The XS Triple Sidecar - removing the sidecar brake

Some might say, to remove a brake on a bike just for comfort-reasons is questionable at the very least... and judging by some of my past sidecars, I am willing to whole-heartedly agree. But with this one it is (of course) different. The fact that this bike already runs three disk brakes means that at pretty much any imaginable speed I can brake hard enough to make both wheels lock up. Add that to the fact that the sidecar slows down the whole outfit by at least 50 kph and you may start to see things the way I do.

Uninstalling the brake followed pretty much the basic principle of any repair-manual. First step: Take the wheel off and remove the brake caliper.

Second step, make a new spacer on the lathe and install it.

Enjoy the extra room for the left foot. The connecting link between both brake pedals used to be exactly where my boot is right now.

And the removed brake assembly.

Much more comfortable. Yet something unexected happened. Now that brake caliper may at least be worth two or three kilograms and with it being positioned on the axle it sat pretty far outward. Believe me, that when I say I was mildly surprised to see the sidecar like it did, just because that weight has been removed. As the bike is also easier to push around it should have a beneficial effect on the mileage I can get from it.