afternoon…

been given a friends sons bike to sort out and neither end of the sturmey archer hubs brake with any power what so ever. i have tried de greasing the pads and braking surface with no success. any suggestions other than needing new pads??
cheers

Bump for the evening crowd….

If the drum brake is operating properly then it’s the cables not the brakes.

The brakes are perfectly good, but need good cables and rigid levers (as do all cable brakes).

If the brake levers are not Sturmey-Archer, then it’s possible they have the wrong cable pull, ie leverage.

I have been using them for many years, and they are just about bulletproof if set up properly.

Afaik they are the levers that came with the bike. (pashley thing from halfords) as you pull on the lever it feels like there is nothing there. It works when unweighted , but not when you are on the bike. Confused. Will check the cables out but they seem to move fairly freely.

Check how much the outer cables compress when you pull on the brake. If there is not a brand name on the cable outer it is probably cutprice rubbish. Consider making up new outers using a quality outer cable.

If the levers don’t have Sturmey-Archer written on them, they are probably some cheap junk fitted to keep the price down (considering the bike’s origins).

Fortunately proper S-A levers are inexpensive so it could be an easy fix. About £9 each from SJS, but your lbs can get them for you.

Also Avid make a lever with adjustable pull. I have used them successfully, but I think the S-A levers are more rigid.

If you could post up some pics of the brakes, levers etc it would help.

Edit:
One thing I didn’t cover is that these brakes last almost forever, but a corollary is that they need extensive bedding in. So, if the bike is new, just go out and use the brakes hard, drag them when going down hills etc.

Even when perfect they have a different feel to disks, far more modulation, and less put your bike on its nose feel for the same stopping distance. (Modulation is one reason I like them, I use them a lot in loose or slippery conditions).

I’ll get some pics up later. Having worked on the post office bikes I am fairly familiar with them, that’s why it’s so bloody vexing…..

after questioning the owner, after he said that he had “cleaned” the brakes, i found out that he had used a lightly oiled rag to clean all of the braking pads and surface……

daftvader – Member
after questioning the owner, after he said that he had “cleaned” the brakes, i found out that he had used a lightly oiled rag to clean all of the braking pads and surface……

Aaaaargh! 🙂

New shoes are cheap enough though.

He did both ends…. Not that cheap!

Try wiping them with meths and then light them up. You may have to do it a few times to burn off the oil.

There’s nothing to lose because they’re stuffed anyway. (But don’t get them too hot)

I’ve got a blow torch which I can use…. But tbh it’s more hassle than its worth imo. He did this month’s ago so the oil will have penetrated the pads and no amamount of heat is going to help