Tektro Brakes

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I bought my two daughters Raleigh M-80 mountain bikes, which are equipped with Tektro brakes. I'll
be damned if I can keep them adjusted correctly.

What seems to be the problem? Are they hitting the tires? Not making full contact with the
sidewalls? Squealing under braking power? Just not very powerful?

Toe-in is kinda tricky with any canti or v-brake. Too much, and you have almost no braking power.
Too little, and they s-q-u-e-e-e-e-l on every stop.

If they're coming out of adjustment, then you're probably not tightening them enough and they're
slipping out of adjustment under braking force. Sound about right?

Quoted message said:

I realize these are far from good units, but anybody have any suggestions until I can justify
plunking down for some Avids?

Honestly, I have never had any problems with cheap V-brakes. The Tektro units seem to be very well
made, as do the ProMax and other low-end brands I've seen. All low-end V-brakes are much simpler to
adjust than *any* cantilever brakes that I've ever encountered (including XTR, Machine Tech, etc).

Try tightening the pads down so they can just barely move with your fingers, then clamp a dime under
the rear-pointing end of each pad as you squeeze the brake lever (might need a friend to help). If
there's enough slack in the pad tension, the pads will toe-in a little. You might have to help the
pads a little to get them to toe-in. Tighten down the pads. Get them nice and snug, and apply finger
pressure to counter the torquing force of tightening down the pads (quite tricky at times). When you
have them reasonably well aligned, try the brakes in a safe slow ride. Any better?

Keep at it. I don't think Avid's will be much easier.

-Barry

Maybe they were not set up right to begin with. Try removing the arms, greasing the bosses and
setting them up with higher spring tension. See the three holes below the boss? Back when I was
assembling these very bikes, I found that often the softer setting were used resulting in what we
called "lame action." Stan

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

Quoted message said:

I bought my two daughters Raleigh M-80 mountain bikes, which are equipped with Tektro brakes. I'll
be damned if I can keep them adjusted correctly. I realize these are far from good units, but
anybody have any suggestions until I can justify plunking down for some Avids?

The shoes wander? The cable loosens? The brake will not stay centered? Most brake issues like those
are ameliorated with lubrication. Brake shoe bolts/nuts and toeing washers, cable anchor bolts,
pivots and the ends of the springs ( which slide along the peg on the arm) all need a spot of oil in
order to work right, torque properly and come apart again some day! Centering, especially, is more
predicatble when the parts are not sticky!

Tektro is a first-rate brake manufacturer. Although you may get more compliments from more expensive
units, I am not convinced you get better braking.
--
Andrew Muzi yellowjersey.orgyellowjersey.orgOpen ↗ Open every day since 1 April 1971

"S. Bourne" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Maybe they were not set up right to begin with. Try removing the arms, greasing the bosses and
setting them up with higher spring tension. See the three holes below the boss? Back when I was
assembling these very bikes, I found that often the softer setting were

used

Quoted message said:

resulting in what we called "lame action."

Formerly the action was between the frame's boss and the bronze sleeve in the arm. In the good old
days lubrication as you describe was simple and effective.

Modern linear brakes are stamped together such that the motion is bewteen the bronze liner and a
steel sleeve. This change saved factory assembly time and quickly became ubiquitous. It is really
difficult to separate the parts to lube them and even more difficult to separate corroded
arms/sleeves to make them work once more. This is progress?

--
Andrew Muzi yellowjersey.orgyellowjersey.orgOpen ↗ Open every day since 1 April 1971

thanks guys

Quoted post said:

Honestly, I have never had any problems with cheap V-brakes. The Tektro units seem to be very well
made, as do the ProMax and other low-end brands I've seen.

I am having a problem adjusting the rear Promax brake on my sons Saracen Mantra. Looking from behind at the rear wheel the left arm barely moves, the right arm moves a lot and in fact will foul on the large tyre. I have adjusted the bottom screws in the plastic mount, tried different cable lengths, but nothing will seem to make the left arm move! Any ideas appreciated ....

Take the brake arms off the bike, take the brake apart and grease all of the parts then reassemble.
This normally cures the slugish movement. This is a consistent problem with Promax. Charlie

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

Quoted message said:

Take the brake arms off the bike, take the brake apart and grease all of

the

Quoted message said:

parts then reassemble. This normally cures the slugish movement. This is a consistent problem
with Promax.

Right you are.

If the bicycle has seen salt water, you may have to disassemble the pivot itself to remove the
corrosion between the bronze bushing and the steel sleeve. Clean all parts with emery cloth and
grease all before reassembly. A small arbor or a bench vise is handy to press the sleeves out.

At one time the movement was between the frame's brake boss and the sleeve in the brake arm. That
joint was easy to lubricate and conscientious bicycle shop builders did just that. As with so many
modern time-saving "innovations" [see concurrent thread about threadless steerers] linear brakes are
now pressed together so the factory assembler can manage many more per hour as they no longer need
to position the spring separately. This makes lubrication virtually inpossible without a major time
commitment so it does not get done nowadays.

--
Andrew Muzi yellowjersey.orgyellowjersey.orgOpen ↗ Open every day since 1 April 1971