DG Wilson br pad rubber: worked same in wet & dry on chrome

[SA_SA_SA]

Short(er) lived Alloy rims weren't the only only fix for rim brakes in the wet:

David Wilson ( Bicycling Science author) discovered aircraft brake pads that were unaffected by water on chrome but which required four times the brake force at any time: so he and others designed a self-adjusting front caliper, than moved blocks up to the rim quickly (very low leverage) then switched to high leverage (> V brake).

However, at the rear an ordinary caliper was retained: thus if this pad material was known, maybe a compromise of steel rim at rear with these lower power but wet-resistant pads at back, and alloy wheel at front would be a useful commuting/touring solution.

Page of the third edition of Bicycling Science mentions Shimana dura-ace pads seeming similar to a materal called R2962 which the figure 7.7 shows as being good in wet on chrome, then mentions that they "wonder if the Shimano Dura-ace EX pad tested" ...."was of similar material" (see figure 7..

Do any owners of rear chrome rimmed raleigh choppers (=MIckF) (or others) wish to try this?


Also, does any one know what the magic aircraft material David Wilson used was called?

It was (of course!! ) not successful commercially: I would have thought it would have been, even ifjust sold as an after market upgrade.

[rogerzilla]

Isn't the trouble with chrome that it's just too smooth? Leather-faced pads sort of worked by absorbing the water film, but they weren't that great.

[SA_SA_SA]

Steel is hard: but the MIT/Positech (front) brake and aircraft pads worked the same in wet and rain (and were repeatedly demonstrated to bike companies: who said no thanks!! )

Because what customer (cyclist) would want their brakes to be unaffected by wet?

[531colin]

Because what customer (cyclist) would want their brakes to be unaffected by wet?

This could be a marketing difficulty. In countries where bikes are sold as fashionable exercise accessories, and where, we know real life is just like the Cornflake adverts, the mere mention of rain is likely to kill a sale stone dead.

[SA_SA_SA]

Any one else know / have tried Shimano Duraace on steel?

[robinlh]

As steel rims are just too heavy,and as that weight is in the worse possible place,I wonder why we might be worrying about this.
R
And I'm the one that wants to see steel come back on many components.
But not rims.

[SA_SA_SA]

Because on steel rims the brake pads wear out, not the rim.

[hamster]

True, but the bike handles like a pig from all the extra rotating mass of a steel rim. You could also try concrete tyres, as then the road would wear down instead.

If you really consider the life of an Alu rim unacceptable why not switch to disc brakes?

[SA_SA_SA]

Disc brakes need a frame mount, are heavy (no adv over steel rim) and not for folding bike. Rear brake doesnt need to be that pwerful

[hamster]

While discs are heavier than an Alu rim wheel, the mass is at the centre of the wheel not the edge. This lowers the inertia of the wheel (inertia depends on mass and radius) compared to a steel rim, even if the overall mass of the wheel is the same. By the way I think that your steel rimmed wheel will be heavier than an Alu +Disc.

The usual debate here is between rim brakes (on an Alu rim) and discs.

If you really want to persist with a steel rim then go ahead. However, the bulk of people who cycle seriously have moved to Alu rims. The reason is that braking is way more effective.

[SA_SA_SA]

Hamster: But only steel on the rear wheel (where less power is required anyway), and you didnt read the line about disc calipers needing a frame mount: retro fitting expensive. Also, alloy rims wear, hence reducing that to only front rim wearing seemed usedful

[hamster]

Sorry, I missed the bit about alloy on the front...
I agree that a disc mount is expensive - you can get some retrofit solutions for around £20 if you have cantis, although a drum brake is probably also a good alternative.

However if the material is anything like Dura Ace pads for price, it's cheaper to buy a new budget wheel!

[SA_SA_SA]

Hamster: what are the retro fit rear disc options: I looked for bolt -on rear disc mounts, but found none, just some ones homemade one.

[freebooter]

I assume he means these

http://2btherapy.com/index.php/bikes/br ... ersion-kit

[hamster]

That's exactly the thing. The original was made (IIRC) by A2Z, and a fair few crop up on ebay, www.retrobike.co.uk etc. I didn't know that someone was making them again though.