VBrakes for Powdercoat?

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Rev.LowBuck

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Hey All,
I broke down and bought my first brand new bike since I was 8 years old. My Bike Snob status is in serious jeopardy as I picked up a Genesis Astra at WallyMart but replacement of weak components should keep me in the club.

I REALLY like this bike! Its man-sized.

Here's the problem- brake performance was disappointing. I'd like to run rear brake only.

I swapped on a set of V-Brake pads from a box marked 'for alloy'.

Went tearing down the driveway and grabbed a handful of brake. The rear locked up instantly (the hoped for result) BUT the pads were WELDED to the rims! It took a big ol screwdriver and muscled prying to get them to pop off.

I'm pretty sure the wheels are covered with powdercoat, I assume they're made of steel (I haven't had the tires off). Any suggestions for pads/compunds that will make this thing stop right?

I'll post pics when the build up is done

Thanks
 
I have that problem on Kids bike that I fix up at the bike coop. The best braking comes from alloy rims. The description says they are alloy, so figure out how to strip them down. I dont' think you will find a brake pad solution.
 
Some thoughts occur:
-You're concerned about braking performance, yet you only want one brake. Moreover, you want to retain the weaker brake. Best advice I can muster is: "completely revise your brake strategy."
-The pads marked "for alloy" are probably designed for use with alloy rims. :oops: So, maybe swap in an alloy wheel, if you're still concerned about braking performance. Otherwise, see my advice above ^^
-V-Brakes + powdercoated wheels= poor braking performance (until the pads finally wear thru the powder, or the Big Crash, whichever comes first.)
 
Bicycle808 said:
Some thoughts occur:
-You're concerned about braking performance, yet you only want one brake. Moreover, you want to retain the weaker brake. Best advice I can muster is: "completely revise your brake strategy."
-The pads marked "for alloy" are probably designed for use with alloy rims. :oops: So, maybe swap in an alloy wheel, if you're still concerned about braking performance. Otherwise, see my advice above ^^
-V-Brakes + powdercoated wheels= poor braking performance (until the pads finally wear thru the powder, or the Big Crash, whichever comes first.)
Click to expand...

808,

1 properly functioning VBrake on the rear is sufficient for the way I'll ride an around town RatRod cruiser. The strategy only needs revision if a solution can't be found, bringing us to the original question.

29" alloy rims are far from common in the places most of us look for upgrade parts, bringing us to the original question.

Thanks for answering the unaksed question regarding the intended application of brake pads marked 'for alloy''.

The Original Question. Is there a pad or compound that works well with powdercoat?

If your advice is to wear through or remove the powdercoat on the braking surface, thank you. Cman has already put forth that suggestion but your assent will be added to what he has offered.


Does anyone know of a pad or compound that works well with powdercoat?
 
Rev.LowBuck said:
Does anyone know of a pad or compound that works well with powdercoat?
Click to expand...

Bicycle808 said:
-V-Brakes + powdercoated wheels= poor braking performance (until the pads finally wear thru the powder, or the Big Crash, whichever comes first.)
Click to expand...

There's your answer, again.^^^ They don't make pads for powdercoated rims, b/c no one who cares about "disappointing brake performance" would ever run rim-brakes on PCed rims.

Pretty cute stuff, up there, but you can't expect to be taken seriously when you complain about "disappointing braking performance" on your brand-new Walmart bike, with powder-coated rims and rim brakes, especially when you removed the front brake. I run some bikes with rear-brakes only, and yeah, it works for cruising. ("Properly functioning", of course, which won't occur with a v-brake on powder.) But I can't imagine being "disappointed" about the performance of a bike whose brakes I've deliberately crippled....

-rob
 
The Genesis Astra 29" rims are painted or powder coated alloy. You could have the braking surface area on the rims machined, or remove the paint/powder on the braking surface yourself by carefully sanding or stripping it off.

It sounds like you're trying to set it up BMX style with only the rear brake, but this is a geared 29er... those big wheels develop quite a bit more momentum and energy than 26" wheels do (in other words, they are harder to slow down)

I like to run both sets of brakes for safety reasons, personally (like in case one of the brakes or cables fails - this has actually happened to me). Plus I'm in a hilly area and like the extra stopping power. Many of the old school 26" BMX / Cal Cruisers had both front and rear brakes on them - especially if they were geared.
 
Question Answered- No, there are no brake pads that work well on powdercoat.

I know enough about WalMart to know that there could very possibly be a pad that works well with powdercoat but they're only installed on bikes with backward forks. So I thought I'd ask.

I have no complaints regarding this bike. I expect a WalMart bike to require improvement (original post) and was looking to establish a direction. I haven't ditched the front brake...just thinking about it. I've never had a bike with PC rims so this is new.

I'll figure out a solution.

Thanks for your input.
 
SOLUTION FOUND!
The Genesis Astra is a 7 speed version of the Onyx 29" cruiser sold at WalMart. A wheel swap wasn't in the cards as 29" Wheels aren't to be found in any dumpsters around here.

We've established that powdercoat makes for a pretty bad braking surface. These are the same wheels that are on the coaster brake Onyx, the deep V makes them look pretty cool so I didn't really want to do a swap anyway.

My solution- emory cloth folded in a square just the right size for the braking surface of the rim. I turned the bike upside down and pedaled with one hand while holding the emory cloth on the rim with the olther. Yes- the emory cloth gets hot and loaded up regulary requiring a fresh piece. BUT I was able to remove powdercoat from just the braking surface of the rim.

This was not a quickie 5 minute job- I was at it quite some time. But the thing will stop now! I will upgrade the pads for even greater improvement. I only did the rear as I'm gonna try it with rear only for a while and see how it goes. Just an around town cruiser in a relatively flat area...no plans to do any Repack style rides.

I got the bike planning to upgrade many components but since I have planty of decent bits laying around from various MTB projects I figured I could build a decent ride.

Will post pics and details in the gallery when its done.

Thanks
 

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