moxfyre

I'm re-installing some Dia-Compe sidepull brakes after cleaning them, and realized I don't know exactly how to do this since I've never owned a road bike before :-)

They have a longish bar with a threaded end that goes through the brake bridge, and a sort of hex head nut which attaches to the far side, while a washer with star-shaped indentations goes on the same side as the calipers. My question is, how hard do I want to tighten up the hex nut that holds the brake on? I tightened it and the aluminum frame made a slight creaking noise, so I backed off. Is this from the washer biting into the metal?

Any tips/links on how to install sidepulls? Sheldon Brown doesn't have a page on it, so I'm at a loss...

H23

Look on the park tools website. It does not have to be super tight. Don't obsess about it if the sidepulls are not perfectly centered, that does not affect performance.