Are you positive that it is the brakes, and not wheel retention lips at the end of the forks that you are popping the wheel past? Some of the retention lips require the quick release to be unscrewed a lot after flipping the release lever. I have had up to 42 mm tires with V-brakes, and not had to fight them past the brakes after the noodle was released. If it really is a brake clearance problem, then either removing and replacing one pad (pain to fiddle with and get readjusted), or letting some air out of the tire so it can be squeezed enough to pass easily, than re-inflating might be a solution.
Originally Posted by
Pops1959
Have mercy on an oldster who's been out of touch with the technology and don't throw anything at me if this question seems dumb.... I'm basically coming back to cycling and a hiatus of more years than i care to admit, and sadly mind still looks for things to work they way they used to in the 70s. My problem is with wheel removal. In the old days one could just use the quick release on the brake, and the axel, and have wheel in hand in no time. On my new bike, a Specialized hybrid, after releasing the V brake, and the quick release on the axel, the wheel drops a bit and the tire (700c x 45) binds against the brake shoes. I can pop the wheel with the palm of my hand and force it through the brake shoes, but I fear that doing such too often will compromise the integrity of the brake shoe itself. Being that I just put a bike mount in my truck which uses a quick release type mount to secure the fork, I will be removing the wheel often. Is there a way to increase the spread of the V bakes so the wheel can be removed without binding? Sadly I must confess my last bike had good quality side pulls, so I am quite unfamiliar with V brakes. Any suggestions would be appreciated.