Re: [CR] Mafac Brake Pads Redux II

(Example: Framebuilding:Norris Lockley)

Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:01:43 -0800
From: "verktyg" <verktyg@aol.com>
To: John Betmanis <johnb@oxford.net>, <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>, <freitas1@pacbell.net>
References: <4AE374B4.20800@aol.com> <a06230917c70935dcff88@[66.167.48.133]> <4AE3BD17.90306@oxford.net>
In-Reply-To: <4AE3BD17.90306@oxford.net>
Subject: Re: [CR] Mafac Brake Pads Redux II


John,

Yes, toed in or out brake pads will eventually wear down until they sit flat on the rims but I've never worn brake pads that fast. If they were squealing I fixed them.

One thing that I forgot to mention in my original post is the number of bikes I've seen with misaligned brake caliper bolt holes in the fork crowns. I've encountered this on gas pipe bikes to top of the line customs.

When the brake bolt holes are misaligned the pads don't line up with the rims - one side is toed in the other toed out. The problem usually isn't as obvious with the rear brakes because of the shorter bolts but it still can affect the brake pad alignment. In these situations I try to carefully bend the calipers so that they are even on both sides of the rims.

Recently I was helping a friend realign the fork on a 1960 Legnano Roma Olympiade that he's restoring. The forks looked like they were never properly aligned at the factory. We discovered that the brake bolt hole was off center by over 1/4" (6mm). Fortunately he's a machinist and we were able bore the front hole oversize and sleeve it. We used an end mill to plunge the rear hole to get it straight.

Chas. Colerich Oakland, CA USA


> John Betmanis wrote:
> That's something I've always wondered about and theorized that you don't
> really need to toe brake blocks in so long as they're not toed out to
> start with. The way that the friction forces resolve when the wheel is
> turning forward, the rear of the pads will be more heavily loaded if
> they start out parallel and therefore wear faster and develop a natural
> toe-in.

>> Jan Heine wrote:
   >> I never bother to toe in the brakes, as the pads grind themselves
   >> into the correct shape during the first rainy ride anyhow.