How the hell do I adjust these old sidepulls?
 

RaleighSport has been trying to help me out via messaging, but I just am not getting this done correctly...

I cannot for the life of me get my rear sidepulls adjusted. The right pad wants to stay stuck to the wheel. So I tighten the cable. Then it's too tight. Loosen a tiny bit. Too loose. Tighten the nuts on the calipers' mounting bolt. Too tight.

What the hell do I do?

Leave the bolt that connects the caliper to the bike slightly looser than you normally would. That's the only way I've found to do it. These kind of brakes suck.

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-...-brake-service

probably helpful to start with this; also lots on u-tube, some good, some lame.

Brian

Take the cable off, take the brake off the bike, clean it, make sure that the springs are working and the action is in good order, the two nuts(acorn and regular) on the front adjust the action of the brake arms, now reinstall the brake on the frame and tighten it centered, reinstall the cable(clean and grease) and tighten it, if the brakes are rubbing on one side or the other use a hammer and flat screwdriver to center the pads on the rim by tapping the spring on the side that is further from the rim, lightly, make sure the cable isn't to tight to allow the rim to spin without hitting, leaving the brake-frame-lock nut loose will only allow the brakes to self adjust continually and lower the effieciency of the brakes should you have to make a panic stop. Some manufacturers machine the piece holding the springs so you can make the adjustment(side to side) with a spanner wrench, most don't hammer and screwdriver always work.

mine did that recently. ended up rotating the caliper so the pad would clear, good so far.

Raleigh steel caliper brakes are not that great. As stated take it off. I would unhook the springs and adjust the caliper so that it moved without friction and is not loose. then rebook the springs. Mount it on the bike. Reduce the cable adjuster to near minimum. adjust the cable and secure. If the caliper is too open then use the cable housing adjuster to get you to a good place. Mark the top of the brake mounting base (where the spring is trapped at the bolt) and tighten the brake fixing nut.There are a few ways to "center" the brake, by having a mark you can tell where you are and where you want to go. Tapping with a drift on one side of the caliper return spring can get you there, but you need a deft hand.

A serrated washer between the caliper and frame helps. Is your cable the proper length?

All else fails smack the "bow" of the spring on the opposite side with a hammer and screwdriver or small punch.

Aaron :)

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=260343

I use a pair of these on every brake installation and it is very helpful in holding center on calipers. I contend that it is one of the Campy parts that provides highest value for
money spent. These are the best.

http://partswashersbest.blogspot.com...-mounting.html

Also a touch of grease on the spring tip where it meets the caliper arm is essential.

J

I use wahoonc's method. Works every time.

I happen to like these brakes a lot. They stop as well as the best brakes on my other bikes, once I changed the shoes to Kool Stop. They don't work in the rain, but that's because this bike has steel rims. It's odd that so many people don't like these brakes but I like them so much.

This is how I do it. If it's good enough for Dave Moulton, it's good enough for me. http://davesbikeblog.blogspot.com/20...ll-brakes.html

+1.
With a lot of side-pulls, this is the only reliable way to do it. - And on some (like Weinmann 605's) even that doesn't work!

How is that used?

Why grease the spring?

And I may have my housing too long from the cable stay to the adjuster barrel. In goes up and over the seat stay bolt and bows a little. Will have to adjust that.

If the pad is still hugging the wheel even afte that, I should try "punching" the spring?

Hope to have time tomorrow.

I have several bikes with sidepulls and I actually like them better then my dual pivot brakes only because I can modulate the brake the better. Sidepulls are not crap, they will stop a bike just as fast if all conditions are the same as dual pivots.

Having used sidepull brakes for years and centering them, I too adopted the punch method years ago when someone showed me, and it works great. Never owned the Weinmann's so I can't answer if this method would work or not.

My Suntour Superbe brakes came with the washers like the Campy washer, but really any serrated washer will work, it's nothing magical that Campy does that a hardware serrated washer wouldn't do.

Just loosen the nut.

There is another way to do it beside punching it, but punching is faster. They use to make a device that you looped onto the nut of one brake pad then going through the spokes and loop the other end to the other nut on the pad and it would tightly close the brake pads against the rim. Then simply loosen the nut and it would self center then retighten, but it didn't always work perfectly so the punch would give the final touch.

The Park tool site is a good place to go for line by line instruction.

A Third Hand Tool , they were originally called . Very helpful for all brake work . So is a punch .

http://www.amazon.com/Avenir-94-27-4...hird+hand+tool

That? Only one I can find.

Nope and damned if I can find a picture of one. It is a wire tool that hooks over the brake pads on both sides and holds them together against the rim, while you adjust the cable. Dead simple, but not easy to replicate.

Aaron :)

Like This?

www.performancebike.com/reviews/performance/power/pwr/product-reviews/Tools/Bike-Tools-Workstands/Brake-Tools/PARK-TOOL/p/70__1408-Park-Tool-BT-5-Adjustable-Third-Hand-Brake-Tool.html

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=260411

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...1&d=1341768430

Nope this one was made out of spring steel wire, more like this one. Mine did not have the rubber grip.

Aaron :)

http://plentyofbikes.com/shop/images...800x600%5D.JPG

[QUOTE=wahoonc;14454174]Nope this one was made out of spring steel wire, more like this one. Mine did not have the rubber grip.

Aaron :)

And here is this guy showing several tools on a video.

http://forums.bicycletutor.com/thread-1226.html

FYI, the right caliper arm is tilted down, and the left is up in the air. The spring has smooth action and return, and the caliper is mounted to the frame correctly, if there's any other details and I can remember them from the messaging diagnosis feel free to ask.

Sometimes too much/too little cable housing behind the last frame eyelet can push/pull a brake to one side. With that said I had a set of Weinmanns on my 80 Super Course that defied all adjustment, and logic! Would touch on one side, then you'd hit the brakes, and it would touch on the other side. You could litterally take bets on which side would touch next. It would alternate. I finally ripped them off, and put on a set of the Dia Compe G copies that look identical. It's been working fine ever since.,,,,BD


And yes, I did tear them down, greased the pivots, spring seats, etc etc... Nothing solved the issue.

+1000

This is how we did it in my old bike shop days. We had an beat-up screwdriver that was ground off so the force of the hammer blow was spread out, kind of like an anvil in reverse.

I remember that tool, too. The closest analog I can find is the Park OBW-3: http://www.benscycle.net/index.php?m...roducts_id=721
(the Park site isn't responding to my pokes right now)

http://www.benscycle.net/bmz_cache/7...ge.600x181.jpg
The tabs on the left side grab the loops on the spring, allowing you to rotate the brake while the nuts are tight. It makes quick work of centering a sidepull.

THanks for the link. This worked great. I was wondering how to adjust older side pulls properly.

Pb

no that's a cable puller, this is what I was talking about: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bike-Bicycle...-/110668095430

That's the one, alright .
Looks like something someone could
fabricate themselves,
given time , talent , and tools