Author Topic: Odyssey flat fork tearing up your front brake housing?  (Read 5156 times)

Offline infamous3140

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Odyssey flat fork tearing up your front brake housing?
« on: January 30, 2007, 03:22:14 AM »
I run the best cables I can get, the Odyssey Linear Slic cables and housing. But I've had the Odyssey flat fork (zero offset w/ brake mounts) for a while now, and because of the slot in the back of the fork that is basically cut out, it creates a sort of sharp spot where my housing for my front brake is located as it wraps around to the brake arm.
It is basically tearing up the housing really fast, making my Evolver brakes feel like garbage. The Tektro u-brakes on the cheap Haro bikes at our shop feel better, and they use black aluminum rims (I have chrome Hoffman Highroller).
Has anyone else had this problem and found a way to solve it?

When I've cut the housing really short to make it avoid the sharp corner on the fork, the housing stop that sits in the brake arm doesn't sit flat, and causes the brake wire to rub on the brake arm.

Phatman

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Re: Odyssey flat fork tearing up your front brake housing?
« Reply #1 on: January 30, 2007, 05:25:48 PM »
2 Things you could do.

1. Buy a Nokon cable. makes front brakes ALOT sharper and as its a metal beaded cable i doubt it would tear haha.

Or if you cant afford one/dont want one.

2. Take a small fine file & just file the sharp edge gently until you've rounded it off

Offline ediot

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Re: Odyssey flat fork tearing up your front brake housing?
« Reply #2 on: January 30, 2007, 06:24:12 PM »
here's a list of options that you could go for, either pick single ones or any combinations that you fancy

1. odyssey makes (or used to) make a braided cable housing - its got a transparent outer with braided metal as the body of the housing. it's very tough. and you could get it in 1.8mm inner wire for better braking as well

2. a bit of duct tape over the bit that rubs the fork cut out

3. file the cut out on the fork a little to smoothen it out. this doesn't really affect the structural integrity of the fork since you only need the file to round off the edge

4. considering investing in a diatech flexie - it's a very, very flexible housing for the tight bend - you could use it between the cable housing and the part of the brakearm it contacts. it gives a much smoother pull

5. Here's a big one:
if your housing moves about afteryou have it all set up, it's due to friction inside the housing with the inner wire, and an indirect angle of pull - the flexie will help you with this problem. second thing is to lube the sh*t out of your cable.

do it this way: after you got housing cut to correct length, take the inner wire out of the housing and hold it up by the wire nipple. drip lube onto the nipple and don't stop till it starts dripping off the other end of the wire - this helps to get lube into the areas between the fabrics of the wire.

now drip lube into the housing til it comes out the other end. now reinstall the wire into the housing and proceed to set up the brake. this, my friend, is the first step to knowing what a really good brake system pulls like.

after you've set up your brake, pull the lever with both hands as tight as you can for 15 seconds (to pre-stretch the cable). now re-adjust to take up the extra slack. viola, AD990's can feel stiff as CNC'ed brakes!!

(it's funny to see kids buying USD70 brakes for 'stiffness' and they don't even pre-stretch the cable..)

i've given a tip and a half here, hope it helps.

good luck

Phatman

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Re: Odyssey flat fork tearing up your front brake housing?
« Reply #3 on: January 30, 2007, 06:26:19 PM »
^ 19 year old kids with a full time Job (although im not working atm due to injury) who buy there parts from the states & live in the UK.

Also dont Bullsh*t the cable untill you've tried it. Also $40 Cables  :P
http://www.empirebmx.com/catalog/showdetail2.aspx?id=1028750&ret=catalog.aspx
« Last Edit: January 30, 2007, 06:28:15 PM by Phatman »

Offline infamous3140

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Re: Odyssey flat fork tearing up your front brake housing?
« Reply #4 on: January 30, 2007, 08:35:04 PM »
I've figured I'd probably have to file down the corner of the fork. It's supposed to be made that way for "tight cable bends" according to the product description on flatlandfuel.com.
Unfortunately, with Odyssey's linear slic cable running to Odyssey brakes, the tight cable bend doesn't work too well. I may actually try using yet another one of my linear slic cables, and running the housing REALLY long rather than really tight and see if that helps at all. This is very frustrating because I've worked on so many customers' cheap bmx bikes and this is one thing I've never encountered because it's such a stupid idea from Odyssey. Horrible design.

