rear brakes

[Jerry G Turner]

My rear brakes have always squealed when damp and have sometimes shudder a bit when stepping on them I have taken the rear wheel off twice and looked at them and they look good and so does the drum, yesterday I took off to go to the store first time I had riden it in a week since it has been rainy all week and at the end of my block I stepped on the rear break and pow I guess they locked up and snapped the end off of the brake rod, bend the brake arm, and broke the end off of the brake stay it's a cycliistic one anyone have any ideal what caused that. The parts to but it back together cost about a hunderd dollars and I wouldn't want it to happen again. I have another set of pads that I am going to put on do you think I need to do anything else.  Thanks in advance.

[hootmon]

No Idea what happened, obviously something grabbed onto the hub and spun it pretty hard..
I replaced my rear break about 45K and when I put the new shoes next to the old ones they looked almost the same in shoe thickness.. The new ones also squeak when it has been damp.. Just part of the nature of the beast I guess..

[John Luttrell]

Only time I ever see drum brakes lock up , is from chemical contamination.  It's usually on a car though and the contamination is usually brake fluid or gear oil from bad seals.  So I have to ask you, have you ever used anything to 'clean' your brake drum or pads, other than water?  The only other thing I could think of is maybe the axle nut is not torqued down enough to help hold the brake housing stationary during braking.

[Cannon]

My guess, based on your description, is that the brakestay was broken before, causing the bad sounds due to the brake shield assembly sligtly rotating when stepping on the brakes. Then when braking from high speed or downhill the pull on the rod and arm became so strong that the brakes locked up and the rod/arm took the damage. This would be the natural thing to happen if brakestay is loos or broken.

[Jerry G Turner]

Never cleaned with anything other than water torque maybe didn't use a torque wrench when I put it back together but I think I had it plenty tight Ill use one this time.

[Chad in Michigan]

My rear brakes have always squealed when damp and have sometimes shudder a bit when stepping on them I have taken the rear wheel off twice and looked at them and they look good and so does the drum, yesterday I took off to go to the store first time I had riden it in a week since it has been rainy all week and at the end of my block I stepped on the rear break and pow I guess they locked up and snapped the end off of the brake rod, bend the brake arm, and broke the end off of the brake stay it's a cycliistic one anyone have any ideal what caused that. The parts to but it back together cost about a hunderd dollars and I wouldn't want it to happen again. I have another set of pads that I am going to put on do you think I need to do anything else.  Thanks in advance.

contact dobie at cycle-istic about the brake stay rod. i don't know when you got yours, but in the first run of them he had something wrong, and sent out a free of charge kit to retrofit it. i'm not sure if yours broke because of that, or because of something else, but it's worth looking into.  maybe a spring inside the drum was loose and broke off, causing the shoe to drag inside the rim and locked up?

[lragan]

Mine squeal when wet -- whether from rain or condensation, doesn't matter.  I try to use them gingerly on the way out of the place, until they quit squealing.  I have always supposed they dried in the process, but don't know.  When I took the wheel off the red bike to mount the car tire, I was prepared to find worn pads needing replacement, but they were approximately 1/4 inch thick. 

I will be watching this thread to see what you learn.  Sorry this happened to you.

[Magnum Magna]

I don't have any suggestion.

Just glad you are OK.  I am glad it was not while you where up to speed.  This is an assumption do to your post of  "at the end of my block I stepped on the rear break and pow ".

[TLRam1]

The only other thing I could think of is maybe the axle nut is not torqued down enough to help hold the brake housing stationary during braking.

My guess, based on your description, is that the brakestay was broken before, causing the bad sounds due to the brake shield assembly sligtly rotating when stepping on the brakes. Then when braking from high speed or downhill the pull on the rod and arm became so strong that the brakes locked up and the rod/arm took the damage. This would be the natural thing to happen if brakestay is loos or broken.

contact dobie at cycle-istic about the brake stay rod. i don't know when you got yours, but in the first run of them he had something wrong, and sent out a free of charge kit to retrofit it. i'm not sure if yours broke because of that, or because of something else, but it's worth looking into. 

Lot's of good information above Jerry.

Accumulation of possibilities, but I would think the brake stay rod would not be compromised regardless, could have been a piece of faulty stock or some such as Chad mentioned.  I would say that went first than your rod suffered from there.

[Sledge Hammer]

Only time I ever see drum brakes lock up , is from chemical contamination.  It's usually on a car though and the contamination is usually brake fluid or gear oil from bad seals.  So I have to ask you, have you ever used anything to 'clean' your brake drum or pads, other than water?  The only other thing I could think of is maybe the axle nut is not torqued down enough to help hold the brake housing stationary during braking.

After having mine apart last summer, I am inclined to agree with Cannon. At least on mine, even with no torque on the axle nut, the brake panel assembly cannot move laterally along the axle: those spacers take up every bit of gap. To apply enough pressure by the torque on the axle nut to keep the panel from rotating, though, I think you'd distort the races on the wheel bearings long before you'd capture the brake panel.

[ryjb]

This will be a project next week along with putting my new tires on is replacing the rear brakes. 

[Jerry G Turner]

Got some of the parts trying to put back together I need a favor if someone could take a picture of how the brake pedal return spring attaches to the brake rod I would appreciate it I cann't seem to figure it out. I do beleive that the brake stay was the problem the bolts that hold it together were broken off at the head.

[ryjb]

Got some of the parts trying to put back together I need a favor if someone could take a picture of how the brake pedal return spring attaches to the brake rod I would appreciate it I cann't seem to figure it out. I do beleive that the brake stay was the problem the bolts that hold it together were broken off at the head.

Not sure if any of these are the picture you need.  I hope they are. Was kind of hard to get a good picture in the dark corner of my garage.

[Sledge Hammer]

Ryan's second photo tells you all you need to know, so pulling mine back down.

[ryjb]

Ryan's second photo tells you all you need to know, so pulling mine back down.

I think we should put yours back up there.  Looked much cleaner than mine.   I am still trying to clean the red desert sand from this bike.