Caliper repair or replace

Dan said:

I was still holding the bars but my
feet were unclipped.

I'm curious is these were SPDs, Looks, or something else. Shimano
clains SPDs are not supposed to release automatically in a crash
(something I worry about).

Quoted message said:

However, could and should I have tried to
straighten the stud and arm?

No way! You did the right thing by replacing it.

Art Harris

On SPDs, I have experience with them releasing in a crash. Thrice.

First time: A car makes an illegal left, and I hit him at the RR
wheel. I release and go over the trunk on my way to the road on the
other side. Pedals/Cleats are Wellgo road SPD clones (not SPD-R).

Second time: I'm hit from the right side (a truck coming into the
road--didn't see me, he says) and the bike goes down. I separate from
the bike and slide a long ways. Good thing, because the bike went down
right in front of the truck. Cleats are Shimano, pedals are Icon road
SPD Clones (again, not SPD-R).

Third time: I drop my front wheel into a deep (1 foot or so) cut where
a curb and pavement have been removed. The end of the cut stops the
bike, and I go flying OTB into the road (so I'm told and so the
evidence indicates. I wasn't there at the time). Cleats are Shimano,
pedals are Ultegra road SPDs (again, not SPD-R).

In *all* of these cases, the pedals have released in the crash. I do
keep the tension rather light, but I can't imagine why you wouldn't
want your pedal to release in a crash.

"Dan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I crashed on Sunday. I got crowded into the curb, tipped to the sidewalk,
had an encounter with a concrete trashcan container, pitched over and
landed
on my left shoulder in a tuck and roll. I was still holding the bars but
my
feet were unclipped.

Bike damage: scrapes on levers, shredded bar tape, red curb paint on chain
ring, bent rear wheel and a bent front caliper.

At first I couldn't figure out what had happened to the caliper since it
was
bent to the side but had no nicks or scrapes. The huge bruise that later
appeared on the front inside of my right thigh implies that I bent it with
soft tissues. The stud is bent and at least one of the caliper arms is
bent.
The LBS cannot supply parts or a single Centaur caliper. They have ordered
a
single Chorus as a replacement and I suppose the upgrade is ok since I
almost exclusively use the front. However, could and should I have tried
to
straighten the stud and arm?

So here's a question. Are you willing to bet your life that the caliper was
not weakened by being straightened?

How much is a caliper? On ebay you can buy Chorus brakes all day for
$50-$75.

I've got an older Colnago at my inlaws house in Florida and I noticed that
the brake cable anchor was bent. Did I bend it back and ride it for the rest
of the vacation? You betcha. Will I bring a new set of calipers down next
year and replace those brakes? Absolutely!

Lee

Quoted message said:

The stud is bent and at least one of the caliper arms is bent.
The LBS cannot supply parts or a single Centaur caliper. They have ordered a
single Chorus as a replacement and I suppose the upgrade is ok since I
almost exclusively use the front. However, could and should I have tried to
straighten the stud and arm?

I wouldn't do that with a front caliper. Keep the old one for spare parts.
If you need two small parts for Campy calipers it's cheaper to get a whole
new caliper.

"Dan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I crashed on Sunday. I got crowded into the curb, tipped to the sidewalk,
had an encounter with a concrete trashcan container, pitched over and landed
on my left shoulder in a tuck and roll. I was still holding the bars but my
feet were unclipped.

Bike damage: scrapes on levers, shredded bar tape, red curb paint on chain
ring, bent rear wheel and a bent front caliper.

At first I couldn't figure out what had happened to the caliper since it was
bent to the side but had no nicks or scrapes. The huge bruise that later
appeared on the front inside of my right thigh implies that I bent it with
soft tissues. The stud is bent and at least one of the caliper arms is bent.
The LBS cannot supply parts or a single Centaur caliper. They have ordered a
single Chorus as a replacement and I suppose the upgrade is ok since I
almost exclusively use the front. However, could and should I have tried to
straighten the stud and arm?

Dan said:

At first I couldn't figure out what had happened to the caliper since it was
bent to the side but had no nicks or scrapes. The huge bruise that later
appeared on the front inside of my right thigh implies that I bent it with
soft tissues.

