Bicycle Mechanics - rear v brakes???

I just put on some v brakes onto my frame and i noticed that since the rim is a little bit off-center, the right side brake has a longer distance to reach to hit the rim than the left side. I was wondering if this is a common/normal thing, and if so, what can i do to fix this problem? the bosses and holes and spring tension and brake shoe alignment have all been looked at. do i just have a whack frame or what???

Depending on the brake model you may have either a allen screw or phillips screw to adjust the side to side play. Back out the left side and screw in the right side in the same amounts say in half turn increments. Then to check it engage the brake, it works better when the rear wheel is rolling.

your rim might be off-center because the rear wheel might not be perfectly aligned in the dropouts.

By the way, whack is not the correct spelling. It is "wak". whack is like if you, say, you whack your hand on a railing. "wak" is like, "yo! that trail was waaak!" understand?

looks like the brake on the cog side of the wheel has more distance to travel, and so when i set up the brake both arms slant towards the non-cog side. i've played with the spring tension screw and now the brakes both engage but the entire assembly is slanted towards one side. took it to my lbs but the owner wasnt there and his son wanted to charge me $20 to take apart and put back together the brake and fix it. thats understandable but im not paying $20... it's not a problem with the brakes, i've tried two different sets already. maybe i can use spacers on the brakepad-posts so that the distance between rim and pad are the same on both sides?

It sounds as if either the wheel is not centered (dished) properly or the frame is out of alignment. Try reversing the wheel in the frame. If the wheel is now canted to the other side, then the wheel needs to be dished accurately. If the offset does not change sides, then the frame alignment will need to be checked.

I imagine that yes, you could temporarily get around the problem by using different spacer setups on each side so that you can adequately fine tune things by adjusting the spring tension.

However, the root problem should be addressed ASAP.

when you say align the frame, how do one go about doing that?

To check the alignment, remove the rear wheel, take the quick release and a long string. With the quick release, wrap the string around the headtube and back to each drop out. Place the string so it doesn't hit any of the seat stays or any other part of the frame. Use a micrometer or simpy a ruler, and measure the distance of the seat tube from each side of the string. These should be the same. If not, your frame is out of alignment.

To realign a frame: If it's aluminum, you better hope you have a warranty, because once it's out, you don't want to bend it back. If you don't have a warranty, you're SOL! Sorry dude!

If it's Titanium or steel, and you don't have a warranty, find a small custom builder in your area that will align it.

L8R

i think i am going to chuck the frame. it was that frame with the weld on the toptube anyway if anyone remembers my thread from before. actually on my other frame the rim/brake spacing isn't 100% even either, but it's a lot more manageable than on this particular frame. but thanks for the help guys

tFUnK

Yes indeed, I remember the chilling photo of the “surgically reconnected” frame. I believe the prevailing wisdom at the time was “Dude get over it, just forget the frame it’s not safe to ride”. Again I feel that many folks diligently alerted you to the liability of placing such a unit in service. Life and limb are too precious to risk on such an unknown. Please reconsider and permanently retire the unit before it has the opportunity to fail in service under load. Thank you...

true. i actually took it out last weekend to ride. it truly was a sweet, quick, light, responsive bike. for the type of light riding i do, i am bothered more by the unalignment of the frame than i am by the weld. nevertheless, that frame will go into the dumpster, to be replaced by either a cannondale caad3 frame or an access alu(from supergo).