Re: [RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2022-01-05 Thread Toshi Takeuchi
I agree, centerpull brakes might be the best option. The Paul Racers should
work great, but may require a bit of tire deflation to mount the wheel,
depending upon the width of your tires.  Mafac raid or Compass bolt ons
should also work equally well, but expensive.  I have not tried the
DiaCompe 610s, but that would be a cheap try--much cheaper than a new frame!

Best of luck!
Toshi in Oakland, CA


On Tue, Jan 4, 2022 at 12:13 PM Brian Campbell 
wrote:

> As others have suggested the Paul Racer brakes were a big improvement on
> my AHH vs. the Tektro 559. I have a second bike with the modern Dia Compe
> 610 brakes and find that they work very well. Might they be an option?
>
> I also recently switched to using compressionless housiing brake/shift
> kits and felt it helped quite a bit in the braking department for the two
> bikes I put them on.
>
> On Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at 2:59:36 PM UTC-5 Patrick Moore wrote:
>
>> If you are going to a builder, why not have the builder add V brake posts
>> on the Sam? Of course, if there are other reasons for a new frame, they
>> please go ahead and report!
>>
>> I had lowrider brazeons made to my first edition Sam, the one designed
>> more sensibly for V or canti brakes.
>>
>> On Tue, Jan 4, 2022 at 12:30 PM Thomas Blak  wrote:
>>
>>> Late to the game on this one but I specifically came back to this group
>>> because I have always had problems with the braking performance with my Sam
>>> and 559 brakes. To put it bluntly this is the worst braking setup I have
>>> ever had, though my Brompton is a close second. I have tried almost
>>> everything to get the brakes to work, new cables, new housing, new salmon
>>> pads, brass ferrules. The only thing I haven't tried is machined sidewall
>>> rims which cyclist1959 suggested above. I think the solution for me is a
>>> new frame with V brakes.
>>>
>>> Eric said it best "Those long reach calipers are a bad design concept."
>>> I agree 100%.
>>> On Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 3:58:45 PM UTC-5 cycli...@gmail.com
>>> wrote:
>>>
 I've found that rims with machined sidewalls (Velocity Dyads and
 Quills) provide much better breaking than rims that do not have machined
 sidewalls (VO Voyagers, Grand Bois Papillon).  FWIW.


 On Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 6:22:21 AM UTC-8 bjmi...@gmail.com
 wrote:

> Again, thanks to everyone who chimed in on this thread. I actually
> particularly love when people start talking about their own
> situations/solutions, even if they don't apply to me...just because they
> don't apply now doesn't mean they never will.
>
> Semi-resolution of my original question...
>
> I went ahead and ripped off the tape, installed Sliver2 shifters/pods,
> new housing and cables, retaped and retwined...
> [image: sambars.jpg]
>
> I definitely see some little mistakes in the wrap, but this is my
> first attempt at a drop bar and I'm pleased as punch. I might redo the
> drive side tape before I shellac (there are two little gaps on the inside
> drop and I have the tiniest bit of bar showing under the hood. I also 
> think
> that dark blue is THE move on this sage green bike. I hated undoing Mark's
> work, but I think for my first time doing it, it went as well as it could
> have. Pro tip...if you're not buying the hemp twine Rivendell sells to
> finish your bar tape, throw away your current twine and order some. Night
> and day difference in quality and uniformity of thickness on the twine.
>
>
> So...did it make a difference in braking?
> While I'm still a far cry from the power of V-brakes, I think new
> cables/housing and freshly set up brakes gave me a little more grab on my
> ride this morning. I did carefully decrease the pad/rim distance gap to
> about 1/8" and things are definitely feeling sungger/more secure. I'm 
> still
> going to replace the Kool Stop with the Yokozuna salmons, though. The kind
> of riding I generally do with this bike requires VERY little braking power
> in the first place. If I were going to make this a daily commuter, I'd
> probably go searching for some Paul's or even try the VO Grand Cru. 
> But...I
> have a daily commuter that stops on a dime.
>
> At the end of the day, maybe the changes I made gave me a marginal
> improvement. Even if so, I have the satisfaction of doing this kind of 
> work
> on a bike for the first time and the peace of mind knowing that my housing
> and cables are fresh...and that ain't nothing!
>
> Thanks again for all your thoughts and feedback!
>
> Ben in Omaha
>
> On Tue, Dec 21, 2021 at 6:29 AM ascpgh  wrote:
>
>> Not of the reach of your Sam but my Rambouillet was considered to be
>> a pretty far reach bike, specified for the longest reach caliper out 
>> there
>> at the time which was a non-group Shimano part. They 

Re: [RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2022-01-04 Thread Brian Campbell
As others have suggested the Paul Racer brakes were a big improvement on my 
AHH vs. the Tektro 559. I have a second bike with the modern Dia Compe 610 
brakes and find that they work very well. Might they be an option?

I also recently switched to using compressionless housiing brake/shift kits 
and felt it helped quite a bit in the braking department for the two bikes 
I put them on.

On Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at 2:59:36 PM UTC-5 Patrick Moore wrote:

> If you are going to a builder, why not have the builder add V brake posts 
> on the Sam? Of course, if there are other reasons for a new frame, they 
> please go ahead and report!
>
> I had lowrider brazeons made to my first edition Sam, the one designed 
> more sensibly for V or canti brakes.
>
> On Tue, Jan 4, 2022 at 12:30 PM Thomas Blak  wrote:
>
>> Late to the game on this one but I specifically came back to this group 
>> because I have always had problems with the braking performance with my Sam 
>> and 559 brakes. To put it bluntly this is the worst braking setup I have 
>> ever had, though my Brompton is a close second. I have tried almost 
>> everything to get the brakes to work, new cables, new housing, new salmon 
>> pads, brass ferrules. The only thing I haven't tried is machined sidewall 
>> rims which cyclist1959 suggested above. I think the solution for me is a 
>> new frame with V brakes. 
>>
>> Eric said it best "Those long reach calipers are a bad design concept." I 
>> agree 100%. 
>> On Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 3:58:45 PM UTC-5 cycli...@gmail.com 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I've found that rims with machined sidewalls (Velocity Dyads and Quills) 
>>> provide much better breaking than rims that do not have machined sidewalls 
>>> (VO Voyagers, Grand Bois Papillon).  FWIW.
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 6:22:21 AM UTC-8 bjmi...@gmail.com 
>>> wrote:
>>>
 Again, thanks to everyone who chimed in on this thread. I actually 
 particularly love when people start talking about their own 
 situations/solutions, even if they don't apply to me...just because they 
 don't apply now doesn't mean they never will.

 Semi-resolution of my original question...

 I went ahead and ripped off the tape, installed Sliver2 shifters/pods, 
 new housing and cables, retaped and retwined...
 [image: sambars.jpg]

 I definitely see some little mistakes in the wrap, but this is my first 
 attempt at a drop bar and I'm pleased as punch. I might redo the drive 
 side 
 tape before I shellac (there are two little gaps on the inside drop and I 
 have the tiniest bit of bar showing under the hood. I also think that dark 
 blue is THE move on this sage green bike. I hated undoing Mark's work, but 
 I think for my first time doing it, it went as well as it could have. Pro 
 tip...if you're not buying the hemp twine Rivendell sells to finish your 
 bar tape, throw away your current twine and order some. Night and day 
 difference in quality and uniformity of thickness on the twine. 


 So...did it make a difference in braking?
 While I'm still a far cry from the power of V-brakes, I think new 
 cables/housing and freshly set up brakes gave me a little more grab on my 
 ride this morning. I did carefully decrease the pad/rim distance gap to 
 about 1/8" and things are definitely feeling sungger/more secure. I'm 
 still 
 going to replace the Kool Stop with the Yokozuna salmons, though. The kind 
 of riding I generally do with this bike requires VERY little braking power 
 in the first place. If I were going to make this a daily commuter, I'd 
 probably go searching for some Paul's or even try the VO Grand Cru. 
 But...I 
 have a daily commuter that stops on a dime. 

 At the end of the day, maybe the changes I made gave me a marginal 
 improvement. Even if so, I have the satisfaction of doing this kind of 
 work 
 on a bike for the first time and the peace of mind knowing that my housing 
 and cables are fresh...and that ain't nothing! 

 Thanks again for all your thoughts and feedback!

 Ben in Omaha 

 On Tue, Dec 21, 2021 at 6:29 AM ascpgh  wrote:

> Not of the reach of your Sam but my Rambouillet was considered to be a 
> pretty far reach bike, specified for the longest reach caliper out there 
> at 
> the time which was a non-group Shimano part. They were fine and I 
> replaced 
> stock pads with something similar when necessary but I was alarmed by a 
> long descent in pouring rain that came up during a local charity ride. It 
> was like there was no braking at all. 
>
> I went beyond different pads and got a set of Paul Racer center pulls 
> center mount version with the salmon pads and all is well. I have to 
> admit 
> I was in the market for more clearance around the tires so I could better 
> size fenders 

Re: [RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2022-01-04 Thread Patrick Moore
If you are going to a builder, why not have the builder add V brake posts
on the Sam? Of course, if there are other reasons for a new frame, they
please go ahead and report!

I had lowrider brazeons made to my first edition Sam, the one designed more
sensibly for V or canti brakes.

