winter wheel and brake care

flyingdutch said:

i thinks its time for me to do more than simply hose/wipe down the roady after a wet ride...

rims (protons) are sounding 'gritty' under braking, despite washing them on the weekend. Im guessing there's [censored] embedded in the brake blocks (chorus) or i need to do a better job on the brake surfaces of the rims
(and NO, they will NOT fit in the dishwasher. i checked...).

So is there a good way to do this and do i need to pay any attention to the spoke-nipples-end too?

And when is it time to change brakeblocks? Mine are nearing 18mths old, maybe 8k use...

I change brake blocks the second they start to grind metal on metal. That said I tend to rotate downwards so a new set of brake blocks go on the good bike and wheels. The worn ones move down to the commuter so I always have spares on hand.

As to your problem, is easy enough to see if something is embeded in the brake blocks and pick it out, sounds different to the metal of the pad mount.

flyingdutch said:

i thinks its time for me to do more than simply hose/wipe down the roady after a wet ride...

rims (protons) are sounding 'gritty' under braking, despite washing them on the weekend. Im guessing there's [censored] embedded in the brake blocks (chorus) or i need to do a better job on the brake surfaces of the rims
(and NO, they will NOT fit in the dishwasher. i checked...).

So is there a good way to do this and do i need to pay any attention to the spoke-nipples-end too?

And when is it time to change brakeblocks? Mine are nearing 18mths old, maybe 8k use...

Give the rims a good wipe or brush & brush the brake blocks. A toothbrush is good for this but not for your teeth afterwards. 🙂
I find road grit to be worse than 'MTB grit' for grinding your rims.

"flyingdutch" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

i thinks its time for me to do more than simply hose/wipe down the roady
after a wet ride...

rims (protons) are sounding 'gritty' under braking, despite washing
them on the weekend. Im guessing there's [censored] embedded in the brake
blocks (chorus) or i need to do a better job on the brake surfaces of
the rims
(and NO, they will NOT fit in the dishwasher. i checked...).

Look closely for grit embedded in the brakeblocks, as bikesoiler mentioned a
toothbrush is good for cleaning the blocks but they may also require you to
pick out grit.

Quoted message said:

So is there a good way to do this and do i need to pay any attention to
the spoke-nipples-end too?

And when is it time to change brakeblocks? Mine are nearing 18mths old,
maybe 8k use...

If your using campag brakeblocks, then there should be a wear indicator line
visible on the brakeblock. Maybe the indicator line is no longer there, if
so it sounds like it's time to change them.

Quoted message said:

--
flyingdutch

Retrograded said:

If your using campag brakeblocks, then there should be a wear indicator line
visible on the brakeblock. Maybe the indicator line is no longer there, if
so it sounds like it's time to change them.

ooh. hadnt heard of that...

leans over and lovelingly strokes 'black'. hmmm. the blocks arent even halfway to them lil' wear-mark lines.

what about all the possible road-grime workin in to inside the tyre/rim
is this something i need to check occasionally?

Retrograded said:

"flyingdutch" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

i thinks its time for me to do more than simply hose/wipe down the roady
after a wet ride...

rims (protons) are sounding 'gritty' under braking, despite washing
them on the weekend. Im guessing there's [censored] embedded in the brake
blocks (chorus) or i need to do a better job on the brake surfaces of
the rims
(and NO, they will NOT fit in the dishwasher. i checked...).

Look closely for grit embedded in the brakeblocks, as bikesoiler mentioned a
toothbrush is good for cleaning the blocks but they may also require you to
pick out grit.

Quoted message said:

So is there a good way to do this and do i need to pay any attention to
the spoke-nipples-end too?

And when is it time to change brakeblocks? Mine are nearing 18mths old,
maybe 8k use...

If your using campag brakeblocks, then there should be a wear indicator line
visible on the brakeblock. Maybe the indicator line is no longer there, if
so it sounds like it's time to change them.

Quoted message said:

--
flyingdutch

the file on my swiss army knife is the perfect width for cleaning between the grooves on the brake blocks

flyingdutch said:

i thinks its time for me to do more than simply hose/wipe down the roady
after a wet ride...

rims (protons) are sounding 'gritty' under braking, despite washing
them on the weekend. Im guessing there's [censored] embedded in the brake
blocks (chorus) or i need to do a better job on the brake surfaces of
the rims
(and NO, they will NOT fit in the dishwasher. i checked...).

So is there a good way to do this and do i need to pay any attention to
the spoke-nipples-end too?

And when is it time to change brakeblocks? Mine are nearing 18mths old,
maybe 8k use...

When they're worn so that they're almost letting metal touch the rim,
it's time!

"flyingdutch" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Retrograded said:

If your using campag brakeblocks, then there should be a wear indicator
line
visible on the brakeblock. Maybe the indicator line is no longer there,
if
so it sounds like it's time to change them.

ooh. hadnt heard of that...

leans over and lovelingly strokes 'black'. hmmm. the blocks arent even
halfway to them lil' wear-mark lines.

Good, plenty of wear left then.

Quoted message said:

what about all the possible road-grime workin in to inside the
tyre/rim
is this something i need to check occasionally?

I wouldn't think that this would be much cause for concern. If you're riding
frequently in wet weather then I would be inclined to invest in a stiff
nylon bristled brush (like a wheel brush that can be found in auto shops)
and scrub with water and detergent, the braking surface and sidewall of the
tyre on a regular basis* to remove any accumulated grit.

* If riding in wet weather every day, then scrub every second day. This is
really quite subjective as it depends on how much braking you do and the
condition of the roads. As a general rule, if you notice a small build up of
that grey paste around the brakeblocks, then clean the wheels and blocks.

Quoted message said:

--
flyingdutch

Retrograded said:

* If riding in wet weather every day, then scrub every second day. This is
really quite subjective as it depends on how much braking you do and the
condition of the roads. As a general rule, if you notice a small build up of
that grey paste around the brakeblocks, then clean the wheels and blocks.

Oh, i dont brake much. I use third party objects to arrest my speed. bitumen, cars, you know, the usual products...

F"This worksite has been crash-free for 68 days..."Dutch

flyingdutch said:

F"This worksite has been crash-free for 68 days..."Dutch

flippin hell. 'only' 68 days. seems like AGES ago...

I try not to ride my good wheels in the wet, especially in areas where a lot of braking is required. I once chewed through a (front) Mavic cxp33 in about a year!

Also, tiny bits of alu can congregate in the brake blocks as slightly larger alu rocks, which obviously ain't good for the rims.

flyingdutch said:

i thinks its time for me to do more than simply hose/wipe down the roady after a wet ride...

rims (protons) are sounding 'gritty' under braking, despite washing them on the weekend. Im guessing there's [censored] embedded in the brake blocks (chorus) or i need to do a better job on the brake surfaces of the rims
(and NO, they will NOT fit in the dishwasher. i checked...).

And when is it time to change brakeblocks? Mine are nearing 18mths old, maybe 8k use...

After a while you should file the 'sheen' off your pads and I also rub
the rims clean with one of those green kitchen scrubbing cloths.. This
gets the brake dust and [censored] off the rim and gives the pads more grip.

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