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Parts questions

by killie_guy
Thu, Jan 28, 2021 21:42
12

Hi all, been cycling for just over a year now and done some basic maintenance, however, I now need to replace my rear brakes and tyres (there's a tear in the rear tyre)

I have a B'Twin triban 520 flat bar bike from 2017ish. Googling it seems to be standard vbrakes. When I'm looking them up there seems to be lots of different shapes. Would these do?
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-br-6700-r55c3-cartridge-type-brake-shoe...

I'm a little confused as to what I need if someone can help or if you can recommend decent ones up to maybe £20

As for tyres I don't have a clue in terms or width, (700 x 25c) 25 622 is on the wheel itself. What width should I be looking at?

It's my only bike so far so I use it for commuting and leisure. Try to go as fast as I can so for tyres prefer something speedy. Or should I be switching tyres for something wider for winter?

New to all this sorry. Thanks!!

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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12 comments

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killie_guy | 4 years ago
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Thanks for the help everyone, I've learned quite a bit, have much more to go in terms of maintenance but want to do as much as I can

Ordered these brakes and waiting for continental grand prix 4 seasons coming back in stock for £72 overall

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Tom_77 | 4 years ago
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I have a Triban 540 from around the same time, I put 28mm Schwalbe Durano Plus tyres on it. I have mudguards fitted, so you could go a bit wider than 28mm if you don't have mudguards.

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Spangly Shiny | 4 years ago
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The part that you showed in the link is for caliper brakes. You mentioned in your original post that you had V brakes, in which case this:
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/kool-stop-thinline-threaded-pair-of-v-brake-blocks
is the type of brake block you need to be looking at.

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hawkinspeter replied to Spangly Shiny | 4 years ago
1 like

Looking at this review: https://road.cc/content/review/156193-btwin-triban-520 the brakes look like ordinary caliper brakes and not V-brakes - guessing the op just used the wrong terminology.

(Pic of V-brakes for OP to see the difference)

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killie_guy replied to Spangly Shiny | 4 years ago
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I did get it wrong, it was caliper. 2 of the grub screws wouldn't come out so ended up just buying the complete swissstop brakes, at least I know I can get 4 pads for £13 in the future

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killie_guy | 4 years ago
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Cheers everyone, going to look into tyres now that I know what I'm looking for

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Gromski | 4 years ago
1 like

Hey Killie_guy

You probably don't need the part linked above - that's a cartridge to hold the actual rubber that is the brake shoe. Just unscrew the small grub screw (on the left in picture from that link) and slide out the old rubber. Slide the new rubber in and tighten the grub screw again.

A set of these will do the job https://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-r55c4-cartridge-inserts-pair or you could splash out and get a set of Swissstops https://www.wiggle.co.uk/swissstop-flash-evo-bxp-alloy-rim-brake-pads

As for tyres, 700 x 25c tells you the size. The 700 is diameter of the wheel (just not in any units you might recognise...it's a long story) and 25 is the width of the tyre in mm (roughly). Just get another set of 700 x 25s and you'll be golden. If it's still on the Hutchison tyres (which didn't get great reviews at the time) you might want to think about something like the Conti GP 4Seasons as an upgrade https://www.wiggle.co.uk/continental-grand-prix-4-season-25c-tyres-2-tubes They should feel better than the Hutchisons, have better grip and (being 4 season) have better durability.

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hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
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Your current tyre is a 25mm width (700c), so you can either replace it with the same width or I'd be more inclined to go for 28mm if you can find something suitable.

There's a huge choice of tyres and generally the really cheap ones (e.g. £10) are best avoided, but it's easy to spend a lot of money if you go for the high-end tyres and then they might be super-lightweight and not last you very long.

Generally, commuting tyres tend to be around £20-30 and should last well and have reasonable puncture protection.

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killie_guy replied to hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
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ah, so 28mm will fit.  would that be the max recommended size do you think?

 

cheers

 

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Gromski replied to killie_guy | 4 years ago
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The reviews from a few years back seem to suggest that the Triban 520 came with either 25mm or 28mm tyres, so you should be OK.

With a 28mm tyre you can run them at lower pressures without affectign pace. It also reduces your risk of picnh flats if you hit something hard.

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hawkinspeter replied to killie_guy | 4 years ago
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I believe that bike can take up to 32mm width tyres, but I happen to like 28mm as a good compromise between speed and comfort.

It used to be thought that thinner tyres (and higher pressures) are quicker than wider tyres but that's probably most true for when you can ride on a really smooth surface (e.g. a velodrome). Wider tyres allow you to run them at lower pressures and that can make them roll faster on bumpy surfaces as the tyre can absorb the bumpy bits and not waste energy bouncing the bike and rider up and down. However, lower pressures will generally increase rolling resistance on smooth surfaces, so typically, people spend a while experimenting with different tyre pressures to try and find what works best for them.

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killie_guy | 4 years ago
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tried to edit then delete this, won't let me for some reason.

i've figured out the brakes and ordered some.  could still do with advice RE the tyres though please

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