Front Brake no stopping power.

[Rog535]

Evening. Been lucky enough to pick up an AJS 16m. Had a quick trundle on it up private road and the front brake lacking any real power. First bike ever ridden with a drum front brake but really is dire. Stripped it down and cleaned up the drum and pads and tried again. Still not safe to use on road. Any pointers as to what to look at or do please? Many thanks

[Rob Harknett]

Brakes need to be used. You could try. Ride the bike holding the front brake on a bit. Eventually you may feel it start to bite.

[SPRIDDLER]

Welcome, Roger.
I see that you joined in May so might have been too late for the May Jampot mag which is issued end April. If you are a 'digital' magazine subscriber you could find the complete article in the May magazine. That issue had an article on how I improved my front brake.
You can also find an early draft of the article if you scroll down this thread which I originally put on this Forum:

http://www.jampot.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... &t=12693ll

You'll need to be logged in to see the photos.

And just to assure you that you're not alone..........

Dobbin 2.JPG

[Duncan]

Did the brake shoes look like they could have been contaminated with oil or grease?

Is the brake cable in good condition or does it flex and bunch up when you apply force, is the cable following a torturous route?

[Rog535]

Thanks for the pointers. Will have a read of the article👍 The cable and route are all good and the mechanism all appears to do what it should just that no bite in the brakes. My next thought was new brake shoes and hone the drum , but will have a read up of the article pointed too thanks. I'm use to disc race bike set ups but no matter what force apply she doesn't want to pull up in a hurry. Could imagine returning to youth on pushbike and dragging boots to help slow up 😮

[MalcW]

Is the brake actuating arm angle OK? There should be less than a 90 degree angle between the arm and the cable when the brake is on.

But they've never been a great brake. I leave large gaps between me and whatever is in front, and start braking as soon as there is even a hint of a sharp bend or junction on the horizon.

Malc

[bob121]

I'm currently having a TLS brake plate knocked up. I'll post a review once it's in use.

[gotoole]

Is the brake actuating arm angle OK? There should be less than a 90 degree angle between the arm and the cable when the brake is on.

But they've never been a great brake. I leave large gaps between me and whatever is in front, and start braking as soon as there is even a hint of a sharp bend or junction on the horizon.

Malc

This is what i would check first. It needs to be correct when fully actuated too

[Mick D]

Hi

With my pedant's hat on, for maximum efficiency the brake arm should be at 90 degrees to the cable when the brake is fully applied.

Also check you have the correct brake lever fitted, it should have a 7/8" distance between centres of the pivot screw and nipple. A larger distance is less efficient in applying tension to the cable.

Regards Mick

[dave16mct]

Also centralise the shoes as shown in the manual. If you've been used to discs they'll seem crap though!
Dave.