Friday, September 28, 2007

Simple mods

A few people have asked about the adjusters on the Spooky brakes. This simple mod showed up on the Weight Weenie Cross Forum and then on Roues Artisanales. Those Euro guys are wicked smart. I think this will also work on Froglegs, but I have never done it and can not confirm it. Here are the steps.
The brakes have two anchors. Use the one without the set screw. I know that is common sense, but I am trying to be as clear as possible here.
Drill out the existing hole with a 4.2 mm drill. I know metric drills are hard to come by. You can also use the next smallest decimal equivalent, which is a #20 (0.161")
Tap the hole with a M5 x 0.8mm tap. This is the same tap size as a water bottle boss.
You can use adjusters from Shimano down tube cable stops, such as the CS50 here. Campy adjusters do not work because the thread is too fine.
Thread in the adjuster and set the brake for your widest rim. That way, when you switch wheels, you can take out the slack. This is very handy when switching from Reflex rims to something else. The Reflexes are a couple of mm wider than most other rims.

It's fast, easy and a great time saver.


5 comments:

Justin said...

ur so wicked smaaht duuuude.

gewilli said...

I really like how amazingly adjustable the toe in is on those pads!

That brass dohicky tho? Effin cool.

megA said...

huh

so that's why I have those on my bike

my husband is a weight weener lurker

i think i'm skipping amesbury this weekend for some quality tie on the road and dirt-the next three weeks of doubles and travel will be plenty.

have a huptastic time!

xo
m

JD said...

Yes, the mod works on Froglegs. I used aluminum adjusters though, cause that's what I had, and they matched the diameter of the drill bits and taps I had. They work pretty well too.

Now I have to figure out how to get some set up on my 20 year old Weinnmann/Mafac brakes. That's right- I have brakes that are older than some of the Keoughs....

CDB said...

Does that make a significant difference in brake feel than just using an in-line barrel adjuster in the brake cable? Maybe this method preserves the straddle cable height.