|   Help with disc stopping power... | mtnpat
Nov 11, 2002 12:34 PM | | ...just bought my first bike with discs (well just bought 6 rides ago).
2003 Bianchi SiSS w/ Avid 160mm mtn discs front and rear.
From new, both the front and rear had no power, but after a couple of rides the backs have now developed tremendous power, while the fronts well....still suck.
My guess is that some muck (technical term), helped the backs break in faster, or de-glaze or something.
Do I need to check for glazing on the pads up front...and maybe whip out some sandpaper? 80 grit OK (kidding)?
Oh, and I do use the front brake a lot. Maybe 40/60 FR/RR bias |
| re: Help with disc stopping power... | erolthegreat
Nov 11, 2002 5:02 PM | | The front should be broken in by now. If the pads are glazed, try some super-fine 400 or greater sandpaper and just run the pads across it a few times to get rid of the glazing if there is any. Maybe whoever assembled the bike got oil or grease on the rotor - clean it with isopropyl alcohol. If they got anything on the pads, time for new pads. Maybe try the rear pads up front, see if that makes a difference. Also check your caliper alignment - make sure it's aligned and realign if necessary, although Avids are pretty error-proof here. |
| ec17's advice is good
| Spar¡cus
Nov 11, 2002 7:51 PM | | More about the pad alignment thing. make sure the stationary (inside) pad is dialed as close to the rotor as possible without actually rubbing the rotor. Then dial the outer pad to achieve the lever feel you prefer. Stationary pad/rotor proximity seems especially important in attempting to achieve maximum power from the Avids.
As the pads wear and you're forced to use the red dials to move the pads ever closer, always try to keep that stationary pad as close as you can to the rotor without allowing it to rub. True the rotor if necessary.
Finally, never use the brake lever's barrel adjusters to accommodate for pad wear. This only "preloads" the brake's actuating arm. If this is done eventually you could run out of actuating arm rotation before the brake becomes fully engaged. In that case, ugly things can happen.
But you knew all that. Sorry. I've been drinking again.
[hic!]
--Spary |
| S'funny.............. | Mike T.
Nov 12, 2002 9:34 AM | | .....a workmate has Hayes cable discs on his bike and while I could see an inner pad adjuster, I couldn't for the life o' me see an outer one. I checked Hayes' site and the outer pad is adjusted with the cable adjuster. I would think over the life of the outer pad it would place the slave lever-arm in a less than desirable place for efficient leverage. |
| It was the cheap solution | shiggy
Nov 12, 2002 12:57 PM | | To do it right (on the Hayes) you should back off the barrel adjuster and re-adjust the cable length about half way through the pad wear. |
| Ahh but................ | Mike T.
Nov 12, 2002 1:08 PM | | .....that will only take slack out of the cable and the only thing that will get the pad closer to the rotor is to move that slave arm. Not a good idea methinks. |
| By gum, yoos right! | shiggy
Nov 12, 2002 3:02 PM | | Did they do away with the allen key pad adjustment? |
| yes..... | Roy
Nov 13, 2002 4:09 PM | | Making the Hayes mech implementation no different (in lever throw changes/implementation) than V-brakes. Hayes probably thought people have been doing it with V's for years so.... |
| It's just that................. | Mike T.
Nov 13, 2002 4:53 PM | | ....there's better ways. Avid and Formula proved that. Their arm stays at the optimum angle to the cable no matter how much pad wear has taken place. At the expense of more complexity I guess. |
| No..... | Roy
Nov 14, 2002 7:10 AM | | argument here, brother. I can only agree with your (obvious) wisdom. |
| Thanks both of you, excellent info! (nm) | mtnpat
Nov 12, 2002 3:58 AM | | . |
| Just cosmetics, but... | PiroChu
Nov 12, 2002 10:06 AM | | While wiping your rotor with some alcohol, be careful not to wipe the center of the rotor, where the 'Avid' logo & rotor size, etc, are printed. With alcohol, it'll quickly fade if you wipe it, just FYI. (I made this mistake, hahaha.) Plus, there's really no need to wipe that area because that's not where the pads touch anyway. |
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