On Tue, Jan 4, 2022 at 12:30 PM Thomas Blak  wrote:

> Late to the game on this one but I specifically came back to this group
> because I have always had problems with the braking performance with my Sam
> and 559 brakes. To put it bluntly this is the worst braking setup I have
> ever had, though my Brompton is a close second. I have tried almost
> everything to get the brakes to work, new cables, new housing, new salmon
> pads, brass ferrules. The only thing I haven't tried is machined sidewall
> rims which cyclist1959 suggested above. I think the solution for me is a
> new frame with V brakes.
>
> Eric said it best "Those long reach calipers are a bad design concept." I
> agree 100%.
> On Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 3:58:45 PM UTC-5 cycli...@gmail.com
> wrote:
>
>> I've found that rims with machined sidewalls (Velocity Dyads and Quills)
>> provide much better breaking than rims that do not have machined sidewalls
>> (VO Voyagers, Grand Bois Papillon).  FWIW.
>>
>>
>> On Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 6:22:21 AM UTC-8 bjmi...@gmail.com
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Again, thanks to everyone who chimed in on this thread. I actually
>>> particularly love when people start talking about their own
>>> situations/solutions, even if they don't apply to me...just because they
>>> don't apply now doesn't mean they never will.
>>>
>>> Semi-resolution of my original question...
>>>
>>> I went ahead and ripped off the tape, installed Sliver2 shifters/pods,
>>> new housing and cables, retaped and retwined...
>>> [image: sambars.jpg]
>>>
>>> I definitely see some little mistakes in the wrap, but this is my first
>>> attempt at a drop bar and I'm pleased as punch. I might redo the drive side
>>> tape before I shellac (there are two little gaps on the inside drop and I
>>> have the tiniest bit of bar showing under the hood. I also think that dark
>>> blue is THE move on this sage green bike. I hated undoing Mark's work, but
>>> I think for my first time doing it, it went as well as it could have. Pro
>>> tip...if you're not buying the hemp twine Rivendell sells to finish your
>>> bar tape, throw away your current twine and order some. Night and day
>>> difference in quality and uniformity of thickness on the twine.
>>>
>>>
>>> So...did it make a difference in braking?
>>> While I'm still a far cry from the power of V-brakes, I think new
>>> cables/housing and freshly set up brakes gave me a little more grab on my
>>> ride this morning. I did carefully decrease the pad/rim distance gap to
>>> about 1/8" and things are definitely feeling sungger/more secure. I'm still
>>> going to replace the Kool Stop with the Yokozuna salmons, though. The kind
>>> of riding I generally do with this bike requires VERY little braking power
>>> in the first place. If I were going to make this a daily commuter, I'd
>>> probably go searching for some Paul's or even try the VO Grand Cru. But...I
>>> have a daily commuter that stops on a dime.
>>>
>>> At the end of the day, maybe the changes I made gave me a marginal
>>> improvement. Even if so, I have the satisfaction of doing this kind of work
>>> on a bike for the first time and the peace of mind knowing that my housing
>>> and cables are fresh...and that ain't nothing!
>>>
>>> Thanks again for all your thoughts and feedback!
>>>
>>> Ben in Omaha
>>>
>>> On Tue, Dec 21, 2021 at 6:29 AM ascpgh  wrote:
>>>
 Not of the reach of your Sam but my Rambouillet was considered to be a
 pretty far reach bike, specified for the longest reach caliper out there at
 the time which was a non-group Shimano part. They were fine and I replaced
 stock pads with something similar when necessary but I was alarmed by a
 long descent in pouring rain that came up during a local charity ride. It
 was like there was no braking at all.

 I went beyond different pads and got a set of Paul Racer center pulls
 center mount version with the salmon pads and all is well. I have to admit
 I was in the market for more clearance around the tires so I could better
 size fenders to cover the 32mm tires that I found made the bike handle its
 best. Midlife crisis for my Ram: new calipers, 32mm RH EL tires and fenders
 that covered them with adequate clearance and didn't rattle during braking.

 I didn't undo the bars either, just modified the housing run and stop
 at the seat tube lug and replaced the cable. There's some Rambouillet in
 the Sam's blood.

 Andy Cheatham
 Pittsburgh

 On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:02:43 AM UTC-5 bjmi...@gmail.com
 wrote:

> Good morning!
> I picked up a 2013 Sam in late October and LOVE it for a billion
> different 

Re: [RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2022-01-04 Thread Ben Mihovk
Yeah, I'm convinced that there's not much I can do to make the braking 
better. I think the biggest issue for me is that I have the v-brakes as a 
comparison and it's not even close. I remember going from an old bike with 
Tektro side pulls to the Atlantis with v-brakes and nearly going over the 
handlebars the first time I stopped. 

However...it's all a matter of perspective and I think the new cables and 
housing and such made a small difference. I also did get Yokozuna pads and 
they absolutely blow the doors off of the Kool Stops I was using. All in 
all, I'm satisfied with how the bike brakes. Maybe years from now I can get 
a fork with canti posts and at least run v-brakes on the front wheel...but 
I have no plans on doing anything like that any time soon.

Ben in Omaha
On Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at 1:30:46 PM UTC-6 Thomas Blak wrote:

> Late to the game on this one but I specifically came back to this group 
> because I have always had problems with the braking performance with my Sam 
> and 559 brakes. To put it bluntly this is the worst braking setup I have 
> ever had, though my Brompton is a close second. I have tried almost 
> everything to get the brakes to work, new cables, new housing, new salmon 
> pads, brass ferrules. The only thing I haven't tried is machined sidewall 
> rims which cyclist1959 suggested above. I think the solution for me is a 
> new frame with V brakes. 
>
> Eric said it best "Those long reach calipers are a bad design concept." I 
> agree 100%. 
> On Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 3:58:45 PM UTC-5 cycli...@gmail.com 
> wrote:
>
>> I've found that rims with machined sidewalls (Velocity Dyads and Quills) 
>> provide much better breaking than rims that do not have machined sidewalls 
>> (VO Voyagers, Grand Bois Papillon).  FWIW.
>>
>>
>> On Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 6:22:21 AM UTC-8 bjmi...@gmail.com 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Again, thanks to everyone who chimed in on this thread. I actually 
>>> particularly love when people start talking about their own 
>>> situations/solutions, even if they don't apply to me...just because they 
>>> don't apply now doesn't mean they never will.
>>>
>>> Semi-resolution of my original question...
>>>
>>> I went ahead and ripped off the tape, installed Sliver2 shifters/pods, 
>>> new housing and cables, retaped and retwined...
>>> [image: sambars.jpg]
>>>
>>> I definitely see some little mistakes in the wrap, but this is my first 
>>> attempt at a drop bar and I'm pleased as punch. I might redo the drive side 
>>> tape before I shellac (there are two little gaps on the inside drop and I 
>>> have the tiniest bit of bar showing under the hood. I also think that dark 
>>> blue is THE move on this sage green bike. I hated undoing Mark's work, but 
>>> I think for my first time doing it, it went as well as it could have. Pro 
>>> tip...if you're not buying the hemp twine Rivendell sells to finish your 
>>> bar tape, throw away your current twine and order some. Night and day 
>>> difference in quality and uniformity of thickness on the twine. 
>>>
>>>
>>> So...did it make a difference in braking?
>>> While I'm still a far cry from the power of V-brakes, I think new 
>>> cables/housing and freshly set up brakes gave me a little more grab on my 
>>> ride this morning. I did carefully decrease the pad/rim distance gap to 
>>> about 1/8" and things are definitely feeling sungger/more secure. I'm still 
>>> going to replace the Kool Stop with the Yokozuna salmons, though. The kind 
>>> of riding I generally do with this bike requires VERY little braking power 
>>> in the first place. If I were going to make this a daily commuter, I'd 
>>> probably go searching for some Paul's or even try the VO Grand Cru. But...I 
>>> have a daily commuter that stops on a dime. 
>>>
>>> At the end of the day, maybe the changes I made gave me a marginal 
>>> improvement. Even if so, I have the satisfaction of doing this kind of work 
>>> on a bike for the first time and the peace of mind knowing that my housing 
>>> and cables are fresh...and that ain't nothing! 
>>>
>>> Thanks again for all your thoughts and feedback!
>>>
>>> Ben in Omaha 
>>>
>>> On Tue, Dec 21, 2021 at 6:29 AM ascpgh  wrote:
>>>
 Not of the reach of your Sam but my Rambouillet was considered to be a 
 pretty far reach bike, specified for the longest reach caliper out there 
 at 
 the time which was a non-group Shimano part. They were fine and I replaced 
 stock pads with something similar when necessary but I was alarmed by a 
 long descent in pouring rain that came up during a local charity ride. It 
 was like there was no braking at all. 

 I went beyond different pads and got a set of Paul Racer center pulls 
 center mount version with the salmon pads and all is well. I have to admit 
 I was in the market for more clearance around the tires so I could better 
 size fenders to cover the 32mm tires that I found made the bike handle its 
 best. 

Re: [RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2022-01-04 Thread Thomas Blak
Late to the game on this one but I specifically came back to this group 
because I have always had problems with the braking performance with my Sam 
and 559 brakes. To put it bluntly this is the worst braking setup I have 
ever had, though my Brompton is a close second. I have tried almost 
everything to get the brakes to work, new cables, new housing, new salmon 
pads, brass ferrules. The only thing I haven't tried is machined sidewall 
rims which cyclist1959 suggested above. I think the solution for me is a 
new frame with V brakes. 

Eric said it best "Those long reach calipers are a bad design concept." I 
agree 100%. 
On Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 3:58:45 PM UTC-5 cycli...@gmail.com wrote:

