V Brake Cartridge Insert Pins

[MikeF]

The little pins that prevent the insert sliding back from the cartridge are a bit of a PITA to remove and insert. Has anyone an easy way to remove these or does everyone find them a fiddle?
It would seem an "ordinary" SS split cotter pin would be much easier to insert and remove. I cannot think of any safety reason why this cannot be done, but surely there must be a reason why manufacturers don't use these.
Some inserts seem tight enough not to need pins anyway, but I suppose it's belt and braces.

[Brucey]

IME the thing that is most likely to make them difficult to insert and remove is if the pad insert has the slot too narrow or in the wrong place. When fitting new inserts, it is but the work of a few moments to;

a) be sure that the pins fit easily into an empty shoe, and adjust them if not. (I like to have the top of the pin overhanging the outside of the shoe; this way they fit flush and cannot gouge the tyre sidewall; it is easy to visually check they are still present, too.)

b) fettle the slot in the back of the new inserts; a few strokes of a file (or emery cloth wrapped round something) will give more clearance if necessary.

c) when the new inserts are fitted, be sure that you can see daylight through the hole; the pin surely won't fit easily if you can't. You can sometimes push something through the hole to check it isn't badly obstructed; I have a feeling that part of an old DB spoke may go through the hole OK, but maybe that isn't every DB spoke and every hole in every shoe.

One of the things that is often a 'fatal exception' is to twist the pins when they are nearly fully home. This tends to mangle them and then they won't go in or out at all easily.

cheers

[uppadine]

I bought a small, very light pair of needle-nosed pliers on ebay, and they work perfectly for this job. You can use them to push the pin up, when removing, and they position it perfectly for insertion. It's a joy not to keep dropping them, as I did.

[Redvee]

b) fettle the slot in the back of the new inserts; a few strokes of a file (or emery cloth wrapped round something) will give more clearance if necessary.

c) when the new inserts are fitted, be sure that you can see daylight through the hole.

These two things are what I do already, any excess in the slot gets trimmed with a knife. When messing with brake blocks I always wear latex gloves, Park blue ones. That is they are Park blue in colour, not Park gloves. I look through the brake shoe to see my finger underneath and wiggle the brake pad back n forth till I can see my finger clearly.

[gaz]

Some inserts seem tight enough not to need pins anyway, but I suppose it's belt and braces.

I used to think it was belt and braces, I came to realise they are essential: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=24393&p=194005&#p198662

[MikeF]

Thanks for the warning, Gaz, and the reference post. I did a search but somehow didn't find that one. It's interesting to note that someone suggested split pins as a substitute and also someone had used plain wire which had also occurred to me. Both seem simpler solutions, but maybe not as safe.
From the replies it seems replacement is a fiddle for most, and not easily done in situ, almost negating the advantage of having replaceable inserts.

[gaz]

It's certainly a faff but it usually requires nothing more than a pair of pliers to take the pin out and a little patience to put it back in.

Compared against fiddling about with an allen key and spanner to reset the toe-in every time I change blocks it's no faff at all .

[Brucey]

when I fit new brakes with these pads, or upgrade them, I usually whip the pins out, remove the inserts etc and make sure that the pins are not already mangled (they sometimes are) and that they will go in and out of the bare shoe OK (they often won't). I put the pins back in so that they won't cause any trouble, too.

This way when time comes to replace the inserts, it is going to be a five minute job, not a faff that involves taking the brakes apart or struggling.

BTW if you don't want to alter the toe settings, and you do need better access, you can take the entire brake arm off the bike (one M6 bolt) instead of removing the brake shoe from the arm.

cheers