Tyrolia Brake Bending

[stevied]

I didn't want to post in a thread with a misspelled title, so I am starting my own. Recently there was a thread with questions about bending Tyrolia brakes and not much clearly useful advice. I just bent some 80 mm brakes today to fit 105 mm skis and took some photos. Of course there are other methods that will work.

These are railflex brakes but I think the other Tyrolia models are very similar.

Step 1. Assemble tools. These brake arms are pretty stout so you need some good vice grips and a stiff pole section. You need a bench vice, too.


Step 2. Clamp the brake arm near the spring and bend the whole arm to 30-45 degrees.


Step 3. Clamp the arm as close to the existing bend as possible. Bend out another 30 degrees or so.


Step 4. Bend the whole arm back in - no pipe necessary until the original bends are roughly where they started. This allows the brake to spread and retract nicely. Now the brake is as it was to start but there is a 45 degree bend outward just below the plastic part that attaches to the rail.

Step 5. Clamp the arm just below the new bend and bend the end of the arm back vertical.


Step 6. Repeat 1-5 for the other side.

Step 7. Tweak all angles until everything looks right and the brake fits and works properly.


Sorry about the cheesy background in the photos. I don't have a kegerator and the area behind the vice is cluttered so much it makes the photos hard to interpret.

[The Dad]

Strong work. Obviously, that's a common typo, which is why I use both "break" and "brake" in the keywords for [ame="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86288"]The Canonical Wide Brake Thread[/ame]. I've added a link there, and also in the "Break Bending" thread.

[vanisle]

Very nicely done , especially like the vice grip in the vice technique.
Ive bent Tyrolias a coupla times and it was a bitch..

[Voltron]

Good work. This is the first time I've seen pics of successful Tyrolia brake bending. You are more manly than I, who broke down multiple times and purchased the wide brakes.

[XXX-er]

Nice work Stevied,I will book mark this in case I ever need to bend those narrow brakes now sitting in the alpine spare parts box

I didnt even try which would perhaps indicates good judgement ,the job looked like a cluster fuck in the making so i just went back to the store and persuaded buddy whom I bought the whole rig off of to give me a good deal on the 115mm's

As Voltron has pointed out ... clearly we are not fit to drink your bathwater

[stevied]

Thanks for the props. You don't need any special strength, just willingness to throw the whole thing away if you make a big mistake.

If I had a good shop close, I would just break down and buy them too. On the other hand, what else is there to do when there's no snow but there are no more cyclocross races nearby.