V-Brake Help

[Tom Marius]

Hey guys

Just a quick question about a problem i'm havin with my v brakes. It seems that when i brake i get a normal braking application but when i release the brakes only one side of the brake arm springs back into position, out of the way of the tire. The other just rubs against the rim. I had a look at http://sheldonbrown.com/canti-direct.html and tried adjusting the little spring tension thing but to no avail. Anybody got any other tips on how to fix this (i'm assuming) fairly basic problem?

PS ive checked wheel alignment it all seems to be in order.

[jasimon]

You need greater spring tension on the side that isn't popping back. Apparently the tension screw can't provide enough. Have you tried to reduce the spring tension on the other side by screwing the tension screw there out? It is more about balance between the two sides than absolute strength.

Pop the spring on the 'weak' side out from the brake arm and bend it out a little more then pop it back in. Mechanic at my LBS did this when I had a similar problem and suggested it was a fairly standard thing to do.

[bigfriendlyvegan]

Pop the spring on the 'weak' side out from the brake arm and bend it out a little more then pop it back in. Mechanic at my LBS did this when I had a similar problem and suggested it was a fairly standard thing to do.

Yep, this is the thing to do. It will fix it up a treat. V-brakes are pretty indestructible and they're designed to be serviced.

David

[Nate]

take all the brake componenets off & clean & grease too (if you havent already)

There's normally also 3 holes int eh frame that you can put the spring into when to re-assemble them, you may need to use a hole closer to the top to increase tension.

[Tom Marius]

You need greater spring tension on the side that isn't popping back. Apparently the tension screw can't provide enough. Have you tried to reduce the spring tension on the other side by screwing the tension screw there out? It is more about balance between the two sides than absolute strength.

Pop the spring on the 'weak' side out from the brake arm and bend it out a little more then pop it back in. Mechanic at my LBS did this when I had a similar problem and suggested it was a fairly standard thing to do.

Alright cheers i'll try that. Just getting into self maintenance so i'm getting ready for a fair few screw ups!

[Tom Marius]

Hmm, tried to adjust the tension screws, didnt work. Even took them all the way out and tried to adjust the brake arms but that still hasnt solved the main problem, which is now the fact that the arms dont seem to be centered. When i pull on the brake lever, the right arm moves to the left a lot (ie towards the tyre) but the left one moves a little bit right, hits the tyre, and then doesnt pop back. It seems as though they arent in center, and if i center them by hand its problem solved until i pull on the brake lever again.

Any suggestions??

[twizzle]

Hmm, tried to adjust the tension screws, didnt work. Even took them all the way out and tried to adjust the brake arms but that still hasnt solved the main problem, which is now the fact that the arms dont seem to be centered. When i pull on the brake lever, the right arm moves to the left a lot (ie towards the tyre) but the left one moves a little bit right, hits the tyre, and then doesnt pop back. It seems as though they arent in center, and if i center them by hand its problem solved until i pull on the brake lever again.

Any suggestions??

Re-centre your wheel. Sounds like it's not fully in the drop-outs.

[lemmiwinks]

Hmm, tried to adjust the tension screws, didnt work. Even took them all the way out and tried to adjust the brake arms but that still hasnt solved the main problem, which is now the fact that the arms dont seem to be centered. When i pull on the brake lever, the right arm moves to the left a lot (ie towards the tyre) but the left one moves a little bit right, hits the tyre, and then doesnt pop back. It seems as though they arent in center, and if i center them by hand its problem solved until i pull on the brake lever again.

Any suggestions??

That's exactly the type of behaviour that can be solved with the screws, though bear in mind that they can't force massive changes. I've had cases where I had to feed some cable through the clamp on top of the brake arm to centre it up first as well as tweak the screws to get it right.

[jasimon]

Any suggestions??

The screws are like fine adjusters - to get bigger changes you will have to pop one arm of the spring out and tighten the coil manually as mentioned above. (Assuming your wheel is centered.)

With the screws you actually want one all the way in (on the side that is sticking) and the other all the way out - it wasn't clear if this was what you did so I thought I'd clarify.

[Tom Marius]

Any suggestions??

The screws are like fine adjusters - to get bigger changes you will have to pop one arm of the spring out and tighten the coil manually as mentioned above. (Assuming your wheel is centered.)

With the screws you actually want one all the way in (on the side that is sticking) and the other all the way out - it wasn't clear if this was what you did so I thought I'd clarify.

This is what i did in the end, plus taking off the brake pads and then adjusting them (lining them up better with the rim) also seemed to do the trick. Cheers for all the help

[bikehack]

Hi Tom
On an older mountain bike I was having the same problem. I physically bent the spring arm of the non-releasing side to give more spring. A little rough but it worked a treat