hi all. i just installed a new side-pull front brake on my fixer-upper bicycle. however, i am having some difficulty with it. i am using a Dia-Comp lever, which is attached to a bull-horn style headset. my problem is that it takes a lot of pulling to engage the brake and have the brake pads connect to the wheel. so much so that the brake lever hits the handle bar without both pads making contact to the wheel. as a result, a non-functioning front brake.

what is the best way to resolve this issue? should i be trying a different style of brake? i need something that does not require a lot of "pulling distance" in order to press into the braking surface of the wheel. thank you in advance

Have you adjusted the brakes correctly, and is the release closed? Take a good look at this video....


https://bicycletutor.com/sidepull-caliper-brakes/

see Parktools.com on brakes adjustment.

How close are the brake pads to the rim when you release the brake lever?

I assume you're taking up the cable slack and have minimum clearance between the shoes and rim when open. If not it's a simple matter of pulling up cable, while holding the shoes close to the rim.

Otherwise you probably mixed generations or brands of levers and calipers.

For years most brakes had similar leverage factors and likewise most of levers, so mixing was rarely an issue. Today, with old side pulls, dual pivot modern side pulls, cantis, and V-brakes, the relative movement of the shoes for a given amount of cable movement is all over the boards.

You've identified your problem correctly, you need either more responsive calipers, or a lever that pulls more cable. It's just a matter of asking about compatibility and matching both elements.

i had seen this video before, but taking your advice, i took a good look at it again, and i found my problem. my caliper does not have a quick release on it, but it does have a hollow screw (?) that the cable passes through and a nut. i found that by increasing the distance between the nut and the top of this hollow screw (by backing the screw out and securing it in place with the nut), i could take up even more slack and have the lever engage the cable more effectively. after some adjustments, my brake pads now engage the rim with a lot more force.

thank you for all of your advice. one more question though: are there different levers that can pull more cable than others? thank you all again.

Sounds like you still need to take slack out of the cable....... (THE HOLLOW SCREW IS THE BARREL ADJUSTER).....

Screw the barrel adjuster all the way back in then back it out two or three turns, and break the cable pinch bolt loose. Now squeeze the two brake pads together so they both contact the rim while at the same time pulling all the slack cable through the pinch bolt and tighten. At this point the pads should be touching the rim or very close. Now you can turn the barrel adjuster in to move the pads away from the rim and get a good brake adjustment.

Yup. Basically there's V-brake levers and otherwise. V-brake levers pull twice the amount of cable. Most (but not all) road style levers are otherwise.

that got it. thank you so much!!