Brake blocks and wheels

[Pale Rider]

Waiting for the Brommie to stop the other day, I reflected on how brake blocks act on wheels.
On my first bike - a Rudge - the brake blocks pulled against the surface of the wheel next to the spokes.
These days, brake blocks squeeze against a flat surface on the wheel which is in the same plane as the sidewall of the tyre.
Older wheels didn't have this surface, the rim profile was more or less flat.
I wonder why the design of wheels changed?

 

[sidevalve]

In a word - weight.

 

[Peteaud]

Weight, manufacturing machinery and tech, material tech etc.

 

[black'n'yellow]

Waiting for the Brommie to stop the other day, I reflected on how brake blocks act on wheels.
On my first bike - a Rudge - the brake blocks pulled against the surface of the wheel next to the spokes.
These days, brake blocks squeeze against a flat surface on the wheel which is in the same plane as the sidewall of the tyre.
Older wheels didn't have this surface, the rim profile was more or less flat.
I wonder why the design of wheels changed?

rod brakes had to pull 'up' - because they couldn't pull 'in'. Rims were designed to suit the brake type, not the other way round.

 

[Chris S]

Waiting for the Brommie to stop the other day,

Does your bike have chrome rims and where you riding in the wet? If so get some leather-faced pads, they make a huge difference. I've heard favourable reports about Kool Stop pads as well, though I have no personal experience of them. You can get the leather-faced ones of Ebay, they're about the same price as Halfords standard pads (even including postage and packing).

 

[Pale Rider]

rod brakes had to pull 'up' - because they couldn't pull 'in'. Rims were designed to suit the brake type, not the other way round.

That makes more sense to me than the weight argument.

I'd have thought the old type wheel which just had a turned edge might use less metal than a modern one with a flat surface fashioned for the brake blocks to grip.

 

[Pale Rider]

Does your bike have chrome rims and where you riding in the wet? If so get some leather-faced pads, they make a huge difference. I've heard favourable reports about Kool Stop pads as well, though I have no personal experience of them. You can get the leather-faced ones of Ebay, they're about the same price as Halfords standard pads (even including postage and packing).

Chris,

Thanks for the tips.

I suppose the brakes aren't so bad, the levers don't offer much leverage, partly because they have to point downwards to enable the fold.

But I will look into one of your solutions when brake block replacement time comes.