mm, and your rear may be 63mm.
ALSO. You want to lube the actual brake cable housing ... the ONLY cables & housing that probably don't benefit from a little lube are the "current" Campagnolo cables & housing ... put a dab of grease ("Vaseline" will be fine) between the tip of your thumb & index/middle finger & run the brake cable through the grease. While you just want a VERY THIN LAYER, feel free to add more grease to your fingers, if necessary. Lubing the derailleur cables is a good idea, too.