> I've found that rims with machined sidewalls (Velocity Dyads and Quills) 
> provide much better breaking than rims that do not have machined sidewalls 
> (VO Voyagers, Grand Bois Papillon).  FWIW.
>
>
> On Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 6:22:21 AM UTC-8 bjmi...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> Again, thanks to everyone who chimed in on this thread. I actually 
>> particularly love when people start talking about their own 
>> situations/solutions, even if they don't apply to me...just because they 
>> don't apply now doesn't mean they never will.
>>
>> Semi-resolution of my original question...
>>
>> I went ahead and ripped off the tape, installed Sliver2 shifters/pods, 
>> new housing and cables, retaped and retwined...
>> [image: sambars.jpg]
>>
>> I definitely see some little mistakes in the wrap, but this is my first 
>> attempt at a drop bar and I'm pleased as punch. I might redo the drive side 
>> tape before I shellac (there are two little gaps on the inside drop and I 
>> have the tiniest bit of bar showing under the hood. I also think that dark 
>> blue is THE move on this sage green bike. I hated undoing Mark's work, but 
>> I think for my first time doing it, it went as well as it could have. Pro 
>> tip...if you're not buying the hemp twine Rivendell sells to finish your 
>> bar tape, throw away your current twine and order some. Night and day 
>> difference in quality and uniformity of thickness on the twine. 
>>
>>
>> So...did it make a difference in braking?
>> While I'm still a far cry from the power of V-brakes, I think new 
>> cables/housing and freshly set up brakes gave me a little more grab on my 
>> ride this morning. I did carefully decrease the pad/rim distance gap to 
>> about 1/8" and things are definitely feeling sungger/more secure. I'm still 
>> going to replace the Kool Stop with the Yokozuna salmons, though. The kind 
>> of riding I generally do with this bike requires VERY little braking power 
>> in the first place. If I were going to make this a daily commuter, I'd 
>> probably go searching for some Paul's or even try the VO Grand Cru. But...I 
>> have a daily commuter that stops on a dime. 
>>
>> At the end of the day, maybe the changes I made gave me a marginal 
>> improvement. Even if so, I have the satisfaction of doing this kind of work 
>> on a bike for the first time and the peace of mind knowing that my housing 
>> and cables are fresh...and that ain't nothing! 
>>
>> Thanks again for all your thoughts and feedback!
>>
>> Ben in Omaha 
>>
>> On Tue, Dec 21, 2021 at 6:29 AM ascpgh  wrote:
>>
>>> Not of the reach of your Sam but my Rambouillet was considered to be a 
>>> pretty far reach bike, specified for the longest reach caliper out there at 
>>> the time which was a non-group Shimano part. They were fine and I replaced 
>>> stock pads with something similar when necessary but I was alarmed by a 
>>> long descent in pouring rain that came up during a local charity ride. It 
>>> was like there was no braking at all. 
>>>
>>> I went beyond different pads and got a set of Paul Racer center pulls 
>>> center mount version with the salmon pads and all is well. I have to admit 
>>> I was in the market for more clearance around the tires so I could better 
>>> size fenders to cover the 32mm tires that I found made the bike handle its 
>>> best. Midlife crisis for my Ram: new calipers, 32mm RH EL tires and fenders 
>>> that covered them with adequate clearance and didn't rattle during braking. 
>>>
>>> I didn't undo the bars either, just modified the housing run and stop at 
>>> the seat tube lug and replaced the cable. There's some Rambouillet in the 
>>> Sam's blood.
>>>
>>> Andy Cheatham
>>> Pittsburgh
>>>
>>> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:02:43 AM UTC-5 bjmi...@gmail.com 
>>> wrote:
>>>
 Good morning!
 I picked up a 2013 Sam in late October and LOVE it for a billion 
 different reasons.

 However...one area where I really prefer my Atlantis is braking. I have 
 the Shimano DXR MX70 levers and v-brakes on the Atlantis and I feel like 
 the stopping power is incredible. This is my commuter bike, set up with 
 chocos for upright riding with lots of stops.

 Sam has Shimano Tiagra levers and the Tektro r559 brakes. They just 
 feel a 

Re: [RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2021-12-21 Thread David Person
I've found that rims with machined sidewalls (Velocity Dyads and Quills) 
provide much better breaking than rims that do not have machined sidewalls 
(VO Voyagers, Grand Bois Papillon).  FWIW.


On Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 6:22:21 AM UTC-8 bjmi...@gmail.com wrote:

> Again, thanks to everyone who chimed in on this thread. I actually 
> particularly love when people start talking about their own 
> situations/solutions, even if they don't apply to me...just because they 
> don't apply now doesn't mean they never will.
>
> Semi-resolution of my original question...
>
> I went ahead and ripped off the tape, installed Sliver2 shifters/pods, new 
> housing and cables, retaped and retwined...
> [image: sambars.jpg]
>
> I definitely see some little mistakes in the wrap, but this is my first 
> attempt at a drop bar and I'm pleased as punch. I might redo the drive side 
> tape before I shellac (there are two little gaps on the inside drop and I 
> have the tiniest bit of bar showing under the hood. I also think that dark 
> blue is THE move on this sage green bike. I hated undoing Mark's work, but 
> I think for my first time doing it, it went as well as it could have. Pro 
> tip...if you're not buying the hemp twine Rivendell sells to finish your 
> bar tape, throw away your current twine and order some. Night and day 
> difference in quality and uniformity of thickness on the twine. 
>
>
> So...did it make a difference in braking?
> While I'm still a far cry from the power of V-brakes, I think new 
> cables/housing and freshly set up brakes gave me a little more grab on my 
> ride this morning. I did carefully decrease the pad/rim distance gap to 
> about 1/8" and things are definitely feeling sungger/more secure. I'm still 
> going to replace the Kool Stop with the Yokozuna salmons, though. The kind 
> of riding I generally do with this bike requires VERY little braking power 
> in the first place. If I were going to make this a daily commuter, I'd 
> probably go searching for some Paul's or even try the VO Grand Cru. But...I 
> have a daily commuter that stops on a dime. 
>
> At the end of the day, maybe the changes I made gave me a marginal 
> improvement. Even if so, I have the satisfaction of doing this kind of work 
> on a bike for the first time and the peace of mind knowing that my housing 
> and cables are fresh...and that ain't nothing! 
>
> Thanks again for all your thoughts and feedback!
>
> Ben in Omaha 
>
> On Tue, Dec 21, 2021 at 6:29 AM ascpgh  wrote:
>
>> Not of the reach of your Sam but my Rambouillet was considered to be a 
>> pretty far reach bike, specified for the longest reach caliper out there at 
>> the time which was a non-group Shimano part. They were fine and I replaced 
>> stock pads with something similar when necessary but I was alarmed by a 
>> long descent in pouring rain that came up during a local charity ride. It 
>> was like there was no braking at all. 
>>
>> I went beyond different pads and got a set of Paul Racer center pulls 
>> center mount version with the salmon pads and all is well. I have to admit 
>> I was in the market for more clearance around the tires so I could better 
>> size fenders to cover the 32mm tires that I found made the bike handle its 
>> best. Midlife crisis for my Ram: new calipers, 32mm RH EL tires and fenders 
>> that covered them with adequate clearance and didn't rattle during braking. 
>>
>> I didn't undo the bars either, just modified the housing run and stop at 
>> the seat tube lug and replaced the cable. There's some Rambouillet in the 
>> Sam's blood.
>>
>> Andy Cheatham
>> Pittsburgh
>>
>> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:02:43 AM UTC-5 bjmi...@gmail.com 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Good morning!
>>> I picked up a 2013 Sam in late October and LOVE it for a billion 
>>> different reasons.
>>>
>>> However...one area where I really prefer my Atlantis is braking. I have 
>>> the Shimano DXR MX70 levers and v-brakes on the Atlantis and I feel like 
>>> the stopping power is incredible. This is my commuter bike, set up with 
>>> chocos for upright riding with lots of stops.
>>>
>>> Sam has Shimano Tiagra levers and the Tektro r559 brakes. They just feel 
>>> a million times weaker. I can stop, but it's a much more gradual experience 
>>> than the v-brakes. The braking feels squishy. Like...I pull the levers and 
>>> the pads hit the rims, but I can keep pulling the levers and there's just 
>>> not much that happens in terms of stopping. It's almost as if not enough 
>>> force gets transferred into the pads.
>>>
>>> The brakes are set up correctly, slight toe-in, arm that moves up toward 
>>> the rim has pad touching at bottom of braking surface, arm that moves down 
>>> toward rim has pad at top of braking surface. I think they contact the rim 
>>> with the appropriate amount of movement of the lever, too.
>>>
>>> I'm about to re-do all cables and housings (even though it kind of kills 
>>> me to undo one of Mark's bar wrap jobs). Any tips on 

[RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2021-12-21 Thread ascpgh
Not of the reach of your Sam but my Rambouillet was considered to be a 
pretty far reach bike, specified for the longest reach caliper out there at 
the time which was a non-group Shimano part. They were fine and I replaced 
stock pads with something similar when necessary but I was alarmed by a 
long descent in pouring rain that came up during a local charity ride. It 
was like there was no braking at all. 

I went beyond different pads and got a set of Paul Racer center pulls 
center mount version with the salmon pads and all is well. I have to admit 
I was in the market for more clearance around the tires so I could better 
size fenders to cover the 32mm tires that I found made the bike handle its 
best. Midlife crisis for my Ram: new calipers, 32mm RH EL tires and fenders 
that covered them with adequate clearance and didn't rattle during braking. 

I didn't undo the bars either, just modified the housing run and stop at 
the seat tube lug and replaced the cable. There's some Rambouillet in the 
Sam's blood.

Andy Cheatham
Pittsburgh

On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:02:43 AM UTC-5 bjmi...@gmail.com wrote:

> Good morning!
> I picked up a 2013 Sam in late October and LOVE it for a billion different 
> reasons.
>
> However...one area where I really prefer my Atlantis is braking. I have 
> the Shimano DXR MX70 levers and v-brakes on the Atlantis and I feel like 
> the stopping power is incredible. This is my commuter bike, set up with 
> chocos for upright riding with lots of stops.
>
> Sam has Shimano Tiagra levers and the Tektro r559 brakes. They just feel a 
> million times weaker. I can stop, but it's a much more gradual experience 
> than the v-brakes. The braking feels squishy. Like...I pull the levers and 
> the pads hit the rims, but I can keep pulling the levers and there's just 
> not much that happens in terms of stopping. It's almost as if not enough 
> force gets transferred into the pads.
>
> The brakes are set up correctly, slight toe-in, arm that moves up toward 
> the rim has pad touching at bottom of braking surface, arm that moves down 
> toward rim has pad at top of braking surface. I think they contact the rim 
> with the appropriate amount of movement of the lever, too.
>
> I'm about to re-do all cables and housings (even though it kind of kills 
> me to undo one of Mark's bar wrap jobs). Any tips on getting a little 
> better braking out of this setup, or are the r559s just going to not be as 
> good as v-brakes no matter how nicely they're set up?
>
> Thanks for any and all thoughts!
>
> Ben in Omaha 
>

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[RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2021-12-21 Thread Fullylugged
I run the tektro and RBW Silver branded version on 2 bikes and have no 
issues with them. On downhills, I am in the 30 - 40 mph range often where I 
live and ride, so stopping power is good to have and I've not felt like I 
lacked it.  I replaced the original pads with Salmon on one bike and Aztec 
on another and both are better than factory. A third bike has Mafac 
Professional Centerpulls and it has greater stopping power than the 
calipers.  Old school, but works nicely.  I set mine up so that there is 
very  little lever pull prior to pad contact. I use the Tektro levers on 
all of these bikes.

On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:28:47 PM UTC-6 Kushan wrote:

> Has anyone had any experience with the Dia-Compe 610 Centerpull Brakes or 
> their longer reach cousin? Though I have not tried them personally, I have 
> heard that the Gran Compe variety are stiff and provide better braking 
> power and tire clearance than a caliper brake. Rene Hearse center pull can 
> be another option if cost is not a cocern.
>
>
>

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[RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2021-12-20 Thread Kushan
Has anyone had any experience with the Dia-Compe 610 Centerpull Brakes or 
their longer reach cousin? Though I have not tried them personally, I have 
heard that the Gran Compe variety are stiff and provide better braking 
power and tire clearance than a caliper brake. Rene Hearse center pull can 
be another option if cost is not a cocern.

