Brake lever doesn't snap back after release.
04-25-18, 01:41 PM
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Brake lever doesn't snap back after release.
A few days ago when servicing my rear tire, a brake pad fell out of my Hayes MX5 TEKTRO brakes.
I took off the wheel, took off the brake itself and put the pad back in. I put the cable where it's supposed to go, the brake on the bike and the wheel back on. Now everything seemed fine, until I tested the brake.
After braking, the lever doesn't snap back into place. I can easily push it back in again while also pushing in the brake wire back into place (kind of difficult to explain over text tbh).
What should I do? It worked great before doing this, I hope that I didn't mess the thing up.
I took off the wheel, took off the brake itself and put the pad back in. I put the cable where it's supposed to go, the brake on the bike and the wheel back on. Now everything seemed fine, until I tested the brake.
After braking, the lever doesn't snap back into place. I can easily push it back in again while also pushing in the brake wire back into place (kind of difficult to explain over text tbh).
What should I do? It worked great before doing this, I hope that I didn't mess the thing up.
04-25-18, 02:07 PM
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Sounds like a lost or broken return spring.
04-25-18, 02:36 PM
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Check out this tutorial
. It may help you to put it back the way it was before you worked on it. The return spring in my Avid BB7 brake is built into the actuator arm and I can't see how you could break it or lose it. If you undo the two fixing bolts that hold the brake in place you do need to realign the pads parallel to the disc. It is easy using a credit card between the disc and pad to get the alignment and spacing right. Just stick the card in place and gently squeeze the brake handle. Tighten the bolts, remove the card, and you are ready to go.
04-26-18, 09:45 AM
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Alright, little update: I found a piece of wire that I don't really think should be bent.
I am pretty sure that this is the cause of my problem, because sometimes the lever does snap back really slowly (like over the course of 10 seconds) and sometimes it sticks to a certain point and I have to push it back.
Should I buy a new wire? Or is there something I can do about this one?
I am pretty sure that this is the cause of my problem, because sometimes the lever does snap back really slowly (like over the course of 10 seconds) and sometimes it sticks to a certain point and I have to push it back.
Should I buy a new wire? Or is there something I can do about this one?
04-26-18, 09:49 AM
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That is your brake cable. I would take the brake apart and with pliers straighten the cable. It seems it was bent by your repair. See if you can straighten it, if not, then a new cable is needed.
04-26-18, 09:50 AM
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Reach in with needle nose pliers and straighten the cable the best you can. If that fixes it, replace the cable later at your convenience.
