adjusting SA drum brakes on trice

[3tyretrackterry]

Please can anyone help and also how do you know when they are wearing down or have glazed (think this is the right term) up as the trike is 2nd hand i obviously dont know at what state they were in when i bought it
Many Thanks
Ian

 

[45cotterless]

Yo, welcome to the real world of triking.I doubt very much if you'll live long enough to wear them out! If you take off the wheels and remove the back of the brake you'll find great lumps of metal, this'll stop you. To adjust you can pull and tighten the cables and then fine tune with the bolt adjusters holding the cable in place.I usually tip the trike on it's side, near the sofa!!
You'll find it best practice to have them so that not much movement of the levers gives you full stopping power.best wishes, n-ick.
If in doubt there's 2 trikers here in the East midlands out and about most weekends!

 

[3tyretrackterry]

Theres quite a few trikers in the midlands however i havent met any yet i would love to ride a mile or two with some of them i am in leicester but with no car cannot travel to far

 

[byegad]

They're virtually fit and forget, if they work they do not need anything doing to them although the tip to adjust them fairly close up is a good one. IF they are not working well you need to remove the wheels and, wearing a mask, gently file the glaze surface off the shoes, only a little needs to come of so don't go mad. The shoes will need to bed in but will soon be back to normal.

What's normal, well I can stand my drum braked QNT on its chain ring guard on a dry road. They really are very good brakes!

 

[45cotterless]

Yo, we'll get back to you about riding, we have a van ( of sorts!). One big tip is not to wash /powerwash the trike in winter. Riding in freezing weather the brakes/ front changer seized up and even my nuts got frozen!!

 

[Fiona N]

Hi 3TTT - I'm just about to take my Windcheetah back to AVD for Bob to give it the once over including the brakes. It's 9 years old and has done about 50000 miles but so far without any brake pad/cable/anything replacements. The brakes are still stopping fine although I try not to use them more than ABSOLUTELY necesssary, you understand

 

[3tyretrackterry]

thanks for the replies looks like i dont need to worryabout the brakes which is great as for the ride i will be ready