Rear brake

Previously wrote:

Chris, you say "centralise the pads" I presume that means you are talking about a Mk3 disc brake. When you tighten the RH spindle, the head of the spindle will tend to try and adopt the perpedicular (90degrees) position to the swinging arm fork plates. If you are trying to skew the wheel in the fork to align the chain, the tightening action will want to true the spindle between the side plates. Tom rightly says the spindle could move but it could move forward or back. Stainless steel spindles and washers may make this worse as they "gall" or pick up. try copperslip and tap the spindle forward with a hide mallet prior to final tightening.

Hi David ,thanks for your invaluable advice. I do have the Mk2 which has shoes in a drum,so, apologies for not being clear.

Previously wrote:

Just a few ideas:

When a drum brake requires exessive force to produce stopping power, its always a good idea to look at brake arm andbrake rod geometry. Check that the angle between brake arm and brake rod does not exceed 90 degrees with the pedal fully down. Also check the brake expander inside the brake plate. Check that it doesn't require "full tilt" to move the shoes outwards. Renew linings or insert shims under shoes' pivot feet (don't remember the correct term here) to correct.

On the spindle movement: often when tightening a nut the last bit, the washer turns with the nut, thus providing afriction and turningaction against the fork slots. This in turn will push the spind rearwards. Renew the washer or remove any burrs on its surface and apply a few drops of oil to limit friction between nut and washer.

Hi Tom ,thank you for the detailed advice.(Sorry)mine is a Mk2 with brake shoes but I`ll try improving braking by getting a new cam spindle.

Previously wrote:

Just a few ideas:

When a drum brake requires exessive force to produce stopping power, its always a good idea to look at brake arm andbrake rod geometry. Check that the angle between brake arm and brake rod does not exceed 90 degrees with the pedal fully down. Also check the brake expander inside the brake plate. Check that it doesn't require "full tilt" to move the shoes outwards. Renew linings or insert shims under shoes' pivot feet (don't remember the correct term here) to correct.

On the spindle movement: often when tightening a nut the last bit, the washer turns with the nut, thus providing afriction and turningaction against the fork slots. This in turn will push the spind rearwards. Renew the washer or remove any burrs on its surface and apply a few drops of oil to limit friction between nut and washer.

Hi Tom, that tip you gave me about oiling the rear wheel spindlerh side nut washer is brilliant, it works a treat, allowing the wheel nut to be tightened with no rearward creep.

Cheers

Chris