v-brake adjustment

[soreback]

i finally broke down and bought a new wheelset for my bikes with v-brakes, mavic 717s with XT Hubs. Took off the old wheelset. and put on the new ones. i noticed that the brake pads did not line up the same as the with the old wheelset, there were too far down on the braking surface. I reseated the wheels, and still the same. I knew i was in for touible as soon as i saw that since im not mechanically inclined BUT i tried to fix it anyway. I think i finally got the pads lined properly (didnt worry about toe in tho) but when i tested them, i noticed that both arms of the v-brakes werent pulling at the same time as they were before i mucked with them. Now one side hits the braking surface alot sooner than the other side. i looked at my other bike with v-brakes, and both arms of the v-brakes pull at the same time. i looked at park tools and sheldon brown but didnt really see what they said that would be applicable here. What do I need to do (beside taking it in to the LBS to begin with)?

[mtnbikerva1]

It sounds like the spring tension may not be equal on the brake arms.
You can adjust by turning the screw on the brake arms.
Make sure both the surfaces that the brakes pivot on are clean and if needed lubed.
Try adjusting with the springs off to get the pads and arms lined up, toed in etc. then reattach the springs or put spring tension back on in an even manner so they contact the rim equally. I live in Reston if you are willing to come to my place I will teach you the basic stuff about bike maintenance repair. I need to do a bit on my bikes also.

[riffraff]

It sounds like the spring tension may not be equal on the brake arms.
You can adjust by turning the screw on the brake arms.



Use a very small philips screwdriver;)

[soreback]

thanks for the advice and the offer. id like to take u up on that. i live in fairfax station and work in baileys crossroads. give me a chance to see when i can get away and then try to sync up with yours. thans again. i really would like to learn to do the basic stuff.

It sounds like the spring tension may not be equal on the brake arms.
You can adjust by turning the screw on the brake arms.
Make sure both the surfaces that the brakes pivot on are clean and if needed lubed.
Try adjusting with the springs off to get the pads and arms lined up, toed in etc. then reattach the springs or put spring tension back on in an even manner so they contact the rim equally. I live in Reston if you are willing to come to my place I will teach you the basic stuff about bike maintenance repair. I need to do a bit on my bikes also.

[DaveG]

thanks for the advice and the offer. id like to take u up on that. i live in fairfax station and work in baileys crossroads. give me a chance to see when i can get away and then try to sync up with yours. thans again. i really would like to learn to do the basic stuff.

I've also had times where the screw couldn't get it centered. I've always been able to unhook the spring and bend it a little to get a bit more spring power. I've always been able to center my v brakes like that.

Dave

[Dirt]

You will want to worry about toe-in. Without the toe in, they'll most likely squeak like heck.

While it is not entirely unusual for the springs to go out of adjustment a little when you change the pad alingment, it is somewhat unusual that it change drastically.

My guess is that the pads are not perfectly aligned and that that might be causing the inbalance in the pads hit the rim.

The first time you aling brake pads, it is probably a good idea to do so with the tire off the rim. That gives you a much better view of the brake pads and the rim. Since most brake set-ups allow the pads to rotate on cone washers (meaning they can adjust in any direction within their range of motion) in addition to moving up and down the brake caliper, it is a good idea to look at the brakes with the tires off to make sure they're really lined up equally.

This is also probably a great opportunity to install new brake pads. Many of the new pads come with little dimples on them that set the toe-in for you. That makes it super easy to set them up.

You just need to pay close attention to how the pads are installed, when you take them out and make sure you put the same number of washers inside the caliper as outside. Making the setup even on both sides is a good idea too.

It is a little hard to diagnose these problems without actually seeing the bike, but hopefully that is of some help to you.

Good luck.

Pete

[mtnbikerva1]

Soreback you may reach me mtnbikerva1atgeeeeeemaledotcom