On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 7:40:49 PM UTC-8 Ed Felker wrote:

> I have Tiagra levers and R559 brakes on my Bleriot. The braking improved 
> significantly using salmon pads and compressionless housing, specifically, 
> the Jagwire KEB-SL Pro Road. The mushy feeling went away and they have a 
> nice predictable grip. I use the Jagwire EZ-Bend segments that lead into 
> the brake levers.
>
> There is also the Yokozuna Reaction housing but the Jagwire is much easier 
> to cut with regular Park cable cutters. I have the Yokozuna on a bike with 
> Avid BB7 disc brakes and the stuff was a pain to install but those brakes 
> got a lot stronger. 
>
> Ed Felker
> Washington, DC
>
> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:02:43 AM UTC-5 bjmi...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> Good morning!
>> I picked up a 2013 Sam in late October and LOVE it for a billion 
>> different reasons.
>>
>> However...one area where I really prefer my Atlantis is braking. I have 
>> the Shimano DXR MX70 levers and v-brakes on the Atlantis and I feel like 
>> the stopping power is incredible. This is my commuter bike, set up with 
>> chocos for upright riding with lots of stops.
>>
>> Sam has Shimano Tiagra levers and the Tektro r559 brakes. They just feel 
>> a million times weaker. I can stop, but it's a much more gradual experience 
>> than the v-brakes. The braking feels squishy. Like...I pull the levers and 
>> the pads hit the rims, but I can keep pulling the levers and there's just 
>> not much that happens in terms of stopping. It's almost as if not enough 
>> force gets transferred into the pads.
>>
>> The brakes are set up correctly, slight toe-in, arm that moves up toward 
>> the rim has pad touching at bottom of braking surface, arm that moves down 
>> toward rim has pad at top of braking surface. I think they contact the rim 
>> with the appropriate amount of movement of the lever, too.
>>
>> I'm about to re-do all cables and housings (even though it kind of kills 
>> me to undo one of Mark's bar wrap jobs). Any tips on getting a little 
>> better braking out of this setup, or are the r559s just going to not be as 
>> good as v-brakes no matter how nicely they're set up?
>>
>> Thanks for any and all thoughts!
>>
>> Ben in Omaha 
>>
>

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[RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2021-12-20 Thread Ed Felker
I have Tiagra levers and R559 brakes on my Bleriot. The braking improved 
significantly using salmon pads and compressionless housing, specifically, 
the Jagwire KEB-SL Pro Road. The mushy feeling went away and they have a 
nice predictable grip. I use the Jagwire EZ-Bend segments that lead into 
the brake levers.

There is also the Yokozuna Reaction housing but the Jagwire is much easier 
to cut with regular Park cable cutters. I have the Yokozuna on a bike with 
Avid BB7 disc brakes and the stuff was a pain to install but those brakes 
got a lot stronger. 

Ed Felker
Washington, DC

On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:02:43 AM UTC-5 bjmi...@gmail.com wrote:

> Good morning!
> I picked up a 2013 Sam in late October and LOVE it for a billion different 
> reasons.
>
> However...one area where I really prefer my Atlantis is braking. I have 
> the Shimano DXR MX70 levers and v-brakes on the Atlantis and I feel like 
> the stopping power is incredible. This is my commuter bike, set up with 
> chocos for upright riding with lots of stops.
>
> Sam has Shimano Tiagra levers and the Tektro r559 brakes. They just feel a 
> million times weaker. I can stop, but it's a much more gradual experience 
> than the v-brakes. The braking feels squishy. Like...I pull the levers and 
> the pads hit the rims, but I can keep pulling the levers and there's just 
> not much that happens in terms of stopping. It's almost as if not enough 
> force gets transferred into the pads.
>
> The brakes are set up correctly, slight toe-in, arm that moves up toward 
> the rim has pad touching at bottom of braking surface, arm that moves down 
> toward rim has pad at top of braking surface. I think they contact the rim 
> with the appropriate amount of movement of the lever, too.
>
> I'm about to re-do all cables and housings (even though it kind of kills 
> me to undo one of Mark's bar wrap jobs). Any tips on getting a little 
> better braking out of this setup, or are the r559s just going to not be as 
> good as v-brakes no matter how nicely they're set up?
>
> Thanks for any and all thoughts!
>
> Ben in Omaha 
>

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[RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2021-12-20 Thread Ryan
Although in my case, paired with the TRP RRL brake levers with their own QR 
button  , the Grand Cru brakes clear 32mm Stampede Pass tires I'm using 
with ease

On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:24:37 AM UTC-6 bjmi...@gmail.com wrote:

> Ryan,
> Thanks for that...if Jan likes them, I'm sure I would, too. His one gripe, 
> though, is that they don't open up wide enough to clear a 31mm tire. I take 
> off my front wheel to transport my bike to trails...I guess I could just 
> deflate/inflate when I do that. I'll give it some thought.
>
> Thanks again,
> Ben
>
> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:11:32 AM UTC-6 Ryan wrote:
>
>> VO Grand Cru brakes are good. Jan Heine reviewed them very favorably 
>> here. Not dead cheap but they're good looking and they work well. I 
>> replaced some Super Record brakes with these paired with TRP RRL's  and I 
>> have no complaints.
>>
>> https://www.renehersecycles.com/product-test-velo-orange-grand-cru-brakes/
>>  
>>
>> I 
>>
>> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 9:24:34 AM UTC-6 Shoji Takahashi wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Ben,
>>> For rim brakes, it's hard to beat the power of V-brakes. 
>>>
>>> Side-pull R559 is at a further disadvantage because of the arm length. 
>>> They worked ok on my AHH, but I changed to Paul centerpulls, which seem to 
>>> have more power. I recall reading that VO's Grand Cru brakes work well-- 
>>> perhaps because they're beefier than R559. 
>>>
>>> (Also consider the brake pads. Riv seems to like the "ebike" Kool Stop 
>>> pad.)
>>>
>>> Good luck!
>>> shoji
>>> Arlington MA
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:02:43 AM UTC-5 bjmi...@gmail.com 
>>> wrote:
>>>
 Good morning!
 I picked up a 2013 Sam in late October and LOVE it for a billion 
 different reasons.

 However...one area where I really prefer my Atlantis is braking. I have 
 the Shimano DXR MX70 levers and v-brakes on the Atlantis and I feel like 
 the stopping power is incredible. This is my commuter bike, set up with 
 chocos for upright riding with lots of stops.

 Sam has Shimano Tiagra levers and the Tektro r559 brakes. They just 
 feel a million times weaker. I can stop, but it's a much more gradual 
 experience than the v-brakes. The braking feels squishy. Like...I pull the 
 levers and the pads hit the rims, but I can keep pulling the levers and 
 there's just not much that happens in terms of stopping. It's almost as if 
 not enough force gets transferred into the pads.

 The brakes are set up correctly, slight toe-in, arm that moves up 
 toward the rim has pad touching at bottom of braking surface, arm that 
 moves down toward rim has pad at top of braking surface. I think they 
 contact the rim with the appropriate amount of movement of the lever, too.

 I'm about to re-do all cables and housings (even though it kind of 
 kills me to undo one of Mark's bar wrap jobs). Any tips on getting a 
 little 
 better braking out of this setup, or are the r559s just going to not be as 
 good as v-brakes no matter how nicely they're set up?

 Thanks for any and all thoughts!

 Ben in Omaha 

>>>

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Re: [RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2021-12-20 Thread esoterica etc


I've got a pair of center-mount Paul Racers with Kool Stop salmon thinline pads 
actuated by some TRP RRL levers on my rando bike. And although they certainly 
aren't as powerful as V-brakes, I do feel that the stopping power is pretty 
comparable to the canti brake setups that I have on other bikes. The Racers do 
have great modulation, and are much more powerful than the Tektro 559s I've 
used (with the same TRP RRL levers). It's really a shame that Paul discontinued 
the Racers, because I'm very impressed with them. Good luck with your brake 
situation, hope you can find a good solution. Cheers,

~Mark
Raleigh, NC


> On Dec 20, 2021, at 13:00, Jeremy Till  wrote:
> 
> Unfortunately the VO Grand Cru brakes are 47-57mm reach and the sidepull 
> Sams were designed for 55-76mm reach brakes. The nomenclature gets confusing 
> because for a while the former was the spec for "long reach" caliper brakes, 
> until the latter came along. Following Paul Components, who used to make 
> versions of the Racer brake for both reach specifications, I usually refer to 
> 47-57mm brakes as "medium" or "mid reach" and 55-76mm as "long reach" now, 
> but I'm sure that's not universal across the industry. 
> 
> As others have noted, in 55-76mm reach the options are very limited, with the 
> longer-reach Paul Racer (distinguished from the mid-reach Racer M) being the 
> usual upgrade if Tektros aren't cutting it. Unfortunately, the longer-reach 
> Racers are now out of production so you're looking for used or NOS ones. I 
> think Dia-Compe also makes some centerpull options but I'm skeptical if they 
> would be an upgrade over Tektros. 
> 
> Personally, as much as I respect Grant, my feeling is that 47-57mm is pretty 
> much the reach limit for center-mount caliper brakes; anything longer than 
> that and you're really battling flex in the long arms, and would be better 
> off going to cantilevers or brazed-on long reach centerpulls like the Rene 
> Herse or Grand Bois MAFAC clones.  
> 
> -Jeremy Till
> Sacramento, CA
> 
>> 

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[RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2021-12-20 Thread Joe Bernard
Agreed with all, it's the brakes, and in your case the Tiagra road levers 
probably aren't helping, either. 
They were designed with a short-arm dual-pivot Shimano caliper in mind 
which is a very good skinny-tire brake, those Tektros are long and flexy 
and not particularly awesome even with decent short-pull flatbar levers. 
Yokozuna or the ebike pads will indeed help. 

