Location: Northern Florida, USA
(08-11-2020, 06:15 AM)mumblefolk Wrote: Hello everyone! I’m relatively new to biking and recently purchased a used bike in Europe. Realized too late that the drum brakes need to be replaced entirely (or the pads?) but I can’t seem to identify which ones I need to purchase and where to find them. The brakes seem to work yet they make an awful screeching noise when used.
Any help would be appreciated!
There is probably a very good chance that there is nothing mechanically wrong with the system other than "re-surfacing/de-glazing" the brake mating surfaces. I think that it is Sturmey-Archer brand, and are a fairly standard size so you should be able to get the brake shoes/pads if needed. Disassemble the drum and use some fairly fine sand paper to "roughen up" the shoes and drum surfaces. Probably about 400-600 grit; make sure you clean up any grease, grit, and/or debris that has collected up over the years. Wipe the drum with any alcohol (do not use petroleum distillate solvents!) to remove possible oil residue from the drum and shoes. Lightly lubricate pivot points with grease; not too much in order to avoid excess from getting on shoes and drum. I tend to sand the parts at 90 degrees to the circumference and not along the length of the shoe and drum to provide a slightly "coarser" mating surface. It may take a couple rides to get them to "bed" to each other. Unless rust has damaged the drum (heavily pitted), it should be okay. The only thing you may have to replace are the shoes if worn down to the metal holder. Don't know what size they are; 70mm seems a common size though. I can't vouch for how good these brakes work, but drums are generally better during wet conditions since the brake surfaces usually stay fairly dry compared to rim brakes which will be wet.
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