Went wild with a grinder and welder, and now I have a cargo bike. It stops, but definitely could be better. Rear brake feels good, but front needs some work
by -NICX
Went wild with a grinder and welder, and now I have a cargo bike. It stops, but definitely could be better. Rear brake feels good, but front needs some work
by -NICX
4 Comments
Single pivot department store brakes are crap.
Get a modern set of dual pivot calipers. For example https://tektro.com/en/product/46.
make sure you use new brake pads and clean the brake surface on the wheel.
other than that, crappy brakes are crappy.
v brakes should put more force on the rim than caliper brakes iirc. i considered switching to caliper brakes on my touring bike but everyone then was telling me to stick with the cantilever brakes because of the superior leverage. i guess i’ve never ridden a bike with calipers hard or fast enough that i could tell the difference
i’d see if getting kool stop brake pads helps, otherwise try converting to v brakes and kool stop pads, plenty of touring and tandem riders have proven that setup to be reliable and effective
If you want v brakes, find a fork with studs. Co-ops often have used stuff.