Joe Bernard
On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:17:15 AM UTC-8 bjmi...@gmail.com wrote:

> I appreciate your thoughts, Jeremy. I actually find it MUCH more 
> satisfying to hear that there is an inherent flaw or downside to the Tektro 
> brake rather than there being an issue with how I have it set up. 
>
> I'm going to stick with them, refresh cables and housing, and probably 
> grab some Yokozuna pads.
>
> Thanks!
>
> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 12:00:06 PM UTC-6 Jeremy Till wrote:
>
>> Unfortunately the VO Grand Cru brakes are 47-57mm reach and the sidepull 
>> Sams were designed for 55-76mm reach brakes. The nomenclature gets 
>> confusing because for a while the former was the spec for "long reach" 
>> caliper brakes, until the latter came along. Following Paul Components, who 
>> used to make versions of the Racer brake for both reach specifications, I 
>> usually refer to 47-57mm brakes as "medium" or "mid reach" and 55-76mm as 
>> "long reach" now, but I'm sure that's not universal across the industry. 
>>
>> As others have noted, in 55-76mm reach the options are very limited, with 
>> the longer-reach Paul Racer (distinguished from the mid-reach Racer M) 
>> being the usual upgrade if Tektros aren't cutting it. Unfortunately, the 
>> longer-reach Racers are now out of production so you're looking for used or 
>> NOS ones. I think Dia-Compe also makes some centerpull options but I'm 
>> skeptical if they would be an upgrade over Tektros. 
>>
>> Personally, as much as I respect Grant, my feeling is that 47-57mm is 
>> pretty much the reach limit for center-mount caliper brakes; anything 
>> longer than that and you're really battling flex in the long arms, and 
>> would be better off going to cantilevers or brazed-on long reach 
>> centerpulls like the Rene Herse or Grand Bois MAFAC clones.  
>>
>> -Jeremy Till
>> Sacramento, CA
>>
>> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 8:24:37 AM UTC-8 bjmi...@gmail.com wrote:
>>
>>> Ryan,
>>> Thanks for that...if Jan likes them, I'm sure I would, too. His one 
>>> gripe, though, is that they don't open up wide enough to clear a 31mm tire. 
>>> I take off my front wheel to transport my bike to trails...I guess I could 
>>> just deflate/inflate when I do that. I'll give it some thought.
>>>
>>> Thanks again,
>>> Ben
>>>
>>> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:11:32 AM UTC-6 Ryan wrote:
>>>
 VO Grand Cru brakes are good. Jan Heine reviewed them very favorably 
 here. Not dead cheap but they're good looking and they work well. I 
 replaced some Super Record brakes with these paired with TRP RRL's  and I 
 have no complaints.


 https://www.renehersecycles.com/product-test-velo-orange-grand-cru-brakes/
  

 I 

 On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 9:24:34 AM UTC-6 Shoji Takahashi wrote:

> Hi Ben,
> For rim brakes, it's hard to beat the power of V-brakes. 
>
> Side-pull R559 is at a further disadvantage because of the arm length. 
> They worked ok on my AHH, but I changed to Paul centerpulls, which seem 
> to 
> have more power. I recall reading that VO's Grand Cru brakes work well-- 
> perhaps because they're beefier than R559. 
>
> (Also consider the brake pads. Riv seems to like the "ebike" Kool Stop 
> pad.)
>
> Good luck!
> shoji
> Arlington MA
>
>
>
> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:02:43 AM UTC-5 bjmi...@gmail.com 
> wrote:
>
>> Good morning!
>> I picked up a 2013 Sam in late October and LOVE it for a billion 
>> different reasons.
>>
>> However...one area where I really prefer my Atlantis is braking. I 
>> have the Shimano DXR MX70 levers and v-brakes on the Atlantis and I feel 
>> like the stopping power is incredible. This is my commuter bike, set up 
>> with chocos for upright riding with lots of stops.
>>
>> Sam has Shimano Tiagra levers and the Tektro r559 brakes. They just 
>> feel a million times weaker. I can stop, but it's a much more gradual 
>> experience than the v-brakes. The braking feels squishy. Like...I pull 
>> the 
>> levers and the pads hit the rims, but I can keep pulling the levers and 
>> there's just not much that happens in terms of stopping. It's almost as 
>> if 
>> not enough force gets transferred into the pads.
>>
>> The brakes are set up correctly, slight toe-in, arm that moves up 
>> toward the rim has pad touching at bottom of braking surface, arm that 
>> moves down toward rim has pad at top of braking surface. I think they 
>> contact the 

[RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2021-12-20 Thread Ben Mihovk
I appreciate your thoughts, Jeremy. I actually find it MUCH more satisfying 
to hear that there is an inherent flaw or downside to the Tektro brake 
rather than there being an issue with how I have it set up. 

I'm going to stick with them, refresh cables and housing, and probably grab 
some Yokozuna pads.

Thanks!

On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 12:00:06 PM UTC-6 Jeremy Till wrote:

> Unfortunately the VO Grand Cru brakes are 47-57mm reach and the sidepull 
> Sams were designed for 55-76mm reach brakes. The nomenclature gets 
> confusing because for a while the former was the spec for "long reach" 
> caliper brakes, until the latter came along. Following Paul Components, who 
> used to make versions of the Racer brake for both reach specifications, I 
> usually refer to 47-57mm brakes as "medium" or "mid reach" and 55-76mm as 
> "long reach" now, but I'm sure that's not universal across the industry. 
>
> As others have noted, in 55-76mm reach the options are very limited, with 
> the longer-reach Paul Racer (distinguished from the mid-reach Racer M) 
> being the usual upgrade if Tektros aren't cutting it. Unfortunately, the 
> longer-reach Racers are now out of production so you're looking for used or 
> NOS ones. I think Dia-Compe also makes some centerpull options but I'm 
> skeptical if they would be an upgrade over Tektros. 
>
> Personally, as much as I respect Grant, my feeling is that 47-57mm is 
> pretty much the reach limit for center-mount caliper brakes; anything 
> longer than that and you're really battling flex in the long arms, and 
> would be better off going to cantilevers or brazed-on long reach 
> centerpulls like the Rene Herse or Grand Bois MAFAC clones.  
>
> -Jeremy Till
> Sacramento, CA
>
> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 8:24:37 AM UTC-8 bjmi...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> Ryan,
>> Thanks for that...if Jan likes them, I'm sure I would, too. His one 
>> gripe, though, is that they don't open up wide enough to clear a 31mm tire. 
>> I take off my front wheel to transport my bike to trails...I guess I could 
>> just deflate/inflate when I do that. I'll give it some thought.
>>
>> Thanks again,
>> Ben
>>
>> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:11:32 AM UTC-6 Ryan wrote:
>>
>>> VO Grand Cru brakes are good. Jan Heine reviewed them very favorably 
>>> here. Not dead cheap but they're good looking and they work well. I 
>>> replaced some Super Record brakes with these paired with TRP RRL's  and I 
>>> have no complaints.
>>>
>>>
>>> https://www.renehersecycles.com/product-test-velo-orange-grand-cru-brakes/
>>>  
>>>
>>> I 
>>>
>>> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 9:24:34 AM UTC-6 Shoji Takahashi wrote:
>>>
 Hi Ben,
 For rim brakes, it's hard to beat the power of V-brakes. 

 Side-pull R559 is at a further disadvantage because of the arm length. 
 They worked ok on my AHH, but I changed to Paul centerpulls, which seem to 
 have more power. I recall reading that VO's Grand Cru brakes work well-- 
 perhaps because they're beefier than R559. 

 (Also consider the brake pads. Riv seems to like the "ebike" Kool Stop 
 pad.)

 Good luck!
 shoji
 Arlington MA



 On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:02:43 AM UTC-5 bjmi...@gmail.com 
 wrote:

> Good morning!
> I picked up a 2013 Sam in late October and LOVE it for a billion 
> different reasons.
>
> However...one area where I really prefer my Atlantis is braking. I 
> have the Shimano DXR MX70 levers and v-brakes on the Atlantis and I feel 
> like the stopping power is incredible. This is my commuter bike, set up 
> with chocos for upright riding with lots of stops.
>
> Sam has Shimano Tiagra levers and the Tektro r559 brakes. They just 
> feel a million times weaker. I can stop, but it's a much more gradual 
> experience than the v-brakes. The braking feels squishy. Like...I pull 
> the 
> levers and the pads hit the rims, but I can keep pulling the levers and 
> there's just not much that happens in terms of stopping. It's almost as 
> if 
> not enough force gets transferred into the pads.
>
> The brakes are set up correctly, slight toe-in, arm that moves up 
> toward the rim has pad touching at bottom of braking surface, arm that 
> moves down toward rim has pad at top of braking surface. I think they 
> contact the rim with the appropriate amount of movement of the lever, too.
>
> I'm about to re-do all cables and housings (even though it kind of 
> kills me to undo one of Mark's bar wrap jobs). Any tips on getting a 
> little 
> better braking out of this setup, or are the r559s just going to not be 
> as 
> good as v-brakes no matter how nicely they're set up?
>
> Thanks for any and all thoughts!
>
> Ben in Omaha 
>


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[RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2021-12-20 Thread David Person
I second (or third) the suggestion to switch to Yokozuna salmon pads.

On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:00:06 AM UTC-8 Jeremy Till wrote:

> Unfortunately the VO Grand Cru brakes are 47-57mm reach and the sidepull 
> Sams were designed for 55-76mm reach brakes. The nomenclature gets 
> confusing because for a while the former was the spec for "long reach" 
> caliper brakes, until the latter came along. Following Paul Components, who 
> used to make versions of the Racer brake for both reach specifications, I 
> usually refer to 47-57mm brakes as "medium" or "mid reach" and 55-76mm as 
> "long reach" now, but I'm sure that's not universal across the industry. 
>
> As others have noted, in 55-76mm reach the options are very limited, with 
> the longer-reach Paul Racer (distinguished from the mid-reach Racer M) 
> being the usual upgrade if Tektros aren't cutting it. Unfortunately, the 
> longer-reach Racers are now out of production so you're looking for used or 
> NOS ones. I think Dia-Compe also makes some centerpull options but I'm 
> skeptical if they would be an upgrade over Tektros. 
>
> Personally, as much as I respect Grant, my feeling is that 47-57mm is 
> pretty much the reach limit for center-mount caliper brakes; anything 
> longer than that and you're really battling flex in the long arms, and 
> would be better off going to cantilevers or brazed-on long reach 
> centerpulls like the Rene Herse or Grand Bois MAFAC clones.  
>
> -Jeremy Till
> Sacramento, CA
>
> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 8:24:37 AM UTC-8 bjmi...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> Ryan,
>> Thanks for that...if Jan likes them, I'm sure I would, too. His one 
>> gripe, though, is that they don't open up wide enough to clear a 31mm tire. 
>> I take off my front wheel to transport my bike to trails...I guess I could 
>> just deflate/inflate when I do that. I'll give it some thought.
>>
>> Thanks again,
>> Ben
>>
>> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:11:32 AM UTC-6 Ryan wrote:
>>
>>> VO Grand Cru brakes are good. Jan Heine reviewed them very favorably 
>>> here. Not dead cheap but they're good looking and they work well. I 
>>> replaced some Super Record brakes with these paired with TRP RRL's  and I 
>>> have no complaints.
>>>
>>>
>>> https://www.renehersecycles.com/product-test-velo-orange-grand-cru-brakes/
>>>  
>>>
>>> I 
>>>
>>> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 9:24:34 AM UTC-6 Shoji Takahashi wrote:
>>>
 Hi Ben,
 For rim brakes, it's hard to beat the power of V-brakes. 

