magicpie55

Hello ... I have a set of rim brake pads I'd like to try ... Looking at them thou their thicker in the middle than the ends ..seems to me the middle would just touch the rim during braking and not the whole pad .. wouldn't work as well as they should ..seems to me ..

I'm thinking of sanding them flat before installing them ... Or at least if after Installing them it seems their not working so great then try sanding them flat ... I have no experience in this stuff and will appreciate any tips ..
Thanks .. Don

maddog34

is the curve front to rear, or top to bottom?
what type of brakes? V-brake? Canti? Side pull? Disc brake?
Are the pads extremely Hard? Old? Any brand name obvious?

i resurface brake pads if they are not worn down badly...this presents a fresh surface that will then bed into the rim they are now being used on.

a front to back arc would indicate possible brake problems beyond just the pad.

magicpie55

It's the ends that curve up a bit ..like the center is going to hit the rim first and the ends might not help stopping at all ...in my mind ..I have 4 differen't sets of pads/shoes whatever their called ..Have never gotten very good braking out of any of them ...

I'm just messing with this ...again ... It's really no problem as I usually ride at 7-8 mph ...Stopping is pretty easy from that speed .. I'm just trying again to see if I can make it stop better .. I don't have much hope ..Ha ..

Thanks for the reply ..out the door now for a 1 hour evening ride ..thanks again ...Don

Pop N Wood

Automobile brake pads are pretty commonly chamfered on both ends. When setting up rim brakes I mount them angled such that the front touches first, this avoids brake chatter and squealing.

I would leave the pads alone and just ride

79pmooney

If the ends curve up and touch the tire, that could cut the tire cords, cause a very sudden blowout and ruin both that tire and your ride. Are these pads that are curved to fit the rim curvature but mounted upside down? Getting that sorted out wold be the easy fix. Otherwise, re-shaping would be highly recommended.

A note that may not be relevant here - on the caliper brakes with pivots above the rim height, ie dual pivots, side pulls, center pulls and V-brakes, when the pads wear, the contact happens higher on the rim. ie closer to the tire. Cantilevers; with their pivots below the rim, move down as the pads wear. So neglected high pivot brakes (the vast majority) can cause blowouts. Low pivot brakes can put the pads into the spokes. Both have real potential to end rides in rather nasty fashion.

Sy Reene

Did you buy used brake pads? You don't need to eyeball them to see if they have a curve, just lay them on a flat table and see if they rock back and forth.