Mechanical Front Disk Caliper

[chicorider]

The Grotac kit is very complete, including pads and several mounting bolts of different lengths.

I've never tried to lift the rear wheel, but I would imagine it would take a tremendous effort and a strong front brake. I would guess that the front wheel would lock up or skid before the rear end would lift. I have locked up the rear wheel a few times in sudden traffic situations, which makes me pucker in the reclined position. I've learned to be a little lighter with the rear brake.

 

[Joe Riel]

Just replaced the Ridever front caliper with the new Grotac Equals. Will do the rear later. Am using the existing cable outer but had to replace the wire because the old cable would not go through the cable clamp. Is there a technique for replacing the cable (wire) with a Grotac? The cable clamp consists of a hole through an arm. The cable is curved (by the calipers) as it gets to the clamp, so the end of the cable doesn't want to easily go through the hole, which has an orthogonal threaded hole for the clamp screw. I installed it by using the extra material to start the cable through the hole without bending it, then aligned, clamped it, and cut the cable.

The brake feels solid in hand. Will break-in the pads and test it on Thursday.

 

[chicorider]

When I run cables into the Growtac calipers, I push the swingarm in with my fingers to create a straighter line for the cable to run through the hole on the swingarm. When a I have a couple inches of cable past the hole, I let go of the swingarm. Also, sometimes the housing bend between the housing outlet on an internally routed frame to where the caliper mounts can be pretty sharp, and compressionless housing can be fairly stiff. When that happens, I will run the cable through the caliper and seat the housing in the caliper with the caliper still off the bike. Then, with the housing seated, I can bend it enough to line the caliper up to the mounting holes and set the screws. The caliper becomes a handle to help you maneuver the cable housing where you want it to go.

 

[Joe Riel]

That's essentially what I did. I even fixed the swingarm in place, after compressing its spring, but still could not get the the cable through the hole. It went in, but the end would catch on the threaded orthogonal hole, even with the clamping screw at the optimum position. Will get more practice with the rear caliper, which appears to be easier to access. Maybe I should be soldering or gluing the strands in the cable end together to reduce the probability of a snag.

 

[chicorider]

Yeah, a cut cable will fray pretty easily if it catches on anything. New cables have more fixed ends. A small dab of glue or solder would certainly help. It is a fiddly process, for sure.

 

[Joe Riel]

I bedded in the pads for the new front brake. They work impressively well. Installed the rear brake today. I reused the existing inner cable, though it took some effort. I epoxied the end of the cable together, just before the crimp, last night and cut it today. I fashioned a piece of wood that would jam into the lever arm and hold it closed. With the screw that clamps the cable backed out, I was able to feed the end of the cable through adjustment hole and into the hole in the lever arm. As expected, it caught on the threaded hole, but by rotating the calipers in a circle (or two) was able to get the cable through that hole. Will be bedding in its pads this week.