Ever since a ride in the rain and the brakes seemed to completely stop working, I've been wracking my brains about what to do. I ordered some leather-faced brake blocks that are supposed to be ok on chrome wheels in the wet, but I'm not convinced that they will be safe.
After thinking about buying a drum brake or even a disc brake, it suddenly hit me that I could rob the Shimano front hub and Rollerbrake off another bike! The trouble is, the hub has 36 spokes and Chopper has 28 spokes, so a new rim would be needed.
Today, the rim and a set of spokes arrived from St John's Street Cycles in Bridgwater, and I've just been building up the wheel. Although I'm quite good at wheelbuilding, I don't consider myself an expert, but I was successful!
Here's the finished article.
The black arm you can see has to be clamped to the front left fork, I'll design one easily and bolt it on. The front brake cable should reach ok to the rollerbrake, but the existing Chopper brake lever may not be man enough, but I do have a spare brake lever from a scrap mountain bike.
The next step is to rebuild Chopper and go for a test-ride!
Wish me luck!
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