Replacement Quando brakes

[one armed bandit]

My wife has a 2 to 3 year old Quando 2 and finds the brakes, especially the front, very poor. Can anyone recommend a replacement brand/model, maybe a set of levers too?

Thanks.

 

[flecc]

The brake mounting posts vary and are not easy to obtain or change, so could you let me know something about the brakes fitted at present.

Is the front brake a Tektro, and it's brake lever a Diacompe SE8?

Is the rear brake a band brake on the left hand side of the hub or a V brake?
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[one armed bandit]

The brake mounting posts vary and are not easy to obtain or change, so could you let me know something about the brakes fitted at present.

Is the front brake a Tektro, and it's brake lever a Diacompe SE8?

Is the rear brake a band brake on the left hand side of the hub or a V brake?
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Front is Tektro cantilever with conventional centre mounting, rear is a V brake. The front brake tends to flex under load, ie not very rigid and IMO therefore dissipating energy.
I can see that the levers are non standard with the power cable addition so they can stay on the bike. I would think that a standard Shimano setup would fit only I bet you can't by a mixed set of cantilever and V brake.

 

[flecc]

It's a pity you have the cantilever, later models have a V front brake. I agree that Shimano is a safe bet, and you can buy these separately if you want to. The Wiggle page I'm posting below has Shimano's 105 5600 OE cantilever, which is for manufacturers so without fancy packing and a good price as a result. On the same page you'll see Shimano's low cost V brakes as well. I know the Deore M530 is a good performer at very low cost.

Wiggle Brakes
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[one armed bandit]

Thanks Flecc. I knew that you'd know the answer!

steve

 

[one armed bandit]

It's a pity you have the cantilever, later models have a V front brake. I agree that Shimano is a safe bet, and you can buy these separately if you want to. The Wiggle page I'm posting below has Shimano's 105 5600 OE cantilever, which is for manufacturers so without fancy packing and a good price as a result. On the same page you'll see Shimano's low cost V brakes as well. I know the Deore M530 is a good performer at very low cost.

Shimano's 105 5600 OE cantilever doesn't fit - it's way too small.
I haven't yet got the M530 rear so can't tell. Any thoughts Flecc?

 

[mk1]

Shimano's 105 5600 OE cantilever doesn't fit - it's way too small.
I haven't yet got the M530 rear so can't tell. Any thoughts Flecc?

Do you mean yours is a Caliper brake like the 105?. Cantilever brakes fit on to either side of the fork like V brakes.

Martin

 

[flecc]

Yes, one armed bandit does mean the caliper, not cantilever or the V brake which later Quandos have.

I'm not sure on this choice, one armed bandit, since My Quando has the V brake on the front, though the fork crown on that is very high in relation to the rim, so it seems yours is the same. Unfortunately the forks have changed anyway, and are different on the spring and rigid models. Mine is the rigid fork Quando II.

Most seem to be up to 49 mm drop, and it sounds as if you need more than that. Wiggle have a long reach Tektro 521AG model with a 47 to 57 mm drop which might do the trick, but it's a lot more expensive, being one of the high performance dual pivot models, and it wouldn't reach enough for the fork on mine if it were a caliper model. Best measure the bolt to pad drop to check for your forks.
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[one armed bandit]

Do you mean yours is a Caliper brake like the 105?. Cantilever brakes fit on to either side of the fork like V brakes.

Martin

yes, you are right. I used the wrong name.

 

[one armed bandit]

My Quando has the V Mine is the rigid fork Quando II.
.... Best measure the bolt to pad drop to check for your forks.
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I think that my wifes quando is a rigid fork too but can't check tonight as it's dark in the shed.
Measuring the size of the existing brake was my thought too. Armed with that info I might find the size info of alternative brakes on a website - but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[flecc]

If not, I've often found better brake pads from the Shimano range can improve things considerably.
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