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Got rim brakes? Do yourself a favor and give them a quick overhaul.

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Got rim brakes? Do yourself a favor and give them a quick overhaul.

Old 08-19-19, 04:49 AM
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audiomagnate
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Got rim brakes? Do yourself a favor and give them a quick overhaul.

I had a sluggish dual pivot front caliper so I watched a couple tear down videos and went at it. The difference in feel is truly astounding. The rear seemed fine, but now that I was an expert I figured what the heck. Again, the difference in response and feel was amazing. After the overhaul my brakes are so much lighter and more responsive, I just wish I had done this many many miles ago. The tools, time and skill required are minimal and the reward is great. There's so much crud going up into those bushings I bet it doesn't take more than a few thousand miles to affect performance, maybe less depending on conditions.

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Old 08-19-19, 05:59 AM
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FiftySix
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. . . and lube the cables, and replace the pads if they're old and hard.
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Old 08-19-19, 06:05 AM
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I was just working on an old side-pull brake at the non-profit, and on old pro there said to be sure to lube where the spring rubs against the caliper. It all makes a difference.
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Old 08-19-19, 06:38 AM
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Which dual pivot calipers did you rebuild? Just curious.

I like the original Dura Ace dual pivots - the 7403. Very heavy by modern standards but these are super re-buildable. They use a nylon pivot bushing with tiny ball bearings that can be carefully cleaned and re-greased. When reassembled with fresh pads and high quality cables and housings and clean, machined rim sidewalls... wow! I agree with you, the difference can be quite startling.
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Old 08-19-19, 03:47 PM
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audiomagnate
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Originally Posted by masi61
Which dual pivot calipers did you rebuild? Just curious.

I like the original Dura Ace dual pivots - the 7403. Very heavy by modern standards but these are super re-buildable. They use a nylon pivot bushing with tiny ball bearings that can be carefully cleaned and re-greased. When reassembled with fresh pads and high quality cables and housings and clean, machined rim sidewalls... wow! I agree with you, the difference can be quite startling.
Tektro RS580 (see pic). The front was so bad that they were pushing the wheel to one side when activated and barely releasing. Now they pull perfectly evenly and snap back into place beautifully. At first I figured the spring was worn out, but after I took them apart and cleaned them up it was obvious it was just gunk in the pivots. I was actually shopping for Ultegras to match my levers and derailleur when I decided to try repairing them. Now it's hard to imagine anything working any better, although those BR-R8000s look awesome in gray...

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