Braking performance Drum Hub

GoldenMotor.com

javy mcdees

Active Member
Jul 30, 2018
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Who here can say what brakes work best for motoriized bicycling application.

I have just purchased and using a 70mm drum front hub brake that seems to work ok.

Maybe was expecting more but it still is new so most likely needs to get hot a few times and try it in city traffic and keep the cable adjustment tight for faster braking. Only have one brake on the bike at the moment. The front wheel brake hub. Still getting used to the hub brake using cable adjustments, removing all the slack makes it work much better as for stopping power.
 
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javy mcdees

Active Member
Jul 30, 2018
143
59
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52
have had a few memorable moments with my sturmey archer, finally seems to be seating in now and braking improved.
Had the clamp break off 2x and had to make a new end and weld the brake arm end that snaps off when the clamp breaks. but as far as the brakes go the smaller 70mm drum brake works good after about 500 miles of heavy city use. next one will be the 90mm drum to try out, but I am happy with the braking now with the smaller unit.
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bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
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living the dream in southern california
I use old moped drums on my race bike. They used to be spongy and, well, let's just say that if someone went down in front of me, I'd run them over.

I roughed up the braking surface and grooved the shoes with a cutting blade and they work great now.

Since yours is new, it's just gotta break in, get the shoes seated.

The best thing to do is get some jagwire cables. They have low compression, meaning they don't squish when you're braking, and have a solid feeling pull.

You can get them for about 20 bucks or less on eBay. Enough to do your whole bike. There's a guy who sells them without all the fancy packaging who is easy to find if you search eBay.
 

javy mcdees

Active Member
Jul 30, 2018
143
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jagwire
I use old moped drums on my race bike. They used to be spongy and, well, let's just say that if someone went down in front of me, I'd run them over.

I roughed up the braking surface and grooved the shoes with a cutting blade and they work great now.

Since yours is new, it's just gotta break in, get the shoes seated.

The best thing to do is get some jagwire cables. They have low compression, meaning they don't squish when you're braking, and have a solid feeling pull.

You can get them for about 20 bucks or less on eBay. Enough to do your whole bike. There's a guy who sells them without all the fancy packaging who is easy to find if you search eBay.
jagwire never heard of it, I do keep the cable adjustment tight enough any tighter the wheel wont move. jagwire is beefier cable?
 

javy mcdees

Active Member
Jul 30, 2018
143
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ok checked it out, cool I need a beefier brake arm, and a better clamp for the fork to brake arm. broke 2x at speed already on me.
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MEASURE TWICE

Well-Known Member
Jul 13, 2010
2,741
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Front wheel I got a long time ago on Amazon, not available last looked.

Old thread I know, but if some one can tell me if the front wheel rim that I am using could be laced with a drum brake. The fork is from an old frame which I changed out the original fork for one with shocks. The frame was a Foremost Bicycle. The replacement fork with shocks I have to check on what type model brand.


Before all the other covers and stuff for a start at making it an art vehicle for Burning Man event as a California Sheeps Head Fish. It is still now just for off road with out pedals, but Honda 125 Dirt Bike foot pegs and CA OHV DMV Green sticker for riding trails legally.

See the shocks. I thought that if I wanted other than rims brakes, the disc type may have a problem fitting with the shocks in the way. Maybe the calipers for the disc brakes too. Welding I do with MIG, but shocks area would need some clamp. Don't want to burn into the shocks.

Any ideas?

Note the Honda 125 trail bike foot pegs were added at a later time. Those things would allow my riding boot to slip off if coated with mud or stream splash up. The drum brake also is my idea to work better if a lot of water spray!

The front for is not what it is now, forgot the ones I had did not work well and cannibalized another bike can get photo later. They are similar though.
 
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Tony01

Well-Known Member
Nov 28, 2012
1,730
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sf bay area

Front wheel I got a long time ago on Amazon, not available last looked.

Old thread I know, but if some one can tell me if the front wheel rim that I am using could be laced with a drum brake. The fork is from an old frame which I changed out the original fork for one with shocks. The frame was a Foremost Bicycle. The replacement fork with shocks I have to check on what type model brand.


