I picked up a Felt B2R frame for the 2010 season to race something different for TTs. As I was swapping components from my Isaac, I discovered some of the challenges when working with hidden rear brakes. One of the obvious difficulties  is trying to adjust the brake pads once the crank is installed. The big chainring covers the brake, so you have to set the pads up before installing the crankset. Not that big of a deal, but genius here found this out AFTER installing the crank. Oh, well.

I also discovered that the wider, 23 mm Hed rims don’t like the Tektro R740 brakes that come stock with the frame. I couldn’t get the pads adjusted without rubbing the rims. SRAM brakes would have worked find, but that would have meant Dremeling off part of the brake arm in order for it to fit around the bottom bracket area. Uh, I didn’t want to ruin some nice brakes. Thankfully, I had an Oval Concepts (aka, rebranded Tektro) rear brake lying around. Not only did these calipers easily fit the wider Hed wheels, but the cable routing noodle easily cleared the left crankarm and the bottom bracket area. Not as powerful stoppers as Shimano or SRAM brakes, but most braking power comes from the front brake.

Yeah, problem solved. I’ve gotten the bike built up and taken it out for a test ride. Very nice. I’ll post complete photos later.