Heeeyho Readers! Let's talk about vintage brakes
Errr... It's sad to cut the usual excited intro these posts are known for, but it's somewhat necessary. Worry not, I won't extend and we shall get into today's subject within a paragraph or two.
First, I wanted to update the project showcasing a bunch of new parts instead of focusing solely on the brakes. Unfortunately, the latest acquisitions are stuck at the mailing system. Badly, stuck.
Addendum.
The state of Rio Grande do Sul (where I live) is undergoing the worst flood in 80+ years. Briefly: the whole state has been affected, with several cities destroyed or underwater, infrastructure damaged, airport/central bus station under meters of water at the capital, my family's business with knee-deep water inside, etc.. My neighborhood is unaffected, which makes me a hella privileged at the moment, allowing me to work on Hive while sorting other life aspects. I won't write an entire post about the issue (bad experience reporting last year's flood). Google: Rio Grande do Sul flooding. Anyyways. That explains my absence.
Addendum closed.
Now we can go back to the bicycle-related subject we all love so much, after all, writing on Hive is my job, and the show must continue. Let's talk about the brakes!
A few bits and bobs arrived days prior to the flooding. The only piece missing is not actually part of the brake set, but part of the frame associated to the brakes: the pivots. The new titanium V-brake pivots — the mounts at the frame — are among the parts stuck at the mail. [More about the stuck parts later].
Of the braking system itself, everything is here. We got the V-brake arms, brake pads, and cable guides. And the brake levers shown in the previous post that I forgot to photograph for today's post.
Why opting for V-brakes?
Because they are simple, powerful-ish, reliable and cheap to maintain. Disc brakes are better, but are also expensive and incompatible with this project's 90's frame. Cantilevers are cool as well. Between cantis and v-brakes, I opted for the later simply because the Alivio arms were already in my parts box.
The brake pads and cable guides arrived on time to complete the set. {Uff!}. Is it wrong to say the pads look sexy as fuck? Nothing like the simple, black rubbery pads I used to see in the early 2000's.
Despite being stored for 20 years, the brake arms are in good shape. I only restored with black paint small chipped corners.
Shimano still makes great V-brake pads; just a bit pricey. I found these ZTTO pads on Aliexpress. Great reviews, greater price. We'll discover if they are any good once the bike is done. Yes, I'm curious.
One thing is true: they look nice!
The last brake bit in this post is the least exciting. Brake guides do exactly as the name sugests: they guide the cable. {Uau}. I ordered titanium brake mounts to photograph along these boring guides in an attempt to make it more interesting, but those are stuck somewhere. Any titanium part is more exciting then these noodles. Right?
The complete set is missing the bolts on the photo below (I put 'em in place to photograph only). What a giganormous mistake! Now I'm anxious to finish the project {laughs}. In the detail, the multi-compound ZTTO brake pads.
The brakes are now stored waiting for the project advance. It might take a while though, given the circumstances. Speaking of that, let's update the parts list and talk about what's stuck at the mail.
Parts update
The table presented in the previous post has been updated. Here are the parts stuck somewhere at the mail.
- Tires: Got a good deal on 26" Kenda Small Block Eight
- Chain: Original Sram 11s is way too expensive, so got some YBN for a fraction of the price.
- Bottom-Bracket: Another deal on a ZTTO square-tapered BB
These parts will arrive anytime soon. Well... not sure how, because the mailing address I use is currently underwater. Do they have boat mailing? {damn}
Light green: Bought parts ready to assemble
Dark green: Ready-to-assemble parts that I already had
Yellow: Incoming parts
No-colour: Parts I still need
Prices in the right column are in Brazilian Real (1 USD = ~5,15 Real), so divide by 5 and there you have it. Parts marked (-) I got for free; non-priced parts are not yet quoted. The total sum of 305 dollars account for parts I already bought and parts to be bought (No-colour on the left), but are quoted.
From the list, the only parts I still need to buy are the fork + headset, seat + seatpost, and the final paint job. Those are major parts, so might take a while, especially since the fork is out of stock atm. Let's stay patient and things will evolve.
Final consideration
As mentioned before, the time is inconvenient to continue with the project in terms of resources. It was not in my plans to bother readers with unrelated stuff neither, but blogging is my job, and working keeps the mind sane. I hope we'll be back to normal soon.
By the way, don't worry. I'm fine, my house is safe, my family's business will be fine; and together, citizens of my state will overcome this nightmare.
Peace.
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~Love ya all,
Disclaimer: The author of this post is a convict broke backpacker, who has travelled more than 10.000 km hitchhiking and more than 5.000 km cycling. Following him may cause severe problems of wanderlust and inquietud. You've been warned.
