Another ‘help me’ thread sorry,
I’ve got a BMX for my lad (GT Vertigo) and no matter what I do to setup the brakes, they still seem absolute sh!te.

Pads are set up perfectly, tried various other pads, took the sheen off of them aswell.

Cables run smoothly and the calipers are mechanicaly sound.
The wheel rims are quite polished and someone has advised it may help to clean them with some white spirits, so I’ll try that this evening.

I’m not happy with my son riding it until it has 2 good brakes and he’s getting very frustrated with that!

The only thing I can think of is that proper BMX pads are alot softer and this is what I need?

So for his sake, any advice?

kool stop salmon are the best pads. u brakes should be very good. (I am presuming the bike has ubrakes rather than single pivot calipers).

BMX brakes are (from my experience anyway) generally pretty under-powered. They’re more there to scrub off speed, rather than stop on a dime like an MTB. In fact many BMXers don’t have a front brake at all. Also braking on a smaller diameter wheel reduces the power of a brake.

You could try fitting mini-Vs. They will be more powerful than the standard brakes. But unfortunately you’re never going to get MTB-like stopping power on a BMX whatever you do.

Are the rims chromed? Don’t expect much braking power if they are. And if it’s wet you’re better off using your foot.

Worth giving your rim a good clean though. I can lock up my bmx wheels with one finger quite easily.

…until it has 2 good brakes

the other kids will point and laugh if you send him out on it with two brakes 🙂 One on the rear is the absolute max

on topic, you need to find your local bmx hobo(s) who will fix youup with a block of tar to rub on the rims. Not only does this massively increase braking power it also makes a screeching noise that makes the birds fall out of the trees

Poor barkes on a BMX?

New trainers needed! 😀

Rear is a U brake but the front is a single pivot, so no chance of fitting mini V’s (damn).
I can see that its never going to stop you like MTB brakes, but on a slight downhill gradient with me on the bike pulling like stink, the brakes don’t bring me to a halt.

Bike was a freebee so I dont mind spending a bit o cash on some nice pads aslong as they will sort the problem.

something like this,

http://voltbmx.com/components-brakes-c-71_99/alone-clear-brake-pads-p-390

His shoes already have a small life span, I wouldnt want to have to buy them in bulk!

+one for Kool Stop Salmon pads.
Could just be really crap quality brakes?
Good quality cable + outer might help plus the Salmon pads.

gyro?

The gyro works ok, and I changed the front brake cable for a good inner and outer which made a slight difference.
The pads have a very solid plasticy feel to them, and if better quality pads are more rubbery then I assume they would brake better?

Kool stops are good pads, as are the Demolition ones. Clear pads will work the best but they squeel like a pig! if the rims are Chrome then they should work better (not worst) rather than if they are anodised alloy rims. Have you lubed the cables really well? the front cable should run through the bolt in the stem and up through the forks, this will have quite a bend in it and if it’s not lubed up well inside with some WD or something then it will bind up.

As for the rear U brake? could just be a crap brake? have a look on BMXCITY’s web page (maybe the ebay store of theirs) and get a diatech AD999 brake caliper, they’re about £15 now (were £50 when they came out) i run them on back and front (yes i run two brakes on my BMX!!) and they’ll pull your spleen out they stop so well

Thanks for the replies so far, I’ve got a few things to try now, and if all else fails it’ll just mean buying some shiny new bits (which isnt all that bad).