Making space for tire on old Shimano 105 road brake
 

Hi, so I have a 1986 Bianchi that has a full 105 groupset on it, the only problem is that the tires I'd like to run on it (700cX28) are running into the brake. I'm only running into this problem on the rear wheel and it doesn't hit the frame in any way, so I am just wondering if there is a way to adjust these or something to allow the tire to come through.

don't worry I haven't tried to ride it like this I don't want to ruin my new tires...

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...fc594ebd1e.jpg
here's a photo

You can get weird, but I would bet that the easiest solution is to get a different brake. Should be cheap to find something like a used Ultegra 6600 on eBay or your local bike co-op. Pretty sure all the more modern 9/10 era stuff anticipated the brake hole being closer to the tire, so the caliper tried harder to stay out of the way. Plus, they went to dual caliper, which offers more room. Some Campy levers in particular seem to stay high up by the brake bridge, but they usually cost more.

If you want to go the strange route, you could just grab the brake and bend the mounting bolt up, then readjust the pads. Or take your half-round bastard file and file away like a bastard. Think those are bad ideas -- wait until someone talks about rebrazing the brake bridge.

I do not know where you live, but when you try those tires when it is warm/hot outside the problem will get much worse. I do not think you have an option other than to use narrower tires. Wider tires also have a higher profile from the wheel. As the tire and the air heat up they expand. Hence, you do not have the clearance for that size tire. Maybe someone that knows more than me can give you a suggestion. I have a couple of rode bikes that I can use 28s on when it is cold, but as soon as it warms up, maybe into the low 60's, no longer have clearance.

Put a thick spacer/washer between the caliper and brake stay. This will slightly angle the caliper up and away from the tire. Experiment with stacking plain washers until you get the right thickness that works and then buy the proper thickness spacer. Most bike shops have them or places like this as an example should have what you need. AluminumSpacers.com

Several good suggestions here.

How close are you?

If all else fails, you might be able to file 1mm (1/16") off of the bottom of the brake calipers.

If you enjoy actually riding bikes, you might look into getting a modern road bike with disc brakes. LOTS of room for bigger tires.

^ heresy!! :D

But yeah, this was an era where 25mm was pushing what Bianchi expected people to put on their road bikes if they were at all serious. My 1988 Premio will take 700x28 tires only if the wheels are perfectly true, and even then the front will buzz on the brake caliper during out of the saddle riding. They make great candidates for 650B conversion, though!

thanks for the input everyone. I think i'm just gonna try and grab some 25 mm tires... i don't really want to file off the brake caliper tbh so I think the smaller tire seems like the best way 2 go.

No need to file anything. Try my spacer suggestion in post #6 first. If you have some extra plain washers lying around try stacking them on the mounting bolt between the caliper and brake stay. An old, reliable trick.

Ugh I would but I think that the tire is too close to the bridge/mount anyway to turn. I also tried the method with adjusting the dropouts (easier because this bike had the little screws that allow you to set your wheel angle), but still wasn't enough. Thanks