 Side-pull R559 is at a further disadvantage because of the arm length. 
 They worked ok on my AHH, but I changed to Paul centerpulls, which seem to 
 have more power. I recall reading that VO's Grand Cru brakes work well-- 
 perhaps because they're beefier than R559. 

 (Also consider the brake pads. Riv seems to like the "ebike" Kool Stop 
 pad.)

 Good luck!
 shoji
 Arlington MA



 On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:02:43 AM UTC-5 bjmi...@gmail.com 
 wrote:

> Good morning!
> I picked up a 2013 Sam in late October and LOVE it for a billion 
> different reasons.
>
> However...one area where I really prefer my Atlantis is braking. I 
> have the Shimano DXR MX70 levers and v-brakes on the Atlantis and I feel 
> like the stopping power is incredible. This is my commuter bike, set up 
> with chocos for upright riding with lots of stops.
>
> Sam has Shimano Tiagra levers and the Tektro r559 brakes. They just 
> feel a million times weaker. I can stop, but it's a much more gradual 
> experience than the v-brakes. The braking feels squishy. Like...I pull 
> the 
> levers and the pads hit the rims, but I can keep pulling the levers and 
> there's just not much that happens in terms of stopping. It's almost as 
> if 
> not enough force gets transferred into the pads.
>
> The brakes are set up correctly, slight toe-in, arm that moves up 
> toward the rim has pad touching at bottom of braking surface, arm that 
> moves down toward rim has pad at top of braking surface. I think they 
> contact the rim with the appropriate amount of movement of the lever, too.
>
> I'm about to re-do all cables and housings (even though it kind of 
> kills me to undo one of Mark's bar wrap jobs). Any tips on getting a 
> little 
> better braking out of this setup, or are the r559s just going to not be 
> as 
> good as v-brakes no matter how nicely they're set up?
>
> Thanks for any and all thoughts!
>
> Ben in Omaha 
>


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[RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2021-12-20 Thread Jeremy Till
Unfortunately the VO Grand Cru brakes are 47-57mm reach and the sidepull 
Sams were designed for 55-76mm reach brakes. The nomenclature gets 
confusing because for a while the former was the spec for "long reach" 
caliper brakes, until the latter came along. Following Paul Components, who 
used to make versions of the Racer brake for both reach specifications, I 
usually refer to 47-57mm brakes as "medium" or "mid reach" and 55-76mm as 
"long reach" now, but I'm sure that's not universal across the industry. 

As others have noted, in 55-76mm reach the options are very limited, with 
the longer-reach Paul Racer (distinguished from the mid-reach Racer M) 
being the usual upgrade if Tektros aren't cutting it. Unfortunately, the 
longer-reach Racers are now out of production so you're looking for used or 
NOS ones. I think Dia-Compe also makes some centerpull options but I'm 
skeptical if they would be an upgrade over Tektros. 

Personally, as much as I respect Grant, my feeling is that 47-57mm is 
pretty much the reach limit for center-mount caliper brakes; anything 
longer than that and you're really battling flex in the long arms, and 
would be better off going to cantilevers or brazed-on long reach 
centerpulls like the Rene Herse or Grand Bois MAFAC clones.  

-Jeremy Till
Sacramento, CA

On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 8:24:37 AM UTC-8 bjmi...@gmail.com wrote:

> Ryan,
> Thanks for that...if Jan likes them, I'm sure I would, too. His one gripe, 
> though, is that they don't open up wide enough to clear a 31mm tire. I take 
> off my front wheel to transport my bike to trails...I guess I could just 
> deflate/inflate when I do that. I'll give it some thought.
>
> Thanks again,
> Ben
>
> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:11:32 AM UTC-6 Ryan wrote:
>
>> VO Grand Cru brakes are good. Jan Heine reviewed them very favorably 
>> here. Not dead cheap but they're good looking and they work well. I 
>> replaced some Super Record brakes with these paired with TRP RRL's  and I 
>> have no complaints.
>>
>> https://www.renehersecycles.com/product-test-velo-orange-grand-cru-brakes/
>>  
>>
>> I 
>>
>> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 9:24:34 AM UTC-6 Shoji Takahashi wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Ben,
>>> For rim brakes, it's hard to beat the power of V-brakes. 
>>>
>>> Side-pull R559 is at a further disadvantage because of the arm length. 
>>> They worked ok on my AHH, but I changed to Paul centerpulls, which seem to 
>>> have more power. I recall reading that VO's Grand Cru brakes work well-- 
>>> perhaps because they're beefier than R559. 
>>>
>>> (Also consider the brake pads. Riv seems to like the "ebike" Kool Stop 
>>> pad.)
>>>
>>> Good luck!
>>> shoji
>>> Arlington MA
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:02:43 AM UTC-5 bjmi...@gmail.com 
>>> wrote:
>>>
 Good morning!
 I picked up a 2013 Sam in late October and LOVE it for a billion 
 different reasons.

 However...one area where I really prefer my Atlantis is braking. I have 
 the Shimano DXR MX70 levers and v-brakes on the Atlantis and I feel like 
 the stopping power is incredible. This is my commuter bike, set up with 
 chocos for upright riding with lots of stops.

 Sam has Shimano Tiagra levers and the Tektro r559 brakes. They just 
 feel a million times weaker. I can stop, but it's a much more gradual 
 experience than the v-brakes. The braking feels squishy. Like...I pull the 
 levers and the pads hit the rims, but I can keep pulling the levers and 
 there's just not much that happens in terms of stopping. It's almost as if 
 not enough force gets transferred into the pads.

 The brakes are set up correctly, slight toe-in, arm that moves up 
 toward the rim has pad touching at bottom of braking surface, arm that 
 moves down toward rim has pad at top of braking surface. I think they 
 contact the rim with the appropriate amount of movement of the lever, too.

 I'm about to re-do all cables and housings (even though it kind of 
 kills me to undo one of Mark's bar wrap jobs). Any tips on getting a 
 little 
 better braking out of this setup, or are the r559s just going to not be as 
 good as v-brakes no matter how nicely they're set up?

 Thanks for any and all thoughts!

 Ben in Omaha 

>>>

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[RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2021-12-20 Thread Ben Mihovk
I should clarify on pad distance...

I've used the Calvin from Park Tool method of determining pad clearance by 
how far back I can pull the brake lever. The pads touch the rim when 
pulling the lever almost halfway back. The levers are at least 1" from the 
hoods when the pads are firmly in contact with the rims. I will try getting 
them a touch closer before I ride home today and see how that goes, though.

Thanks again!
Ben

On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 11:53:06 AM UTC-6 Ben Mihovk wrote:

> Hey Garth,
> I have Kool Stop salmon pads in now. Everything on the bike looks set up 
> perfectly with housing and such...it's an original Riv build so I'm 
> assuming it was done expertly. 
>
> Rim to pad distance...well, I guess I can't find a really good way to tell 
> how close they *should *be. I know I can use the barrel adjuster to get 
> the pads a little closer...is there such thing as too close as long as the 
> wheel has room to move without rubbing when it flexes while being stressed? 
>
> While the hassle of tearing up the bars is something I'd like to avoid, I 
> know that at some point I want dark blue Newbaums with clear shellac on 
> this bike. Might as well do it now!
>
> Ben
>
>
>
> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 11:22:11 AM UTC-6 Garth wrote:
>
>> Ben,  If you have stock Tektro pads replace them as I've never met one 
>> worth a darn. Any mentioned are fine. Also cable housing end finishes into 
>> the ferrules, is everything flush ? What's the rim to pad distance ?  Check 
>> all that before setting out to tear your bars apart ! 
>>
>> In the real world many people use that brake and find it works well so 
>> don't give up so easily ! 
>>
>> Never accept as a condition for wheel removal deflating a tire, that'll 
>> grow old real quick. 
>> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:02:43 AM UTC-5 bjmi...@gmail.com 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Good morning!
>>> I picked up a 2013 Sam in late October and LOVE it for a billion 
>>> different reasons.
>>>
>>> However...one area where I really prefer my Atlantis is braking. I have 
>>> the Shimano DXR MX70 levers and v-brakes on the Atlantis and I feel like 
>>> the stopping power is incredible. This is my commuter bike, set up with 
>>> chocos for upright riding with lots of stops.
>>>
>>> Sam has Shimano Tiagra levers and the Tektro r559 brakes. They just feel 
>>> a million times weaker. I can stop, but it's a much more gradual experience 
>>> than the v-brakes. The braking feels squishy. Like...I pull the levers and 
>>> the pads hit the rims, but I can keep pulling the levers and there's just 
>>> not much that happens in terms of stopping. It's almost as if not enough 
>>> force gets transferred into the pads.
>>>
>>> The brakes are set up correctly, slight toe-in, arm that moves up toward 
>>> the rim has pad touching at bottom of braking surface, arm that moves down 
>>> toward rim has pad at top of braking surface. I think they contact the rim 
>>> with the appropriate amount of movement of the lever, too.
>>>
>>> I'm about to re-do all cables and housings (even though it kind of kills 
>>> me to undo one of Mark's bar wrap jobs). Any tips on getting a little 
>>> better braking out of this setup, or are the r559s just going to not be as 
>>> good as v-brakes no matter how nicely they're set up?
>>>
>>> Thanks for any and all thoughts!
>>>
>>> Ben in Omaha 
>>>
>>

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[RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2021-12-20 Thread Ben Mihovk
Hey Garth,
I have Kool Stop salmon pads in now. Everything on the bike looks set up 
perfectly with housing and such...it's an original Riv build so I'm 
assuming it was done expertly. 

