V-Brake clamps wheel and then won't open.
10-04-17, 06:27 AM
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V-Brake clamps wheel and then won't open.
Hi everyone, I'm having an issue with my rear V-Brake: when I squeeze it, it clamps tightly on the wheel, and then refuses to open back up. The cables are brand new, and slide easily through the housings. However, the bike was purchased used, so the Avid brake & pads may be very old - any ideas what might cause this? Perhaps I need new brake pads, or perhaps the long metal spring arms in the brake are worn and need replacing? Cheers for any guidance! Pictures attached.
10-04-17, 06:44 AM
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Check your brake pads to see if a lip has formed which is getting caught under the brake track causing the brake to hang up.
10-04-17, 06:45 AM
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Basic overhaul* (disassemble, clean, resemble)* of your V brakes should solve all your problems. Also replace your pads, they look pretty worn. Here's a good video.
Last edited by Coasterbrakefan; 10-04-17 at 07:08 AM.
10-04-17, 06:57 AM
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Well... The pads do look quite worn and do not appear to match the profile of the profile of the wheel. That should not affect things but it would be worthwhile replacing them.
There also seems to be a bit of rust about the place which will be of more concern.
I would suggest it would be good to take the levers off the frame and clean up both the mounting lugs and inside of the levers themselves and add some new grease. There is some discussion on a thread elsewhere about where to grease should go. Pull things apart as much as you can and slap some grease on anything that looks like it has to rotate about something else.
You might also check that the springs still have life left in them... the pictures do not show the LHS one but the RHS one appears to be located incorrectly. I would expect that it should not be sitting outside of the lever. Also it seems that the part that carries the adjustment screw on the RHS has a gap in it. That may or may not be intentional.
It looks like that in your case the part is metal but if it is plastic it is not unusual for such plastic to crack and mess up the operation of the brakes.
There also seems to be a bit of rust about the place which will be of more concern.
I would suggest it would be good to take the levers off the frame and clean up both the mounting lugs and inside of the levers themselves and add some new grease. There is some discussion on a thread elsewhere about where to grease should go. Pull things apart as much as you can and slap some grease on anything that looks like it has to rotate about something else.
You might also check that the springs still have life left in them... the pictures do not show the LHS one but the RHS one appears to be located incorrectly. I would expect that it should not be sitting outside of the lever. Also it seems that the part that carries the adjustment screw on the RHS has a gap in it. That may or may not be intentional.
It looks like that in your case the part is metal but if it is plastic it is not unusual for such plastic to crack and mess up the operation of the brakes.
10-04-17, 07:18 AM
#5
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Basic overhaul* (disassemble, clean, resemble)* of your V brakes should solve all your problems. Also replace your pads, they look pretty worn. Here's a good video.
https://youtu.be/XMa9UqY9obk
https://youtu.be/XMa9UqY9obk
10-04-17, 08:37 AM
#6
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Cables and housing.. is there drag when you remove the cable loosening the clamping bolt on the brake.?
10-04-17, 08:53 AM
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Remove the brake arms from the posts and scotch bright the rust of the brake posts. Use a bit of grease on the posts when you put them back on. Also, you can bend the spring's to add more "springy" you don't need to replace them.
10-04-17, 10:43 AM
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If you pull the brake arms off you should find either a single hole in the post for the return spring or 3 of them. If you have 3 you can put the return spring back into the lowest one to increase the spring tension. Also, if you do need to bend the spring a bit think through which way to bend it a bit to give some more tension. I bent one of mine a few weeks back and I lost some of the spring tension. I realized I bent it the wrong way!
10-05-17, 02:50 PM
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Like dabac said, disengage the noodle from the brake arms and check the action of each brake arm. They should pivot freely and the return spring should nudge it away from the rim. If the pivots and springs do what they're supposed to do with the cable disengaged, then the problem likely lies with the cable/housing or maybe even the lever.
