[CR]RE: wood rim brake shoes

(Example: Framebuilders:Brian Baylis)

Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2003 07:09:06 -0700 (PDT)
From: "scott davis" <francopedia@yahoo.com>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]RE: wood rim brake shoes

Some of the early bread-loaf shaped Uni brake pads, seem to have fibers (as if made from "recycled car tires") and some don't. I've also seen pads made from cork. Maybe this was due to necessity rather than design as rubber was in short supply during the war years????

Since wood and alloy rims were both used in the 30s and 40s I'm not sure if the pads were designed to brake better on wood or if they were simply the only brake pad available at the time.

I would guess that softer pads, such as cork, would be gentler on the wood surface. Anyone know if softer pads stop better than hard? Ride Woodies! Scott in St. Paul MN

TheMaaslands@comcast.net writes:
> > I don't think there was any special attention
> given to wood rims
> > instead of alloy or steel ones.
> >
>
> In a discussion with Scott Davis about Universal
> Mod. 49 (?) brakes, I got
> the distinct impression that there was a different
> pad for wood rims. I don't
> claim to know the answer (because I don't) but it
> seems likely that a different
> pad would be necessary to work on a varnished rim
> than on an aluminum one.
> Even if you didn't revarnish and you ran the bare
> wood, the coefficient of
> friction between the two materials is quite
> different. Presuming the enthusiasts of
> old were as off the deep end as we are, it would
> make sense that the guys who
> used wood rims would have figured out the brake pad
> thing.
> Stevan Thomas
> Alameda, CA
>

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