Offline FLATDADDY

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Re: Odyssey flat fork tearing up your front brake housing?
« Reply #5 on: January 30, 2007, 09:07:04 PM »
1. Filing that down a bit would help on the wear on the outer housing or you could put a small piece of foam tape or r/c servo tape and simply cushion the cable in that spot.

As for the friction on the brake parts, first grease the cable and then once everything is assembled squirt a tiny amount of triflow lube anywhere the cable is touching something it should not. Also, shoot a little down your lever adjuster as well.


Offline infamous3140

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Re: Odyssey flat fork tearing up your front brake housing?
« Reply #6 on: January 31, 2007, 04:22:41 AM »
I don't use teflon on cables unless I have to. Linear slic cables work amazing without any lubricant. I've only started using the teflon spray on the cable where the brake arms are located because the brake wire grinds away at the brake arms. I really wish Odyssey would have put a cable guide on the fork. I have seriously regretted buying the flat fork instead of just keeping my Haro zero offset fork that worked fine for years.

Offline maelstrom

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Re: Odyssey flat fork tearing up your front brake housing?
« Reply #7 on: January 31, 2007, 05:25:17 PM »
You know, I have the same forks but with minimal offset.  I run just a regular slic cable ($3.00 at most) and Tektro brakes ($15.00 at most).  The only problem I have is the plastic cover, not the metal housing itself, gets kind of torn up, but the brakes still work fine.  I run my cable pretty short, just enough to make it to the brake with minimal slack.  I fasten the cable at the handlebars so it doesn't slide down and all the time.  I lube the brake housing with some regular chain oil (3-in-1 kind of thing) or the cable with some teflon grease spray, which I think should be done even if you have a linear (all the linear is supposed to do is not pinch the cable, right?). 
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Offline midwestside

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Re: Odyssey flat fork tearing up your front brake housing?
« Reply #8 on: March 16, 2007, 06:30:16 AM »
Thats happened with my minimal forks before. I dont really sweat it tho.
Stuff happens, and i'm sure the designers  couldn't forsee everything.
Can you tell im a shop mechanic? hehe.. ;D

To be honest, I've run my brakes with that outer coating stripped off for a while at that junction. If you dial your brakes, keep em lubed, you'll never notice. Oh, I actually use a little zip tie slightly slack to hold it to the fork leg. It helps to keep it from "sawing" so much.
As far as making the cable longer, I take it you mean "old school potts mod long", This actually decreases braking efficiency. The narrower inner wire is a good idea too.

Offline ErikETBA

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Re: Odyssey flat fork tearing up your front brake housing?
« Reply #9 on: March 16, 2007, 05:07:35 PM »
This happened to me too.  I just wrapped electrical tape around the part of the cable that was against that groove.  I haven't had any problems since... Hope that helps a little. 
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Offline B-random Fantom

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Re: Odyssey flat fork tearing up your front brake housing?
« Reply #10 on: March 16, 2007, 05:23:06 PM »
it's such a stupid idea from Odyssey. Horrible design.

I disagree, it's a great idea--it just needs to be rounded off in there, but all you really need to do is file it down/round it off a bit and problem solved.
Enough! I grow weary of your foolishness ninjas.

Budz

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Re: Odyssey flat fork tearing up your front brake housing?
« Reply #11 on: March 17, 2007, 01:44:49 PM »
yup..just file it down and no worries mate! :beer:

its kinda like if u kept whacking yourself with a sharp knife-u would keep getting cuts. but if u filed it down and dulled the blade-there aint gonna be no more cuttin goin on.