Rim to pad distance...well, I guess I can't find a really good way to tell 
how close they *should *be. I know I can use the barrel adjuster to get the 
pads a little closer...is there such thing as too close as long as the 
wheel has room to move without rubbing when it flexes while being stressed? 

While the hassle of tearing up the bars is something I'd like to avoid, I 
know that at some point I want dark blue Newbaums with clear shellac on 
this bike. Might as well do it now!

Ben



On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 11:22:11 AM UTC-6 Garth wrote:

> Ben,  If you have stock Tektro pads replace them as I've never met one 
> worth a darn. Any mentioned are fine. Also cable housing end finishes into 
> the ferrules, is everything flush ? What's the rim to pad distance ?  Check 
> all that before setting out to tear your bars apart ! 
>
> In the real world many people use that brake and find it works well so 
> don't give up so easily ! 
>
> Never accept as a condition for wheel removal deflating a tire, that'll 
> grow old real quick. 
> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:02:43 AM UTC-5 bjmi...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> Good morning!
>> I picked up a 2013 Sam in late October and LOVE it for a billion 
>> different reasons.
>>
>> However...one area where I really prefer my Atlantis is braking. I have 
>> the Shimano DXR MX70 levers and v-brakes on the Atlantis and I feel like 
>> the stopping power is incredible. This is my commuter bike, set up with 
>> chocos for upright riding with lots of stops.
>>
>> Sam has Shimano Tiagra levers and the Tektro r559 brakes. They just feel 
>> a million times weaker. I can stop, but it's a much more gradual experience 
>> than the v-brakes. The braking feels squishy. Like...I pull the levers and 
>> the pads hit the rims, but I can keep pulling the levers and there's just 
>> not much that happens in terms of stopping. It's almost as if not enough 
>> force gets transferred into the pads.
>>
>> The brakes are set up correctly, slight toe-in, arm that moves up toward 
>> the rim has pad touching at bottom of braking surface, arm that moves down 
>> toward rim has pad at top of braking surface. I think they contact the rim 
>> with the appropriate amount of movement of the lever, too.
>>
>> I'm about to re-do all cables and housings (even though it kind of kills 
>> me to undo one of Mark's bar wrap jobs). Any tips on getting a little 
>> better braking out of this setup, or are the r559s just going to not be as 
>> good as v-brakes no matter how nicely they're set up?
>>
>> Thanks for any and all thoughts!
>>
>> Ben in Omaha 
>>
>

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[RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2021-12-20 Thread Garth
Ben,  If you have stock Tektro pads replace them as I've never met one 
worth a darn. Any mentioned are fine. Also cable housing end finishes into 
the ferrules, is everything flush ? What's the rim to pad distance ?  Check 
all that before setting out to tear your bars apart ! 

In the real world many people use that brake and find it works well so 
don't give up so easily ! 

Never accept as a condition for wheel removal deflating a tire, that'll 
grow old real quick. 
On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:02:43 AM UTC-5 bjmi...@gmail.com wrote:

> Good morning!
> I picked up a 2013 Sam in late October and LOVE it for a billion different 
> reasons.
>
> However...one area where I really prefer my Atlantis is braking. I have 
> the Shimano DXR MX70 levers and v-brakes on the Atlantis and I feel like 
> the stopping power is incredible. This is my commuter bike, set up with 
> chocos for upright riding with lots of stops.
>
> Sam has Shimano Tiagra levers and the Tektro r559 brakes. They just feel a 
> million times weaker. I can stop, but it's a much more gradual experience 
> than the v-brakes. The braking feels squishy. Like...I pull the levers and 
> the pads hit the rims, but I can keep pulling the levers and there's just 
> not much that happens in terms of stopping. It's almost as if not enough 
> force gets transferred into the pads.
>
> The brakes are set up correctly, slight toe-in, arm that moves up toward 
> the rim has pad touching at bottom of braking surface, arm that moves down 
> toward rim has pad at top of braking surface. I think they contact the rim 
> with the appropriate amount of movement of the lever, too.
>
> I'm about to re-do all cables and housings (even though it kind of kills 
> me to undo one of Mark's bar wrap jobs). Any tips on getting a little 
> better braking out of this setup, or are the r559s just going to not be as 
> good as v-brakes no matter how nicely they're set up?
>
> Thanks for any and all thoughts!
>
> Ben in Omaha 
>

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[RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2021-12-20 Thread Ben Mihovk
Ryan,
Thanks for that...if Jan likes them, I'm sure I would, too. His one gripe, 
though, is that they don't open up wide enough to clear a 31mm tire. I take 
off my front wheel to transport my bike to trails...I guess I could just 
deflate/inflate when I do that. I'll give it some thought.

Thanks again,
Ben

On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:11:32 AM UTC-6 Ryan wrote:

> VO Grand Cru brakes are good. Jan Heine reviewed them very favorably here. 
> Not dead cheap but they're good looking and they work well. I replaced some 
> Super Record brakes with these paired with TRP RRL's  and I have no 
> complaints.
>
> https://www.renehersecycles.com/product-test-velo-orange-grand-cru-brakes/
>  
>
> I 
>
> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 9:24:34 AM UTC-6 Shoji Takahashi wrote:
>
>> Hi Ben,
>> For rim brakes, it's hard to beat the power of V-brakes. 
>>
>> Side-pull R559 is at a further disadvantage because of the arm length. 
>> They worked ok on my AHH, but I changed to Paul centerpulls, which seem to 
>> have more power. I recall reading that VO's Grand Cru brakes work well-- 
>> perhaps because they're beefier than R559. 
>>
>> (Also consider the brake pads. Riv seems to like the "ebike" Kool Stop 
>> pad.)
>>
>> Good luck!
>> shoji
>> Arlington MA
>>
>>
>>
>> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:02:43 AM UTC-5 bjmi...@gmail.com 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Good morning!
>>> I picked up a 2013 Sam in late October and LOVE it for a billion 
>>> different reasons.
>>>
>>> However...one area where I really prefer my Atlantis is braking. I have 
>>> the Shimano DXR MX70 levers and v-brakes on the Atlantis and I feel like 
>>> the stopping power is incredible. This is my commuter bike, set up with 
>>> chocos for upright riding with lots of stops.
>>>
>>> Sam has Shimano Tiagra levers and the Tektro r559 brakes. They just feel 
>>> a million times weaker. I can stop, but it's a much more gradual experience 
>>> than the v-brakes. The braking feels squishy. Like...I pull the levers and 
>>> the pads hit the rims, but I can keep pulling the levers and there's just 
>>> not much that happens in terms of stopping. It's almost as if not enough 
>>> force gets transferred into the pads.
>>>
>>> The brakes are set up correctly, slight toe-in, arm that moves up toward 
>>> the rim has pad touching at bottom of braking surface, arm that moves down 
>>> toward rim has pad at top of braking surface. I think they contact the rim 
>>> with the appropriate amount of movement of the lever, too.
>>>
>>> I'm about to re-do all cables and housings (even though it kind of kills 
>>> me to undo one of Mark's bar wrap jobs). Any tips on getting a little 
>>> better braking out of this setup, or are the r559s just going to not be as 
>>> good as v-brakes no matter how nicely they're set up?
>>>
>>> Thanks for any and all thoughts!
>>>
>>> Ben in Omaha 
>>>
>>

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[RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2021-12-20 Thread Ryan
VO Grand Cru brakes are good. Jan Heine reviewed them very favorably here. 
Not dead cheap but they're good looking and they work well. I replaced some 
Super Record brakes with these paired with TRP RRL's  and I have no 
complaints.

https://www.renehersecycles.com/product-test-velo-orange-grand-cru-brakes/ 

I 

On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 9:24:34 AM UTC-6 Shoji Takahashi wrote:

> Hi Ben,
> For rim brakes, it's hard to beat the power of V-brakes. 
>
> Side-pull R559 is at a further disadvantage because of the arm length. 
> They worked ok on my AHH, but I changed to Paul centerpulls, which seem to 
> have more power. I recall reading that VO's Grand Cru brakes work well-- 
> perhaps because they're beefier than R559. 
>
> (Also consider the brake pads. Riv seems to like the "ebike" Kool Stop 
> pad.)
>
> Good luck!
> shoji
> Arlington MA
>
>
>
> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:02:43 AM UTC-5 bjmi...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> Good morning!
>> I picked up a 2013 Sam in late October and LOVE it for a billion 
>> different reasons.
>>
>> However...one area where I really prefer my Atlantis is braking. I have 
>> the Shimano DXR MX70 levers and v-brakes on the Atlantis and I feel like 
>> the stopping power is incredible. This is my commuter bike, set up with 
>> chocos for upright riding with lots of stops.
>>
>> Sam has Shimano Tiagra levers and the Tektro r559 brakes. They just feel 
>> a million times weaker. I can stop, but it's a much more gradual experience 
>> than the v-brakes. The braking feels squishy. Like...I pull the levers and 
>> the pads hit the rims, but I can keep pulling the levers and there's just 
>> not much that happens in terms of stopping. It's almost as if not enough 
>> force gets transferred into the pads.
>>
>> The brakes are set up correctly, slight toe-in, arm that moves up toward 
>> the rim has pad touching at bottom of braking surface, arm that moves down 
>> toward rim has pad at top of braking surface. I think they contact the rim 
>> with the appropriate amount of movement of the lever, too.
>>
>> I'm about to re-do all cables and housings (even though it kind of kills 
>> me to undo one of Mark's bar wrap jobs). Any tips on getting a little 
>> better braking out of this setup, or are the r559s just going to not be as 
>> good as v-brakes no matter how nicely they're set up?
>>
>> Thanks for any and all thoughts!
>>
>> Ben in Omaha 
>>
>

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[RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2021-12-20 Thread Ben Mihovk
Sorry...the VO reviewer said the Grand Cru brakes *could not* fit a fully 
inflated 35mm tire. 