The more usual scenario is that the brakearm hits the frame. Check for
dents there

The stud is bent and at least one of the caliper arms is bent.

Quoted message said:

The LBS cannot supply parts or a single Centaur caliper. They have ordered a
single Chorus as a replacement and I suppose the upgrade is ok since I
almost exclusively use the front. However, could and should I have tried to
straighten the stud and arm?

The cheap fix is to straighten the arm and move it to the back where it
has an easy life. But you can only do this once !

--
---
Marten Gerritsen

INFOapestaartjeM-GINEERINGpuntNL
www.m-gineering.nl

Dan said:

However, could and should I have tried to straighten the stud and arm?

Stud : No

Arm : Yes, i've done this at least 2 times with black dia compe 500g
sidepulls and a blowtorch and either smooth vice grips or a crescent
wrench. I even painted the caliper black with epoxy paint to effect
an almost perfect repair.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA

"Art Harris" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Dan said:

I was still holding the bars but my
feet were unclipped.

I'm curious is these were SPDs, Looks, or something else. Shimano
clains SPDs are not supposed to release automatically in a crash
(something I worry about).

Yes, they were SPD's. They are not set very tight. SIDI Dominator MTB shoes
(easy to walk in) with Shimano PD-A515 pedals (Cheap!).

"m-gineering" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

The more usual scenario is that the brakearm hits the frame. Check for
dents there

You got the right scenario, I looked and found a dent near the rear derailer
barrel adjuster - not is not readily noticable in brushed ti.

"Donald Gillies" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Dan said:

However, could and should I have tried to straighten the stud and arm?

Stud : No

Arm : Yes, i've done this at least 2 times with black dia compe 500g
sidepulls and a blowtorch and either smooth vice grips or a crescent
wrench. I even painted the caliper black with epoxy paint to effect
an almost perfect repair.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA

I don't think one should or even could straighten the stud but I am thinking
of bending the arm to see if it can be done.

Isn't it appropriate to adjust the shoe alignment by twisting the end of the
arm?

It is hard to tell if the arm is actually bent - it might just be that the
part of mounting stud between the right arm and the short link that goes to
the 2nd pivot is bent. It is really hard to tell exactly what is bent and it
could all be in the stud.

Where does one get a stud for a campy caliper?

Andy M-S said:

On SPDs, I have experience with them releasing in a crash. Thrice.

First time: A car makes an illegal left, and I hit him at the RR
wheel. I release and go over the trunk on my way to the road on the
other side. Pedals/Cleats are Wellgo road SPD clones (not SPD-R).

Second time: I'm hit from the right side (a truck coming into the
road--didn't see me, he says) and the bike goes down. I separate from
the bike and slide a long ways. Good thing, because the bike went down
right in front of the truck. Cleats are Shimano, pedals are Icon road
SPD Clones (again, not SPD-R).

Third time: I drop my front wheel into a deep (1 foot or so) cut where
a curb and pavement have been removed. The end of the cut stops the
bike, and I go flying OTB into the road (so I'm told and so the
evidence indicates. I wasn't there at the time). Cleats are Shimano,
pedals are Ultegra road SPDs (again, not SPD-R).

In *all* of these cases, the pedals have released in the crash. I do
keep the tension rather light, but I can't imagine why you wouldn't
want your pedal to release in a crash.

The track guys consider it an issue. What they worry about is ONE pedal coming
out in a crash.

Ron

Art Harris said:

I'm curious is these were SPDs, Looks, or something else. Shimano
clains SPDs are not supposed to release automatically in a crash
(something I worry about).

You're obviously not a mountain biker. MTB riders crash more in a day
that road riders do in a lifetime. SPD pedals have released in every
crash I have had (dozens). I prefer "multi-release" cleats which
release in "roll" as well as "yaw". I don't believe in "pulling up" on
pedals, so I'm not too concerned about accidental pullout.

A friend recently shattered a tibia in a low-speed MTB fall. His
impression was that his pedal didn't release as his leg twisted. He was
using Crank Bros. Eggbeaters. I think pedals with lots of float may be
susceptible to trapping the foot if it rotates inward and stops against
the frame or crank before it reaches release angle -- just a theory.

