Originally Posted by
lajt
I got a used pair of Shimano 105 BR-1050 sidepull caliper brakes to try out. I have the matching brake levers too.
They work great, but I noticed that the front brake shoes are pretty dramatically offset from each other when viewed from the top.
I don't see any issue with the braking power. The rear brakes don't have this issue (the 2 brake shoes line up when viewed overhead).
What might cause this? One of the arms is slightly bent perhaps? Is it an issue that should be addressed? Or a common issue that can be lived with?
Front brakes can be bent if the fork swings around and the brake hits the frame. Could be the arm, could be the pivot bolt. At first glance I'd say the bolt is bent slightly to the left, but you'd really need to pull it apart to be sure. Yours doesn't look bad enough to worry about.