[ttilghman]

parks, i'm thinking my cable was pinched/folded at the brake lever at about the same time i cracked my clavicle last june...i can actually see the cable strands separate and come back together as i release and add tension. my shoe wear was very nice and my brake was very good (as in i've never raced with better stopping)out on the track once bedded, but there's still just a bit of disconcerning play in the cable. i've double and triple checked the brake and linkage and am quite confident everything is good down there, so much so that i've already safety wired it all back together. i'm pretty sure the cable will finish the job, but either way, i still have more brake than i've ever had.

oh, and i'll be at NHMS building an oil-man with you as we drink a toast to your sisters union. i wouldn't miss it.

-tt

 

[monkey]

bla bla bla.... of course you will be there... make sure to keep your tent alittle further away from the fire pit this time

 

[JD]

I think this topic is worthy of being sticky. Great setup info and feedback.

JD

 

[jbranson]

I should have been more specific. Yes Parks is correct the culprit usually is the cable casing, not the cable itself. If you see any "bunching" of the casing at the ferules...get a new cable. If you absolutely can't find a ferrel to fit the adjuster nut snuggly, then put a shim of brass wrapped around the ferule so it fits square and straight in the adjuster. Any movement you see in the cable/casing is going to be felt as slop or vague-ness at the lever. Some movement of the cable/casing as tension comes up is unavoidable in most cases, but you should not see the cable change shape when you put pressure on the lever.

Something I don't pay enough attention to is cable routing, tie down the cable so it can not move around much....enough so it's not binding anywhere, but not so loose that the first thing lever pressure does is move the cable around. The metal cable under pressure is going to try to find the shortest route to the brake....it will move the casing around to do this if the cable is not secured in a couple of places. And you don't want lever movement adjusting the cable position before it starts actually applying the brake.

Usually, if I'm at the race track and you want to feel what the lever should feel like on your bike you can come buy and check mine out. It will give you a good baseline for deciding if yours is right or not.
JohnnyB

Imslow...hehe

 

[parks61]

and when fixing (front) brake cables, while they don't move when turning, fork compression must be considered. as the wheel moves toward the triple under braking. allow as much of the cable to arc as possible while preventing it from bumping into hard parts.
-parks

 

[parks61]

and when fixing (front) brake cables, while they don't move when turning, fork compression must be considered. as the wheel moves toward the triple under braking. allow as much of the cable to arc as possible while preventing it from bumping into hard parts.
-parks

 

[jbranson]

Yep, I like to run large, gentle arcs. Makes for a cable sometimes a tad longer than otherwise...but I want the arc going to the brake plate and the lever perch to be large radius arcs.

Pretty easy to picture in your head what happens with tight turns in a cable....when you pull that lever it will want to straighten out those tight turns before it pulls on the brake.

It's those little details that makes for a stellar brake.
JohnnyB

 

[jbranson]

Yep, I like to run large, gentle arcs. Makes for a cable sometimes a tad longer than otherwise...but I want the arc going to the brake plate and the lever perch to be large radius arcs.

Pretty easy to picture in your head what happens with tight turns in a cable....when you pull that lever it will want to straighten out those tight turns before it pulls on the brake.

It's those little details that makes for a stellar brake.
JohnnyB

 

[ttilghman]

johnny-

so i got the new cable after the little issues at VIR and readjusted everything and took the bike to summit. the brake rocked. i hardly had to think about it all day...it just worked and worked great every session. good bite, good feel, zero fade...perfect (from my perspective). again, i was nearly stopped a few times before my turn in. so i still have a lot to learn with brakes that actually work, thanks again.

best-
tt

 

[jbranson]

Glad they are working good. I really like that compound, one of the most linear, consistant compounds I've seen. Acts the same just about every corner.
Now that you have the adjustment down, check after every couple of events.
Let me know how they wear after the season is over...I have no idea how long they last.
JohnnyB

 

[ROSKO]

Johnny, just wanted to add that after some cable issues I finally got this brake working as it should and WOW. I really had to re-examine where my brake markers were. Going to take some getting used to. Great feel (which I already knew) but also not grabby like other race compounds. Really digging 'em.