SurferRosa

I hate you, shard. You're in my pad. You're in the front pad, which makes it so much worse. The road is damp, and so I picked you up, shard. I didn't want to do it. But that's what happens when it's wet, shard. What's a vintage cyclist to do? I gotta ride my vintage ride. And it felt like our only dry day for days and days. And so I get you stuck in my pad. You tell me about it almost immediately. But I gotta apply the brakes. And doing so, you scratch up my beautiful rim. And that sound you make! God, it's worse than nails on a chalkboard. You enjoy that, don't you? Back home, I try to pick you out using a razor blade. I thought I plucked you. But then I heard you again later when I went back out just trying to not hear you. Was that you or one of your buddies? You shards are all the same. Evil, shard. Like Pazuzu scratching his name in my rim. Next, I will try a Scotch-Brite pad. If that doesn't work, I will use a cross and the Bible. I will rid you, shard. God willing, I will damn you to a hell where only tiny pieces of road metal go to die forever and ever.

canklecat

Amen.

So mote it be.

As above, so below.

Shevirat hakeilim will again be made whole.

smontanaro 

Maybe new pads are the next step? Particularly if you're dealing with a vintage rim made of unobtainium.

PilotFishBob 

Brother Maynard, bring out The Holy Hand Grenade.

nlerner

Time to upgrade to disc brakes.

rumrunn6

thanks for the chuckle this morning. good luck with the exorcism or reincarnation. here's hoping you don't have to replace the rim. I wouldn't

bikemig 

The cycling gods are fickle.

scarlson 

I normally use a coarse file. Takes the glazing off the pads, too, so the shard will be in bright relief against fresh pad material. Then dig the shard out with a sharp pick or pocket screwdriver.

jdawginsc 

Obviously, throw out the entire brake unit and send to me for long term exorcism...

Most people mistake it is simply a shard in the pad, but it is the magnetic attraction caused by the caliper springs, unless they are rusted, which repels shards...

Spaghetti Legs 

Could be worse - shart in the pants. Reads pretty much the same.

jdawginsc 

I was thinking that as well...glad I wasn't alone...

DMC707

not much worse than that on a hot sweaty day

SurferRosa

I didn't think to ask @pastorbobnlnh.

SurferRosa

Upgrade?! Upgrade?! Refund?! Refund?!

CroMo Mike 

The maddening thing is that the original shard is usually a bit of aluminum that came off the rim itself, and then it increases in size as it accumulates more aluminum that the first bit of aluminum scrapes off the rim. So if you continue to use that brake, the rim effectively destroys itself.

BFisher

^^Yep^^

Aluminum's oft overlooked downside in wet weather riding.

I find a dental pick to be ideal for removal.

canklecat

Yup. I doubted that recommendation years ago, and was kinda timid about cleaning up brake pads with just a wipedown and some alcohol. But then saw YouTube videos of mechanics doing exactly that from the 1960s through contemporary races. Bike mechanics doing the equivalent to farriers dressing horses' hooves.

krakhaus 

I certainly don't miss riding in Seattle winters. The grinding brake pads, road grime, black rims, the bike puddle in my apartment. I haven't had a cold, wet butt in 3 years.

verktyg 

Sometimes it's a bit of sand or sharp grit but many times it's bits of aluminum that seem to melt into the pads... After removal the tiny crater attract the minerals the wear into the rims. Happens to me most of the time during the rainy season.

In my supernumerary condition, (Methuselah), I don't ride in the rain any more unless I get caught in a sudden deluge or sprinkle but it's more the wet grit that gets picked up when riding after it rains.

As far as "dressing" the face of brakes pads, I found that 3M Medium Drywall Sanding Screen works well. I use it even on new brake pads to remove ~.5mm of the surface to get below the hardened zone that results from vulcanizing or some other final processing step. The abrasive coated screen keeps the dust from building up like what happens with sand paper.



I also have a 6" or 8" Flat Bâtard (Bastard) File for more aggressive material removal.

verktyg

Cougrrcj

I had bought my Miyata 710 out in Phoenix, where it is sand that is the issue. Sand gets into the brake pads and wears out a rim in short order. The Miyata's original rims had deep grooves worn into the braking surface that developed into cracks. I was wondering where the brake pulsing came from - rims straight and true, but then I noticed that the rim had a slight bulging out in a few places when the tires were inflated to 95psi - where the cracks in the rim were - and the bead pressure was pushing it outwards.







Now the Miyata rides on a new set of black Mavic Open Pro rims, laced to DuraAce hubs with 15/16ga spokes.

Kabuki12

I have used a coarse grinding wheel to get a slight “toe in” on the pad and the finish it with a second mill cut file . Once on my daughters Raleigh with center pull Wienmans the scratching brakes were too much for me . The pads looked ok but I thought a little too smooth. I took a flat bastard file and a couple of passes and viola . I have never gotten anything imbedded in the pad , but I would probably first try the grinder/file method and if that didn’t work , new pads and maybe smooth out the wheel to remove any grooves. If the grooves cut into the alloy too much then cracking is a possibility.

bark_eater 

Thought of this pulling a sharp shart out of my hand. I think this one was a chrome flake, but I keep meaning to get one of those scary strong Neodymium magnet's to try and pull the steel ones.

SurferRosa

Does pad composition play a role in this? Wondering if the choice between kool-stop salmon or black makes a difference in the "shard in the pad" problem.

SurferRosa

Wow. I never thought of that. I always assumed it was road debris.

P!N20

What do you use? I have the Kool Stop black pads on one of my bikes and I can't say they've ever picked up road debris. I don't have any salmon pads though so I've got nothing to compare them to.