On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:08:03 AM UTC-6 Ben Mihovk wrote:

> Thanks for the thoughts!
>
> I have the Yokozuna salmon pads on the v-brakes on the Atlantis and I love 
> them. I might try replacing the Kool Stop pads with those.
>
> I just looked at the Grand Cru brakes and am VERY tempted. Definitely have 
> a stronger/stiffer look to them than the R559. One reviewer on VO's website 
> says that they could fit an inflated 35mm tire through the pads when the 
> brakes are released. 38mm is as low as I'd go on this bike, so those brakes 
> (while definitely good looking and probably better performing than the 
> R559s) might be out of the question for me. 
>
> Ben
>
> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 9:51:54 AM UTC-6 Tom M wrote:
>
>> +1 on replacing the stock pads, which are bad, especially in the rain. I 
>> replaced mine with the Yokozuna pads Rivendell sells, but I'm sure the Kool 
>> Stop would be an improvement as well.
>> Tom in Alexandria, VA
>>
>> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:24:34 AM UTC-5 Shoji Takahashi wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Ben,
>>> For rim brakes, it's hard to beat the power of V-brakes. 
>>>
>>> Side-pull R559 is at a further disadvantage because of the arm length. 
>>> They worked ok on my AHH, but I changed to Paul centerpulls, which seem to 
>>> have more power. I recall reading that VO's Grand Cru brakes work well-- 
>>> perhaps because they're beefier than R559. 
>>>
>>> (Also consider the brake pads. Riv seems to like the "ebike" Kool Stop 
>>> pad.)
>>>
>>> Good luck!
>>> shoji
>>> Arlington MA
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:02:43 AM UTC-5 bjmi...@gmail.com 
>>> wrote:
>>>
 Good morning!
 I picked up a 2013 Sam in late October and LOVE it for a billion 
 different reasons.

 However...one area where I really prefer my Atlantis is braking. I have 
 the Shimano DXR MX70 levers and v-brakes on the Atlantis and I feel like 
 the stopping power is incredible. This is my commuter bike, set up with 
 chocos for upright riding with lots of stops.

 Sam has Shimano Tiagra levers and the Tektro r559 brakes. They just 
 feel a million times weaker. I can stop, but it's a much more gradual 
 experience than the v-brakes. The braking feels squishy. Like...I pull the 
 levers and the pads hit the rims, but I can keep pulling the levers and 
 there's just not much that happens in terms of stopping. It's almost as if 
 not enough force gets transferred into the pads.

 The brakes are set up correctly, slight toe-in, arm that moves up 
 toward the rim has pad touching at bottom of braking surface, arm that 
 moves down toward rim has pad at top of braking surface. I think they 
 contact the rim with the appropriate amount of movement of the lever, too.

 I'm about to re-do all cables and housings (even though it kind of 
 kills me to undo one of Mark's bar wrap jobs). Any tips on getting a 
 little 
 better braking out of this setup, or are the r559s just going to not be as 
 good as v-brakes no matter how nicely they're set up?

 Thanks for any and all thoughts!

 Ben in Omaha 

>>>

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[RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2021-12-20 Thread Ben Mihovk
Thanks for the thoughts!

I have the Yokozuna salmon pads on the v-brakes on the Atlantis and I love 
them. I might try replacing the Kool Stop pads with those.

I just looked at the Grand Cru brakes and am VERY tempted. Definitely have 
a stronger/stiffer look to them than the R559. One reviewer on VO's website 
says that they could fit an inflated 35mm tire through the pads when the 
brakes are released. 38mm is as low as I'd go on this bike, so those brakes 
(while definitely good looking and probably better performing than the 
R559s) might be out of the question for me. 

Ben

On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 9:51:54 AM UTC-6 Tom M wrote:

> +1 on replacing the stock pads, which are bad, especially in the rain. I 
> replaced mine with the Yokozuna pads Rivendell sells, but I'm sure the Kool 
> Stop would be an improvement as well.
> Tom in Alexandria, VA
>
> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:24:34 AM UTC-5 Shoji Takahashi wrote:
>
>> Hi Ben,
>> For rim brakes, it's hard to beat the power of V-brakes. 
>>
>> Side-pull R559 is at a further disadvantage because of the arm length. 
>> They worked ok on my AHH, but I changed to Paul centerpulls, which seem to 
>> have more power. I recall reading that VO's Grand Cru brakes work well-- 
>> perhaps because they're beefier than R559. 
>>
>> (Also consider the brake pads. Riv seems to like the "ebike" Kool Stop 
>> pad.)
>>
>> Good luck!
>> shoji
>> Arlington MA
>>
>>
>>
>> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:02:43 AM UTC-5 bjmi...@gmail.com 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Good morning!
>>> I picked up a 2013 Sam in late October and LOVE it for a billion 
>>> different reasons.
>>>
>>> However...one area where I really prefer my Atlantis is braking. I have 
>>> the Shimano DXR MX70 levers and v-brakes on the Atlantis and I feel like 
>>> the stopping power is incredible. This is my commuter bike, set up with 
>>> chocos for upright riding with lots of stops.
>>>
>>> Sam has Shimano Tiagra levers and the Tektro r559 brakes. They just feel 
>>> a million times weaker. I can stop, but it's a much more gradual experience 
>>> than the v-brakes. The braking feels squishy. Like...I pull the levers and 
>>> the pads hit the rims, but I can keep pulling the levers and there's just 
>>> not much that happens in terms of stopping. It's almost as if not enough 
>>> force gets transferred into the pads.
>>>
>>> The brakes are set up correctly, slight toe-in, arm that moves up toward 
>>> the rim has pad touching at bottom of braking surface, arm that moves down 
>>> toward rim has pad at top of braking surface. I think they contact the rim 
>>> with the appropriate amount of movement of the lever, too.
>>>
>>> I'm about to re-do all cables and housings (even though it kind of kills 
>>> me to undo one of Mark's bar wrap jobs). Any tips on getting a little 
>>> better braking out of this setup, or are the r559s just going to not be as 
>>> good as v-brakes no matter how nicely they're set up?
>>>
>>> Thanks for any and all thoughts!
>>>
>>> Ben in Omaha 
>>>
>>

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[RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2021-12-20 Thread 'Tom M' via RBW Owners Bunch
+1 on replacing the stock pads, which are bad, especially in the rain. I 
replaced mine with the Yokozuna pads Rivendell sells, but I'm sure the Kool 
Stop would be an improvement as well.
Tom in Alexandria, VA

On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:24:34 AM UTC-5 Shoji Takahashi wrote:

> Hi Ben,
> For rim brakes, it's hard to beat the power of V-brakes. 
>
> Side-pull R559 is at a further disadvantage because of the arm length. 
> They worked ok on my AHH, but I changed to Paul centerpulls, which seem to 
> have more power. I recall reading that VO's Grand Cru brakes work well-- 
> perhaps because they're beefier than R559. 
>
> (Also consider the brake pads. Riv seems to like the "ebike" Kool Stop 
> pad.)
>
> Good luck!
> shoji
> Arlington MA
>
>
>
> On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:02:43 AM UTC-5 bjmi...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> Good morning!
>> I picked up a 2013 Sam in late October and LOVE it for a billion 
>> different reasons.
>>
>> However...one area where I really prefer my Atlantis is braking. I have 
>> the Shimano DXR MX70 levers and v-brakes on the Atlantis and I feel like 
>> the stopping power is incredible. This is my commuter bike, set up with 
>> chocos for upright riding with lots of stops.
>>
>> Sam has Shimano Tiagra levers and the Tektro r559 brakes. They just feel 
>> a million times weaker. I can stop, but it's a much more gradual experience 
>> than the v-brakes. The braking feels squishy. Like...I pull the levers and 
>> the pads hit the rims, but I can keep pulling the levers and there's just 
>> not much that happens in terms of stopping. It's almost as if not enough 
>> force gets transferred into the pads.
>>
>> The brakes are set up correctly, slight toe-in, arm that moves up toward 
>> the rim has pad touching at bottom of braking surface, arm that moves down 
>> toward rim has pad at top of braking surface. I think they contact the rim 
>> with the appropriate amount of movement of the lever, too.
>>
>> I'm about to re-do all cables and housings (even though it kind of kills 
>> me to undo one of Mark's bar wrap jobs). Any tips on getting a little 
>> better braking out of this setup, or are the r559s just going to not be as 
>> good as v-brakes no matter how nicely they're set up?
>>
>> Thanks for any and all thoughts!
>>
>> Ben in Omaha 
>>
>

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[RBW] Re: Suggestions for better braking?

2021-12-20 Thread Shoji Takahashi
Hi Ben,
For rim brakes, it's hard to beat the power of V-brakes. 

Side-pull R559 is at a further disadvantage because of the arm length. They 
worked ok on my AHH, but I changed to Paul centerpulls, which seem to have 
more power. I recall reading that VO's Grand Cru brakes work well-- perhaps 
because they're beefier than R559. 

(Also consider the brake pads. Riv seems to like the "ebike" Kool Stop pad.)

Good luck!
shoji
Arlington MA



On Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:02:43 AM UTC-5 bjmi...@gmail.com wrote:

> Good morning!
> I picked up a 2013 Sam in late October and LOVE it for a billion different 
> reasons.
>
> However...one area where I really prefer my Atlantis is braking. I have 
> the Shimano DXR MX70 levers and v-brakes on the Atlantis and I feel like 
> the stopping power is incredible. This is my commuter bike, set up with 
> chocos for upright riding with lots of stops.
>
> Sam has Shimano Tiagra levers and the Tektro r559 brakes. They just feel a 
> million times weaker. I can stop, but it's a much more gradual experience 
> than the v-brakes. The braking feels squishy. Like...I pull the levers and 
> the pads hit the rims, but I can keep pulling the levers and there's just 
> not much that happens in terms of stopping. It's almost as if not enough 
> force gets transferred into the pads.
>
> The brakes are set up correctly, slight toe-in, arm that moves up toward 
> the rim has pad touching at bottom of braking surface, arm that moves down 
> toward rim has pad at top of braking surface. I think they contact the rim 
> with the appropriate amount of movement of the lever, too.
>
> I'm about to re-do all cables and housings (even though it kind of kills 
> me to undo one of Mark's bar wrap jobs). Any tips on getting a little 
> better braking out of this setup, or are the r559s just going to not be as 
> good as v-brakes no matter how nicely they're set up?
>
> Thanks for any and all thoughts!
>
> Ben in Omaha 
>

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