Peter Cole said:

You're obviously not a mountain biker.

No, I'm not. I've just switched over to SPDs after many years on Look
pedals. I switched to get easier walking and to end the dreaded
squeaking once and for all.

But in the "Tech Manual" that came with my M520 pedals, Shimano
specifically says that the pedals are not designed to release unless
you twist your foot. In the event of an unexpected crash, one might not
react quickly enough to twist both feet out. So my concern is whether
they would release anyway. I have the single release cleats (SH-51
type) because I don't want to come unclipped while climbing out of the
saddle. I have the tension set reasonably light, so I would hope they
would release in a crash.

Art Harris

Art Harris said:

Peter Cole said:

You're obviously not a mountain biker.

No, I'm not. I've just switched over to SPDs after many years on Look
pedals. I switched to get easier walking and to end the dreaded
squeaking once and for all.

But in the "Tech Manual" that came with my M520 pedals, Shimano
specifically says that the pedals are not designed to release unless
you twist your foot. In the event of an unexpected crash, one might not
react quickly enough to twist both feet out. So my concern is whether
they would release anyway. I have the single release cleats (SH-51
type) because I don't want to come unclipped while climbing out of the
saddle. I have the tension set reasonably light, so I would hope they
would release in a crash.

Art,

It may encourage you to know that I have the M520s on my mountain bike
and I fall all the time.

But that's not necessarily the encouraging part--especially if you're
the one riding with me.

What may be encouraging is that I've yet to have a problem with them
releasing appropriately, and they're far from loose or sloppy in
day-to-day pedaling.

I like these pedals so much, in fact, that I've ordered their big
brothers (the 540s) for my new road bike . . . due . . . any . . . day
.. . . now . . . .

Neil

Art Harris said:

But in the "Tech Manual" that came with my M520 pedals, Shimano
specifically says that the pedals are not designed to release unless
you twist your foot. In the event of an unexpected crash, one might

not

Quoted message said:

react quickly enough to twist both feet out. So my concern is whether
they would release anyway. I have the single release cleats (SH-51
type) because I don't want to come unclipped while climbing out of

the

Quoted message said:

saddle. I have the tension set reasonably light, so I would hope they
would release in a crash.

As with the ski bindings they were patterned after, the intent of
bindings is to release if the force on the foot/leg exceeds a certain
threshold. The most dangerous forces from an injury pov are twisting
forces. I have seen riders remain clipped after a crash, but that was
only because the twisting forces remained low. This is not the common
case. Usually the twisting forces are large enough to cause automatic
unclipping, you don't have to think about it.

If you think of you foot like a little airplane and use that coordinate
system, the pedal axle gives you "pitch" freedom, the release & pedal
float give you "yaw" freedom. Multi-release cleats give you "roll"
freedom (release). They are easier to accidentally release if you don't
keep your weight centered on the cleat, but are also easier to
deliberately unclip if you want to "dab". Multi-release cleats seem to
always release in every crash while single-release sometimes don't.
Normally, from an injury pov, this isn't a significant risk factor.

Andy M-S said:

On SPDs, I have experience with them releasing in a crash. Thrice.

<snip>

Quoted message said:

In *all* of these cases, the pedals have released in the crash. I do
keep the tension rather light, but I can't imagine why you wouldn't
want your pedal to release in a crash.

Mine have always released, and I use maximum tension.

"Art Harris" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Peter Cole wrote:

I switched to get easier walking and to end the
dreaded squeaking once and for all.

Got news for you, bad news.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

You're obviously not a mountain biker. MTB riders crash more in a day
that road riders do in a lifetime. SPD pedals have released in every
crash I have had (dozens). I prefer "multi-release" cleats which
release in "roll" as well as "yaw". I don't believe in "pulling up" on
pedals, so I'm not too concerned about accidental pullout.

the multi-release pedals also release straight up to allow you to adopt
the superman position without the bike following in intimate pursuit. I
have a few pairs of regular cleats in the parts bin which I don't dare
use, given the clean release I always have "enjoyed" with the multi-
release type. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but the multis work so well I've
never got around to the regulars. The multis allow pulling up quite hard
when adjusted up a bit, so they only release when you want them to.