I'm getting very frustrated with my C&V rides at the moment and much of it is related to the sidepull brakes.

All of my bikes have them and they will.not.stay.centred no matter what I do. What happens is they end up rubbing after I use them once. Grr. My Superbe is the worst offender - those brakes have to be the worst design ever. I tighten the nut a LOT, but I seems as though the system is rather imperfect (fitted metal washer-thing against head tube) as it allows for some degree of working. I am dreaming up solutions such as some sort of non-slip washer (shelf liner? ) between the frame and the brake. Is this hare-brained?

Right now, all I can do is have the cable adjusted very loose, which is pretty awful. I actually dreamed of canti brakes the other night and am seriously thinking that I should get some sort of everyday bike that has them.

Halp!

you're doing it wrong.

??

Care to enlighten us?

Sounds like some adjustments are not correct. Especially if all of your sidepull brakes are jacked on all your bikes.

It's easier if you can get a 2nd person to help you. They can pinch the calipers tight against the rim, ensuring they're centered and tight, while you tighten down the nut. Then you can back off the calipers with the adjuster. That's how I do it, anyway.

You need to install a star brake washer between the caliper and the frame, or adapter. Also need the park brake caliper tool to hold it in position while you tighten the nut. One trick I've used is after you center the brake, remove the wheel, accuate the brake just to see if both arms move together as they should. They both should squeeze and release the same, if not the brake cable housing could be too long or too short.

Star washer.



Park tool brake wrench, OBW-3



https://www.parktool.com/product/offs...e-wrench-obw-3

I agree with illwafer that it's a matter of technique. I've never had an issue getting sidepulls to stay centered, not even with cheap ones.

The brake wrench is the key, just tightening the fixing nut without holding the caliper in alignment is hit-or-miss at best.

I just got the OBW-3 from my LBS. Ten bucks well spent. Highly recommended.

The PArk Tool brake wrench is a big help on some of them - but it will not fit some calipers due to tight clearances.
In those cases you can try budging the the pivot by whacking down on the spring with a drift - this often works if you can calibrate your arm well enough.
There are also a variety of third hand tools available (if a second person isn't) - This definitely makes centering a caliper much easier.
With the right method and tools, it is possible to center almost any side-pull caliper.

PS +1 to Michael Angelo's advice on the import of getting the brake housing to just kiss the adjuster w/o pushing or pulling.
Also I want to try his star washer idea for myself.

Ooo, that wrench would mean I wouldn't have to ask my girlfriend for help every time, eh? Cool.

i sidepulls

Most better quality sidepulls should be easier to keep centered because they usually have much better pivot designs that have smoother action. and will return to center better than cheaper made sidepulls with crude pivot bearing designs. I never owned Superbe sidepulls, but I would be surprised if I cannot keep it centered on a bike. All my sidepulls since the 80's were no problem when it comes to keeping them centered. Also check your brake cable routing and make sure that the sterring action on the front end does ot pull on thern too much which could also pull your calipers off center.

Chombi

The Campy star washer at a $1.00 each is the single best value item Campy makes. All my problems with centering brakes disappeared when I started using them between frame/fork and the caliper. They really lock and hold position without over tightening.

Worth every penny.

J

No problems with my superbes but if you are using a super stiff outer cable like Jagwire sometimes you will find that it actually pushes down on the brakes making them go to one side. Getting the length/loop right doesnt always work so just use something on the handlebar to hold up/pull/push the cable in the right direction.

Rebuild them if you haven't already, there are alot of sufaces contacting each other which can cause problems if they are not clean.

Got a link?

After centering and tightening the pivot bolt correctly. A drop of light oil where the spring contacts the caliper arms, and as mentioned before a sharp whack to the top of the spring opposite the side that is rubbing with a brass drift and hammer.

rookgirl, if you're lucky some of your brakes will have wrench flats on that part that the bolt and the spring go through. If they do you can use cone wrenches to get on that while you tighten bolt. Usually 14 or 15mm.

I just got a bike that doesn't have wrench flats on that part - I gotta get one of those OBW-3s. Or maybe just some different brakes...

When the brakes don't have wrench flats, another trick is to remove the wheel and over-correct as you are tightening the bolt. Pull and release a couple, times, put back the wheel and adjust.

tap the spring with a screw driver and it will stay canter, but not always. I have never had issues with Superb. forget the third hand tool, unless you want it. Use an old toe strap. I think there is a nut you can hold while tightening the bolt to make it center. Its a very adjustment, you may be doing it wrong.

Centering it and tightening the nut won't work. That's because the brake and fork already have a preferred position that they've carved into each other. You can't see the notches because they so small.

Whack one spring, as described above. Most of the time, this doesn't weaken the spring; it rotates the whole caliper, allowing new tiny notches. And if it does weaken the spring, that's ok, too.

Do oil the spring where it meets the arms.

Sidepulls are really an excellent design. Once you get the hang of it, they're easy to maintain.

Most of the techniques above won't work. You can't loosen the nut and reposition and tighten the nut.

My older bikes with 1st gen Dura Ace or Campy Nuovo Record sidepulls have star washers, and the brakes stay put once I get them set and get the cable housings correct. Somehow I had a few spares stars that went onto the DuraAces, but my recollection is that they are Campy parts and were provided with the Nuovo Record and Super Record brakes as new. It's a great recommendation, but I can't say I've seen them sold other than as Campy parts.

Excellent point, I've found this to be critical. If the spring doesn't slide smoothly against the caliper, the added drag will bias how the applied inner/outer cable force results in caliper motion - it has to be balanced!

My LBS sells those star washers, If I only need a few. I usually get them for free.