Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Hi,

I bought some new Tektro Mini V's (80mm arms) for use with aero levers (cane creek).

Greased up the bosses, installed the mini Vees, clipping the spring into middle hole. The springs are tensioned nicely, and feel like they have decent pressure when you let them go.

After installing the brake cable and centering them, the return action of the brake arms is sticky...i.e. pull the lever, brake arms grip the rim, let the brake go, then the spring doesn't release propertly. If I then apply a bit of outward pressure to the brakes arms, they pop apart nicely.

I'm going to take them off and re-grease everything then re-install tonight and see how it goes. Is this more likely the spring, grease or tension itself? Is there somethign I have missed?

Thanks

I have a similar combo and have found it hard work for pretty much the same reasons. The first thing I'd try is to use the little adjustment screws to get the shoes a bit further out. They mostly stop in the same spot for me. So I just push the pads out a little bit and try to compensate with a bit more cable tension. The other thing I'd check would be cable routing in general.

If the arms move freely with the spring detached, I doubt that re-greasing will do you much good.

high_tea wrote:I have a similar combo and have found it hard work for pretty much the same reasons. The first thing I'd try is to use the little adjustment screws to get the shoes a bit further out. They mostly stop in the same spot for me. So I just push the pads out a little bit and try to compensate with a bit more cable tension. The other thing I'd check would be cable routing in general.

If the arms move freely with the spring detached, I doubt that re-greasing will do you much good.

Thanks for the advice. Cable routing is direct as possible, i.e. I've used the shortest length possible, so the cable housing is entering the noodle vertically.

Hi AP81,
I don't know your specific set up but on the older side pulls the side that sticks needs more spring tension. If no adjustment screw, near the base of the low frame bolt, some have a three position spring retainer at the assembly point. It also pays to grease that area at assembly. I have also re tensioned the springs on the odd occasion, if it saved a trip to the shop.
Sorry if I am barking up the wrong calliper.

outnabike wrote:Hi AP81,
I don't know your specific set up but on the older side pulls the side that sticks needs more spring tension. If no adjustment screw, near the base of the low frame bolt, some have a three position spring retainer at the assembly point. It also pays to grease that area at assembly. I have also re tensioned the springs on the odd occasion, if it saved a trip to the shop.
Sorry if I am barking up the wrong calliper.

Got them dialled in last night. The only way I could get them working is to have both on the highest spring position, then adjust the tension on one side via the adjustment screw. There is a crap load of tension in the arms, but they are working well. I think the issue is with the noodles (that came with them), with the cable "sticking" a bit. Anyway, working now.

Thanks.

Shimano SP41.

just a thought, will a spinning wheel unstick it? If so you might not have a issue.

I get this on old brake pads on rims with a brake wear grove. The grove causes a line on the brake pad to stick up and this can hold the pad in when adjusting them. If the wheel is spinning it does not get stuck.

one other thing I found is if you tension it up high (ie on the 3rd notch) for too long, the other holes become too loose.

eeksll wrote:just a thought, will a spinning wheel unstick it? If so you might not have a issue.

I get this on old brake pads on rims with a brake wear grove. The grove causes a line on the brake pad to stick up and this can hold the pad in when adjusting them. If the wheel is spinning it does not get stuck.

one other thing I found is if you tension it up high (ie on the 3rd notch) for too long, the other holes become too loose.

Nope, it is definitely a sticky cable, even though I'm using the noodles that came with the brakes (which are all brand new). Not sure what you mean about the other holes becoming too loose?

changing the hole on the v-brake to get a stronger spring open action (e.g hole 3/highest spring postion) puts more stress on the spring (obviously).

This also causes the spring stretch/deform/lengthen so when you try to put it back on to hole 2 at a later time (ie after you fix your sticky cable) there might not be enough tension to pull the brake arms apart even after you have fixed your sticky cable.

you can just get some pliers to bend the spring back out, but hard to get both the same

I see, thanks for clearing that up.