I have done this to my Allstate. It has rear brakes that activate by pedalling backwards. Anyway, I found this technique to be so premium, that I had to share it.
I used to have to stand up on my back brakes, and still could no way lock it up. I'd deglaze, and that'd last a few times, before I was right back to square one again.
I did this, and for almost a year now, I have been able to lock my rear tire up, while I'm sitting down, and haven't had to open it back up once.
right on deezy, another trick is to cut 45degree cross hatches in the pad with a hack saw, it lets the pad flex better into the drum
I have seen similar problems on automobiles that have leading and trailing brake shoes. Over time, the brake drum wears so the diameter the drum is greater than the diameter of the shoes. As the shoes wear we replace the shoes but not the drum therefore less and less of the shoes hit the drum. Deezy's fix changes the diameter of the shoes. This may work for some time but the permanent fix is to change the brake drum. Good work Deezy. Jim
my drum is BARELY worn, but yep, I can agree. It could also be the shoe bending ever so slightly over time.
Anyway, I've never had such good results with my brakes. And it's also seeming to last forever. It's like night and day difference. I seriously would just deglaze it, and it would sorta work okay , but 5 or so times of having to REALLY use the brakes, and it'd be glazed bad, and not work at all after less than a day of use.
It was the middle of summer last year that I found this way of doing things, and have ridden through the winter, and still they work better now than they ever have, and also better than any other moped I've ridden.
I also agree with Jason. I almost tried that once too, but was afraid of making the pads fall off the shoes....
Anyway, this did the trick for me beyond anything else, and I love it. I don't think I'm wearing out the brake pads any faster, in fact I think it has made them wear better.
---_DeeZy_
freaking sweet. im in your debt deezy.
i still dont understand why filing the ends makes the middle grip more, but ill take your word for it.
Because then the outer edges aren't the only surfaces touching the drum when the brakes are applied . It is using more surface area in the center especially if your drums are worn.
Raz
Also, the shoe contacting the drum is smaller now, so theres a higher lbs/sq inch.
Do not inhale that dust!
Save the inhaling for later...
like i tell the guy i work with...
dont sniff the brake clean
wait.... i dont under stand....
do you file down the edges or the flat part?
on the flat edge of the pad?
!<img src="http://www.filefreak.com/pfiles/34866/PICT0433.JPG" alt="PICT0433.JPG" />!
or this part?
!<img src="http://www.filefreak.com/pfiles/34866/PICT0434.JPG" alt="PICT0434.JPG" />!
Well I circled it in red on my picture... the face of it, on the outer half inc area or so, and don't go overboard, but make a difference in it that you can see. Make the middle face thicker, on the shoe. Maybe go back and look for my red scribbley circle-oval I pasted on that picture above.
This works like crazy, and I'll be doing it 'til the cows come home.
---_DeeZy_
Seems like it might help the shoe pivot slightly in the drum, thereby making it jam tight in the drum!
Thanks for the pointer DZ. I will be taking the wheels off my Allstate soon to clean and inspect and will definitely do that!
KBJ
ok thanks! im gonna try it. what would you sugest like 1/4 of an inch?
shut up
DEEZ do you get manicures done
never! jk
i'll be trying this out as well, but i think the cimatti needs new cables. the rear brake is sluggish to release, has to be pulled really hard, and stops for crap. i'll give that a go on the front since its easier to get to. we're supposed to be replacing the rear wheel assembly sometime this summer, probably replace the brake cable too...or atleast pull the cable out and clean it, regrease it, and make sure its smooth. dip the end of the cable in solder to keep it from fraying too.
Oh maybe ya meant how far down to file.... ummm just so that the middle is thicker, sorry man.
Sounds like good advice. I was kinda sad when my new pads didn't make any difference. I think this will help. Anyone else do this yet?
I have, and it works like a charm. When DeeZy speaks, just do.
yea deeZy i meant how far down to file lol its ok and thanks im gonna try it when i get the time
I was just wondering today why my brakes suck so bad compared to my friend's ped. I might have to go do this right now.
just did this to the front brake of the citybike, havent sent her down the road yet. also lubed everything and sanded the light rust out of the drum. her shoes had glazed up all nasty, so i cleaned that off with some 150grit paper. they look like new shoes. then i ground the bevels into them.
i lubed the backing plate, the pivot, and the other moving bits. the shoes return ALOT better now that its all lubed up.
Thanks for the tip, I'm going to try it on my TSM
Has anyone else tried this? I am curious if it's working on all mopeds.
I have a vespa grande with brand new pads and new cables - I can't decide if I should try this, or if I should try cutting slots into the brake pads. But I am desperate for more braking power in the Los Angeles hills (plus I'm a big SOB, which makes stopping even harder).
The actual physics of this doesn't make sense to me. I'm not doubting that it works for the thread starter, but logically I don't understand how less brake pad contact could equal more stopping power. The mechanics of the brake pad application is unchanged, your just reducing the amount of pad surface - which in theory should reduce breaking power, not increase it. This assumes your drum is perfectly true.
I would love more input from people that have tried this AND/OR people that have tried cutting slots into their brake pads.
Thank you for your help.
If you file down the edges of the brake pad more of the center part of the pad hits the drum causing you to get MORE pad contact not less, thus increasing your braking power.
It actually allows more solid surface to contact, if your brake drums are older. Now tell me how cutting slots will help.
I just sat my break pad into my drum and looked at every angle - and the entire pad is making 100% surface contact, so it would be physically impossible to create "more contact" from this perspective. Unless I am completely missing something, the physics of it just wouldn't make sense in my case (my grande is a '79, but has 1,300 orig. miles - so the drum is very true).
As far as the slots go, I am no expert. But the only common sense advantage that I can see with cutting slots would be that the slots provide a place for brake dust and grime to collect - which should, in theory, reduce glazing. That's my uneducated guess anyway.
Then don't so it. I don't care. It's the waythings press and warp under pressure. I think the slots would collect the dust more where it SHOULDN'T collect, and glaze more, but I don't know, since I never did it.
I do know my brakes weren't working worth a crap before I did the above adjustments. Nothing I did helped, until I did that. Haven't had the slightest problem since, and still work better than ever.
I don't care if your physics logic adds up or not. I'm though with trying to convince you of anything, as it's obvious you know better. It worked for me, and that's just fact. I'll do it again on other bikes.
kudos deez! been wrestling with whether i should do this or not... just on a hunch - way to chart unchartedness!
Wow, Bro - chill out. You are acting extremely defensive for some reason. I am just trying to learn through the experience of others. I've read several people claim that slotting brake pads improves performance, and I have read you saying that this technique worked great for you. I'm simply trying to get a general consensus here - I'm not trying to insult you, or your brake technique.
As far as the physics go, I am simply trying to understand the logic behind this mod (because with a true drum, and a true shoe this mod seems to defy physics). It could be that this works for you because your drum has worn in a way that this mods works for YOUR drum/shoe combination in particular - but the mod might have an adverse affect on a drum/shoe combo of different proportions. That's why I asked for feedback from others that have tried it.
All in all I really like this website, and the majority of you are extremely helpful - but there is an overriding defensiveness here that I don't understand.
Regardless, I appreciate you taking the time to relay your experience to me - I didn't mean to offend you.
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