This question is for the people running the FLO wheels on a SHIV. Did you guys have to remove the washer on the brake pad to get them to fit in the rear? I am having a hell of a time trying to get my disc to fit otherwise. Then having an even harder time adjusting them to sit nice again since I don't have a decent way of holding the bike steady.

I just rode my FLO Disc+90 combo in a race for the first time. It was a half distance in pouring rain and a little wind.

• Handling was no problem. Front wheel a little more twitchy than my 50mm Corimas, but not too bad. This is including a downhill-section where I got up to 84km/h (52mph).
  
• Disc sound (first generation, no foam inserts) was just right. Some evil "thundering" on little potholes, less "whoosh-whoosh" than a structural disc, but people were still turning heads when I came along.
• Absolutely no water issues. No water inside after race.
• ALL the black color on the braking surface was completely gone after this one race in the rain. It had been 95% intact before the race, after two training rides in sunny weather.
  In all fairness: The FLO-guys were upfront in that the color would eventually be gone. Thought it would last a little longer though, but the rain and quite some road grime were probably too much.
  Do you guys think I can sharpy some black back on for optical reasons? Or would this mess with braking performance and/or sound/smell funny?

In total: Awesome product.

ah, and just because I can't keep this to myself: I did have the best bike split of the day ;-)

Canadian wrote:

gerardm wrote:

This question is for the people running the FLO wheels on a SHIV. Did you guys have to remove the washer on the brake pad to get them to fit in the rear? I am having a hell of a time trying to get my disc to fit otherwise. Then having an even harder time adjusting them to sit nice again since I don't have a decent way of holding the bike steady.

I just built up a Cannondale Slice RS (which has similar brakes) and had to remove some spacers/washers to make the brake pads fit. I'd recommend that. Just make sure things go back together properly so you can stop. If you are at all unsure about how to adjust the brakes I'd recommend heading into a shop for a quick adjustment to make sure you are safe. To get the brakes to sit "nice" (I think you mean aligned properly with the brake track), have a friend squeeze the brake lever with the brake pad holder still loose. Once the brake pad is aligned then tighten the brake pad holder bolt. Have a friend squeeze the brakes will prevent the brake pad holder from spinning.

Final Note: Remember that the brakes on a Shiv (rear brake) will have a spring tension adjustment. If the brakes don't want to go back to center, you'll have to increase/decrease spring tension.

If you are at all confused feel free to give me a call and I can help walk you through it.

Take care,

I don't think you'll need to adjust the spring by taking the brake apart. There should be a small hex bolt (likely 2.5) on the side of the brake that will adjust spring tension. Do you see that?


Thanks for the reply. I was able to get the brake pads aligned properly with the brake track. The problem I am having is the now re centering the brakes. There is plenty of room on the left side but on the drive side it sits pretty close to the track still. I guess from what you are saying is I need to remove the rear brake and adjust the spring. I checked out the diagrams from the manual and see what your talking about but I think this may be above my technical skills. Guess a trip to the LBS is in order.