Zero Gravity Brake Pad Fall Out

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slyrider
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon May 07, 2007 10:27 am
Location: Bris-vegas, Australia

by slyrider

Am doing my bit for the cycling community by relating a safety problem with Zero Gravity brakes.

Live in Oz and have done an upgrade on the KG 381. Got to keep up appearances, I've got the Look.

Anyway, I got myself a set of Zero Gravity 2007 Titanium brakes mail order from the US. Out here in Australia the retail mark up is such that ordering parts in direct, offers significant value.

Installed the brakes as per instructions. No problems.

Went for the Zero-G maiden voyage, along with a heap of other new light weight go-goodie bits and had to put in a slow, tight turn against a slight rise. I had to hit the anchors suddenly and then I was on my way. Next time I needed to brake, which was at the end of a down hill slope with a road to cross, up ahead. Time to slow down but not to be. My front brakes didn't provide any stopping power ... :shock: ... WTF!!

Reason? One of the brake pads had slipped out of the brake shoe, when the wheels rolled backward with the brakes applied. :evil:
Not happy.

Fast forward to a late night call that day to Ciamillo Components Inc in Atlanta for a "please explain". Turns out the problem is known to the helpful fella at Technical Support and he says, "No worries, I'll send you a replacement set of shoes and pads".

The explanation was that Zero G / Ciamillo were contracting out machining of various parts and quality control went adrift. The shoes in my case were out of tolerance by tenths of millimetre. So, when you've got a Campag design that doesn't use a retaining screw to keep the pads in place then tight tolerance is critical.

I've got the new units. They work a treat ... :)
Nice one.

I thought I'd put a post in here because this is the most obvious place another cyclist would expect to find comment like this. I went searching when the problem arose for me and I couldn't drag up a skerrick of info. I would have thought that a voluntary recall would have been posted (if it has, then I didn't find it).

So, if you're keen on the Zero G's great. They're great bits of gear. Just make sure your brake pads are tight in the shoes and test them before you build up a head of steam rolling down hill. If they fall out like mine did, then get yourself a replacement set from the manufacturer.

Keep on riding and ride safe.

:wink:

wilmar13
Posts: 349
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2005 12:50 am
Location: Rock Hill, SC US

by wilmar13

slyrider wrote:I thought I'd put a post in here because this is the most obvious place another cyclist would expect to find comment like this. I went searching when the problem arose for me and I couldn't drag up a skerrick of info.


http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum ... highlight=

by Weenie


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slyrider
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon May 07, 2007 10:27 am
Location: Bris-vegas, Australia

by slyrider

Thanks for that .. :thumbup:

Well, I hope shn750 did something a bit more effective than use glue to fix what sounds to be the same problem that I had to deal with. The only effective answer is to replace the offending parts.


:wink:

sharkman
Posts: 1399
Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2004 8:32 pm
Location: the Netherlands

by sharkman

Ask yourself the question if the pads are undersized or the padholders are just too wide. Yellow kings come out easily, Swisstop 2000 + black pads are a pains to press in (think it's swisstop that is to blame here and not Zero that is very generous to offer you a new set)
I've got a special set for my carbon pads and a bit of tubular glue works perfectly.
I always wonder what people are thinking while fitting brakepads etc. If a pad goes in with so much ease, it will come out is a second too (it would solve the problem first and than go out riding).

SuperD
Posts: 79
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 4:55 am
Location: Tucson, AZ
Contact:

by SuperD

When I first got ZG brakes, I had problems with the cork pads sliding out when I rolled backwards with brakes applied. So I stopped doing that. I notice that the rubber pads provided have a VERY snug fit and don't budge. SwissStop yellow pads hold tight too.

Suggestions:
1) Don't brake while rolling backwards - just a change of habits, really. Took me about 3 days.
2) Ditch the cork pads. They are evil.

slyrider
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon May 07, 2007 10:27 am
Location: Bris-vegas, Australia

by slyrider

SuperD

Good suggestion about, "don't brake while rolling backwards" but for me that's not an effective solution. I would rather fix the root cause of the problem and then have confidence in my equipment from that point onwards.

Zero G supply their brakes with the yellow Swissstop pads as standard. Never had cork pads. My techo mate at Zero G told me they ditched the cork pads from the factory anyway because they didn't offer the braking power. For me, the cam action was a big part of going for Zero G's and having top shelf performance.


sharkman

With the replacement brake shoes, the fit is snug with the yellow Swissstop pads and all is now good in the world of stop for me. Part of my temporary fix was to install oversized, cheap generic pads that squeezed into the shoe.

Suggest you re-read my post.

The manufacturer advised me that they had a production run where the brake shoes were machined out of tolerance. The issue is not the brake pad supplier but the OEM manufacture for the offending batch. If your brake shoes don't provide a snug fit for your Yellow Swissstops then I suggest that you get in touch with Zero G. Talk to Christian from Tech Support. He's a cool guy and very helpful.


Good luck and thanks for the suggestions but a root cause solution is always better than a band-aid fix. Make your own choice .. :thumbup:


:wink:

wilmar13
Posts: 349
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2005 12:50 am
Location: Rock Hill, SC US

by wilmar13

slyrider wrote:Good suggestion about, "don't brake while rolling backwards" but for me that's not an effective solution.


What kind of bizarre world do you guys live in where you find yourself rolling backwards anyhow???

musket

by musket

Ever stopped at a set of lights at the apex of a climb? Lots where I ride. I normally track stand, but I'd be lying if I said I never used the brake to stop rolling backwards.

SuperD
Posts: 79
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 4:55 am
Location: Tucson, AZ
Contact:

by SuperD

I wasn't trying to be obnoxious. I seriously meant what I said about not rolling backwards. I didn't realize I did that until I dropped my pads a few times, illustrating that habit. I adjusted my behavior. To me, that was an acceptable trade off for brakes that I love otherwise. Not everyone accepts that, and that's fine. To each his own.

I'm sure you could find a way to run Shimano brake shoes with the set-screw to the ZG calipers. You sacrifice some of the weight savings, but have the greater security and can rock backwards without losing brake pads.

wilmar13
Posts: 349
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2005 12:50 am
Location: Rock Hill, SC US

by wilmar13

musket wrote:Ever stopped at a set of lights at the apex of a climb? Lots where I ride. I normally track stand, but I'd be lying if I said I never used the brake to stop rolling backwards.

If you are clipped in, how are you rolling backwards and needing to use the brake? I don't understand why anyone would do this... at any rate it is totally avoidable.

Count me as one person that likes the ease at which they come out. I don't ride my bike backwards and like that I can switch them without tools or a lot of frustration and thumb blisters.

by Weenie


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