Eric, when you pull on the brake does the lever come to a definite stop? That is, it feels as though the lever has come up against a stop. Mine does, so if you still have some sponginess then there is flex in the system somewhere. I made my own cables from much thicker than standard inner and outer cables. Slight sponginess is normal until the linings have bedded in but many Vincents have several centimetres of play after the brakes have first started to touch.
H: Hubs, Wheels and Tyres Poor brakes, 1948 HRD rapide.
- Thread starter Eric
- Start date
The ones where the brake lever come back against the throttle are impressive....................
Jeff's bike, has heavy gauge brake cables, unsuitable brake shoe lining material, is the problem.
Hi, Drums being cast iron, have a smooth turned finish.
Eric,
I do think the linings can be a problem. I have found that old linings do not seem to work well. I think it may be a combinations of factors, but linings that were once good can go bad with age. In some cases it is more than just glaze, dirt and grease mist, the linings get hard. I think new linings can help. Unfortunately, most new linings may not be produce the highest performance and you definitely will not get "over the handlebar stopping" power. Discs are the only solution to that problem. Vincent Speet's drums would be next. I have found that there are few folks or companies that know anything about high friction brake linings. Fewer still, will tell you details.
Did you shim the shoes prior to arcing them? I am curious as to how well they were matched to the drum.
David
Hi, The shoes, where turned on the cam, wired in place.
When Jeff checked the shoes, they had full contact.
Just the bad glazing problem, to short out.
I'm not sure where you get your information from Eric but this is simply not true! Taper roller bearing are more often fitted with pre-load, particularly in high radial load situations.
