[joerg Maltzan]

Hello from Hamburg Germany!
Just completed the renovation of 64 Moulto deluxe. I Love the Maschine and everything works fine – even all 4 gears of the SA hub. Only brake performance is weak, since the old shoes are still in position. Any suggestions, what to do? What are the best choice for new brake pads for those steel rims? The bike is shown here: http://st-pedali.blogspot.de/

[david james]

hi george
i’ve been riding on steel rims most of my life and i’ve never had a problem with braking, granted in the rain it can take a bit longer to stop but that’s more of a problem with larger diameter wheels as they take longer to “dry out”.in the dry there’s no difference between steel and aluminium with the added bonus (in my opinion) that steel rims don’t wear out. maybe you brake blocks (that is how they are normally called in uk) are from the 60’s and have hardened with age, try a newer pair from an ebay supplier. the sheldon brown site talks of leather brake blocks but they wear out quick but are good in the rain (apparently) if you don’t do many miles (kilometres?) probably not an issue.finally one little tip that may be of some interest, steel rims mostly seem to have a double skinned flange with a gap between and small holes around the circumference, rust can creep in the gap and keep on spreading without being seen, i always spray something like waxoyl through the holes and block up the other holes to keep it in, this should keep it at bay, if you are having them rechromed it probably will be ok as they have to put in an acid bath and that will most likely kill the rust

[Bobbie Martin]

I would probably replace those rusted rims for safety. Brompton alloy rims would be the cheapest and easiest to get, but if you want steel, you can still get NOS Rigida 28 hole rims. Either way, I would suggest some Scott-Mathauser brake shoes. http://www.yokozunausa.com/brakepadsshoes.html

Nice article on the Moulton. One thing, that is a MGB, not a MGA.

[david james]

he’s got the early 36 hole rims so 28 hole means junking the sa hub and the front hub as well as decreasing the originalty

[joerg Maltzan]

Hi David and George!
Thanks for advise and hints, very helpful indeed. And yes the MGA is a MGB of course, the most sold roadster until the Mazda MX5 overtook it. Rust really creeped into my rims. As you suggested, I cleaned them as good as possible and sealed the rusted holes with silikon.

In the meantime I really got hooked to old Moultons and I am restoring a 66 Moulton Speed right now. Biggest question: What bottom bracket should I use? I am looking at a modern sealed type, but wonder about the axle lenght to get the best chain line with a modern SA crankset and SA 5-speed hub. Any idea?
Concerning wheels I want to upgrade to 18 inch alloys, 355s with 36 holes, which are availabel for Birdy folding bikes here in Germany. 355 instead of 349 should be okay for clearance issues I hope. If not, please hit the alarm button, because the wheels a rather expensive.
One more thing: I joined the mbc, paid My membership fee, but can’t get access to the members area on the webpage, because I did not receive a membership number. Nö reaction from the mbc so far. Makes me a bit unhappy.
Best wishes from Hamburg
Jörg

[david james]

hi jorg
the mgb was vastly overated (imo) and i think the sunbeam (rootes group) alpine was a better car (and better looking),there was one featured in the film “commando” unfortunately destroyed.with regards rims i am investigating a method of fixing new 28 hole alloy (brompton) rims to old sa 36 or 32 hole hubs by means of a specially made stainless or galvanised or chromed steel ring with the holes of the hub on the inner part of the ring and the holes of the rim (28 no) on the outer part. the “ring” would be the same gauge of steel as the hub flange and pop rivetted to the hub using emhart or other rivets or maybe even small bolts (these rivets are used in aircraft construction). the idea is the brompton rims could be used and once the “ring” has been fitted the rims can be easily replaced when worn by braking action. i am going to have some of these manufactured for my own use and next door to where i work there is a company that can have these made by cnc . if anyone is interested in having some they can let me know, this is at cost price only but the more made then the cheaper they will be.

ps did you watch sv hamburg when kevin keegan played for them?

[david james]

with regards bottom brackets don’t know too much about modern sealed units but the old adjustable with ball bearings seem to do the job and don’t seem to wear out

[Author]

Posts