Before all the other covers and stuff for a start at making it an art vehicle for Burning Man event as a California Sheeps Head Fish. It is still now just for off road with out pedals, but Honda 125 Dirt Bike foot pegs and CA OHV DMV Green sticker for riding trails legally.

See the shocks. I thought that if I wanted other than rims brakes, the disc type may have a problem fitting with the shocks in the way. Maybe the calipers for the disc brakes too. Welding I do with MIG, but shocks area would need some clamp. Don't want to burn into the shocks.

Any ideas?

Note the Honda 125 trail bike foot pegs were added at a later time. Those things would allow my riding boot to slip off if coated with mud or stream splash up. The drum brake also is my idea to work better if a lot of water spray!

The front for is not what it is now, forgot the ones I had did not work well and cannibalized another bike can get photo later. They are similar though.
Ive run the 70mm SA drum on my 212, it was pretty much useless with the long cable that compressed a lot. I would go disc because you can buy disc wheels prebuilt as most modern bicycles already come with them. Maybe just get a bicycle on Craigslist and cannibalize it for the front end. The drum brake in theory sounds like the best setup but they’re really not. They take work to get the performance. I would not run a hub brake on a fork not designed for it. For example if you were to run a drum I’d still get a disc fork and adapt the reaction arm to bolt to the disc mount holes. It is a matter of disc forks having greater strength to handle hub brake force. Also any rim can run with a drum. I would go for the SA 90mm drum if you go down that path.
 

wrench

Well-Known Member
Aug 20, 2019
749
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So Cal
I used Problem Solvers InlineTravel Agents on my F&R brake cables
It allows you to get twice the cable pull
Yeah, these drum brakes require a little extra pull on the cable to get em to work really good

The cable is routed over a small pulley to a bigger pully giving you twice the cable pull

Some just use a hand lever that allows extra cable pull,
But on a Whizzer the hand lever is unique to the hand controls,
A little extra cable pull was needed. Problem Solvers Inline Travel Agents did the trick (^)

I made a flying mount for the front and I mounted the rear where a reflector was mounted
Whizzer Motorbike and Worksman F&R drum brakes 80mm

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MEASURE TWICE

Well-Known Member
Jul 13, 2010
2,741
1,211
113
CA
Ive run the 70mm SA drum on my 212, it was pretty much useless with the long cable that compressed a lot. I would go disc because you can buy disc wheels prebuilt as most modern bicycles already come with them. Maybe just get a bicycle on Craigslist and cannibalize it for the front end. The drum brake in theory sounds like the best setup but they’re really not. They take work to get the performance. I would not run a hub brake on a fork not designed for it. For example if you were to run a drum I’d still get a disc fork and adapt the reaction arm to bolt to the disc mount holes. It is a matter of disc forks having greater strength to handle hub brake force. Also any rim can run with a drum. I would go for the SA 90mm drum if you go down that path.
Ya, good to know as the shocks on this fork are good, but can they hand better braking from either disc or drum adaption. I read that drums can over heat on long down hill constant braking, less with disc.

MT
 

Mossy

Well-Known Member
May 20, 2022
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And 3 each to add to the collection... While there available... May not be when I get around to building something... I'm still waiting on worksman front wheels to ship and it's been about 3months... I have most of the hard to find in and out of stock stuff taken care of... That's a big relief especially as the weather gets better... And if in a few weeks there's still some available I'll go another round and have a lifetime of hubs all the same batch same vendor... All the same mods and accessories... Consistency good bad or indifferent is the goal then it's making it all reliably work together... The building aspect have been covered and rediscovered few times over... I'm creating a motorized bicycle dealership just no sales and service department just parts ;)
 

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Mossy

Well-Known Member
May 20, 2022
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Bonding woven gripper lining on the shoes would grab wicked... Some garter springs around the drum to radiate the heat... Or anything softer than what is there will bite better... Knurling the surface is something more aggressive... Vent holes like 1/64" or whatever wire size is close... In a pattern like a 5 side of a dice ;) there are many ways to increase the coefficient of drag... Longer harder pull on the cable is the easiest way...