brakes

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Deleted member 33472

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since ive owned my bike ive had to replace the rear brake on mine. replacing it taught me a few things. it is made so that when the brake lever is pulled it causes a band with the braking material to pull against a metal part attached to my rear axle that slows the bike. one day i went to stop and i didnt stop so well. i have a drum brake on the front axle that was able to stop me. so when i got home i found that the material that was attached to the band was now in pieces inside the housing. i also found that the rivets that held the material to the band had gouged into the part on my axle. much like you get on drums on your car. i didnt like the fact that the material was riveted to the band. im sure that the holes the rivets went through were probably part of the reason for the brake failing. also the fact that the material was only held to the band by the rivets so any cracks that are caused will make the material come apart and fall away from the band. so i looked around and found a bake to replace the one i had. i was able to find one that did not use rivets. this one uses the same type of braking except that the brake material is bonded to the band. ive put more miles on this one that i did on the previous one and have had no problems with my brakes since. because it is bonded to the band there are no holes that can weaken the material or cause it to break apart. also being bonded means that i will get more miles out of the brake. when i looked at the one that broke apart the material still had a lot of miles that could have been used.
the price of the bonded brake was the same as the price of the riveted one so that made it worth it alone. i also dont have to replace the part attached to my axle because of gouges.

that brings me to the FRONT DRUM BRAKE. when i bought the bike i got it brand new from the bike shop. it came with the drum brake in the front axle which i think is awesome. but i started thinking that there might come a time that it might need to be rebuilt. especially since ive got a motor on the bike now. so i started checking around. the bike shop that i do my business with says they dont service drum brakes on bicycles. they will sell you a bike that has one but they dont service them. i asked what they do if they need to service one on a bike they sold. they refer you to the manufacturer. the manufacturer doesnt sell directly to the public. you have to go through a dealer that sells those bikes.

going that route was a nightmare in itself.

so i got onto felts website because i know they used to sell parts. felt no longer makes a line of cruisers. they claim there wasnt enough interest in them so they only make road bikes. those are very pricey. they make an awesome product but i dont belong to a bike group that i need a spandex outfit for or want to ride with my arms on the handlebars. i do not look like lance armstrong. i thought about taking a picture of me in a spandex outfit and sending it to them but the thought even scared me.

i used to get on ebay or craigs list which had bikes and bike parts made by felt. now when i go on either and do a search there is not one listing for anythingto do with felt cruisers. i also do not know enough aboutbike brake drums to know if anything from another maker is compatible. so my quest for knowledge will continue as the outlets for this knowledge continue to dry up and become a thing of the past.
 
since ive owned my bike ive had to replace the rear brake on mine. replacing it taught me a few things. it is made so that when the brake lever is pulled it causes a band with the braking material to pull against a metal part attached to my rear axle that slows the bike. one day i went to stop and i didnt stop so well. i have a drum brake on the front axle that was able to stop me. so when i got home i found that the material that was attached to the band was now in pieces inside the housing. i also found that the rivets that held the material to the band had gouged into the part on my axle. much like you get on drums on your car. i didnt like the fact that the material was riveted to the band. im sure that the holes the rivets went through were probably part of the reason for the brake failing. also the fact that the material was only held to the band by the rivets so any cracks that are caused will make the material come apart and fall away from the band. so i looked around and found a bake to replace the one i had. i was able to find one that did not use rivets. this one uses the same type of braking except that the brake material is bonded to the band. ive put more miles on this one that i did on the previous one and have had no problems with my brakes since. because it is bonded to the band there are no holes that can weaken the material or cause it to break apart. also being bonded means that i will get more miles out of the brake. when i looked at the one that broke apart the material still had a lot of miles that could have been used.
the price of the bonded brake was the same as the price of the riveted one so that made it worth it alone. i also dont have to replace the part attached to my axle because of gouges.

that brings me to the drum brake in the front. when i bought the bike i got it brand new from the bike shop. it came with the drum brake in the front axle which i think is awesome. but i started thinking that there might come a time that it might need to be rebuilt. especially since ive got a motor on the bike now. so i started checking around. the bike shop that i do my business with says they dont service drum brakes on bicycles. they will sell you a bike that has one but they dont service them. i asked what they do if they need to service one on a bike they sold. they refer you to the manufacturer. the manufacturer doesnt sell directly to the public. you have to go through a dealer that sells those bikes.

going that route was a nightmare in itself.

so i got onto felts website because i know they used to sell parts. felt no longer makes a line of cruisers. they claim there wasnt enough interest in them so they only make road bikes. those are very pricey. they make an awesome product but i dont belong to a bike group that i need a spandex outfit for or want to ride with my arms on the handlebars. i do not look like lance armstrong. i thought about taking a picture of me in a spandex outfit and sending it to them but the thought even scared me.

i used to get on ebay or craigs list which had bikes and bike parts made by felt. now when i go on either and do a search there is not one listing for anythingto do with felt cruisers. i also do not know enough aboutbike brake drums to know if anything from another maker is compatible. so my quest for knowledge will continue as the outlets for this knowledge continue to dry up and become a thing of the past.
Is there a chance you could get us some pics of rear brake parts you need? Would help identify what you actually got on your bike. I know a shop in Cali that might have what you need. Pics if all possible.
 
Just like one shops for a bicycle; one should also shop around for a reputable bicycle shop. That being said many bicycle shops refuse to work on any motorized bicycle so you'd have to just take the wheel in with the rear left side sprocket removed.
 
>>i do not look like lance armstrong. i thought about taking a picture of me in a spandex outfit and sending it to them but the thought even scared me.<<

What! I'll have you know I resemble that remark! LOL... :ROFLMAO:
 
Is there a chance you could get us some pics of rear brake parts you need? Would help identify what you actually got on your bike. I know a shop in Cali that might have what you need. Pics if all possible.
its the front drum brake.
 
Just like one shops for a bicycle; one should also shop around for a reputable bicycle shop. That being said many bicycle shops refuse to work on any motorized bicycle so you'd have to just take the wheel in with the rear left side sprocket removed.
its the front drum brake. i didnt take the bike in. i asked them if they serviced front drum brakes. they said they dont service any drum brakes
 
i got the rear brake taken care of. the one im looking to get done is the FRONT DRUM BRAKE, it came stock on the bike from felt.
 
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