Brake blocks for chrome rims.

[mattsccm]

Its raining so it's fettling time. The Campag Ergos have been put in a box to teach them a lesson and mend themselves and I'll have a look at my shed find Puch Touring. It's got chromed rims in good condition so at this point I'll just think about new brake blocks.
What works best ? I don't expect miracles.
Maybe it will get new alloy rims later but they are 650A with 26 x 1 3/8 tyres fitted so I don't have any in the roof.

[mattsccm]

At least the tyres say 590. That's what I am basing the wheel size on using Sheldons chart.

[Brucey]

In an LBS near me the favoured choice for steel rims is (weirdly) the fibrax black BMX brake block; this model is moulded into the same shape as the original kool-stop brake block.

http://fibrax.org/shop.html#!/Vintage-BMX-Style-Brake-Pads-35mm-For-Caliper-Fitting/p/79888734/category=22292064



cheers

[mattsccm]

Why "weirdly"? Is the compound not what you would expect to be suitable or something? Easy to get anyway.

[Brucey]

the brake blocks are meant for use on aluminium rims. It is just luck that they seem to work OK on most steel rims.

cheers

[Chris Jeggo]

I recall that chrome-plated rims are awful in the wet; they were more widely used in the 70s, when one piece of advice was to remove the chrome plating from the braking surfaces. Rusty rims stop you better than alloy ones.
Also, at that time, you could buy chrome leather brake blocks, which were another solution to the problem.

I still have a pair of these, and will post them to you if they will fit and if you would like them.

[rogerzilla]

Anything works in the dry. Almost nothing works in the wet. Ride it in the dry.

[pjclinch]

I recall that chrome-plated rims are awful in the wet

I remember trying to stop my Raleigh Olympus down a hill in the rain and they were never anywhere near as good as "awful", even with Fibrax blocks which were a big step up on the original equipment...

I had a paper round with one paper at the top of a hill and the next half way down. On a wet day, if I let the bike roll from the top and jammed the anchors full on I could just about stop at the middle.

(This is the hill in question for some perspective on how hopeless that translates as.)

Pete.

[Brucey]

the leather faced brake blocks worked better than most other things in the wet, until the leather got clogged with various forms of grot.

The BMX blocks seem to work pretty well in the dry and way better than average in the wet.

cheers

[Carlton green]

Its raining so it's fettling time. The Campag Ergos have been put in a box to teach them a lesson and mend themselves and I'll have a look at my shed find Puch Touring. It's got chromed rims in good condition so at this point I'll just think about new brake blocks.
What works best ? I don't expect miracles.

Thread resurrection, in the hope that either updated or additional answers might surface.

My old Raleigh folder is slowly getting nearer to being ready to ride, I’m just mending what was obviously damaged to make it serviceable again. It’s not a bike that I expect to use a lot (occasional use here and there when it’s smaller size and folding capability are taken advantage of). The rims are chrome and hence stopping will be compromised, obviously it would be nice to have alloy rims instead but the costs of doing that - particularly as it has 28 spoke wheels - aren’t insignificant.

What brake blocks do members suggest for use on chrome rims?

[531colin]

I think the worst chrome rims were the ones with lots of little dimples in the brake track. I think this was supposed to give the brake blocks “grip” but it seemed to give the water somewhere to lurk, so they took even longer to dry off.
If you grind the chrome off, you end up with bare steel rims, which are not as bad as shiny slippery chrome…..or if you are unlucky enough to have the dimples, you will still have chrome dimples…..

[rjb]

SJSC have the leather faced rain pads for steel rims.
"Fibrax Raincheater 35mm Brake Blocks" https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/brake-block ... teel-rims/

[CliveyT]

That's a good spot. I may add them to my next SJS order. Although the Raleigh Solitaire we use as a pub/station bike takes so long to get up to speed it seems a shame to have to brake when you get there

[SimonCelsa]

I had a paper round with one paper at the top of a hill and the next half way down. On a wet day, if I let the bike roll from the top and jammed the anchors full on I could just about stop at the middle.

(This is the hill in question for some perspective on how hopeless that translates as.)

Pete.

Cor blimey mate you're nearly a cockney & a long way from home up in Dundee.

I was born only a couple of miles away in the paradise they call Erith.......!! And am also a long way from home up here in Inverness.

[slowster]

Given that replacing the wheels/rims is out of the question for now, it might be worth considering whether the other components of the braking system could be significantly improved. The single pivot calipers on Raleigh and other brands' small wheel bikes look underwhelming, and I wonder if a more modern caliper might be a significant improvement. Spa sell a pair of nut fit Tektro dual pivot calipers with a 61-80mm drop for £22 plus P&P, although I don't know if a) they would be wide enough for the tyre and mudguard, and b) would match the cable pull of the lever.

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m7b0s100p47 ... %28pair%29

Other than that and replacing the blocks, I guess it's a case of squeezing best out of the existing brakes, and doing all the usual things such as making sure the ends of the cable outers are cleanly cut.

I don't know if wheels with aluminium rims ever became common on small wheel bikes, but if they did it might be worth making the odd visit to any nearby recycling centre in case there were any discarded/broken bikes with suitable donor wheels in reasonable condition (don't forget to take a 15m spanner to remove the wheels).