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Frozen brakes?

(4 posts)
  • Started 13 years ago by seanspotatobusiness
  • Latest reply from wee folding bike

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  1. seanspotatobusiness
    Member

    My bike is a Pashley Princess with drum brakes. I cycled into work just fine but there was a lot of snow that I had to force my way through with my bike so it may have got some around the brakes. I left it in the foyer, so the temperature ought to have been above freezing but there was still ice/slush on it when I came back hours later. When I first tried to brake, I found that neither lever would budge! With a little more force, the rear brake began to operate, but the front one didn't for the entire journey home. The following day (bike stored in hall), the brakes were normal again. I don't really know what happened. Visual inspection yielded nothing - I couldn't see any ice blocking movement.

    If anyone has any insight, I'm interested.

    Otherwise, please check that your brakes are both functional before you mount your bike!

    Posted 13 years ago #

  2. wee folding bike
    Member

    Well the simple cause would be ice inside the cable or inside the hub.

    The front brake on my Pashley usually squeals but on very, very wet days when it has been along flooded roads it doesn't squeal so it looks like some water does get in there. By the afternoon, when the brakes have dried out again, the squeal returns.

    At least there are no U bends for water to gather in. Bromptons have a U at the front brake and both cables go up into the brake. The cables have gaiters but it doesn't always work.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  3. gembo
    Member

    don't get me started on ingress on hub gears/brakes

    chain frozen on to rear cassette another cold weather phenomena I spotted last week

    Posted 13 years ago #

  4. wee folding bike
    Member

    Shimano say the seals on current Nexus hubs are much better.

    SRAM Torpedos don't have any kind of protection on the left of the hub.

    SA hub gears are pretty good for water protection. They have labyrinthine seals on the bearings. I haven't had an excuse to take the brakes out and have a look at them yet. I want to get a special cone spanner from Old Bike Trader first but he only accepts stamps for such a wee payment and I haven't got around to it.

    The current SA front hubs have "sealed" bearings but that doesn't make any difference to the brake drum.

    The only thing I don't like about the 5 speed is the no drive spot between 1-2 and probably between 4-5 but I haven't hit that one. You can't have both suns engaged at the same time so I think no drive might be unavoidable with that design.

    Chains frozen, derailleur cages frozen, cleats frozen to pedals. It happens.

    Trike has a busted bit of cable outer on the rear mech so it's not changing gear well and not holding in 1st. The local shop doesn't sell cable outer by the yard so I'll need to try Alistair, Dales or Evans unless I find some in the stash of stuff.

    Posted 13 years ago #

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