brakes really tight Fix it, repair it, how do I do it, what's the best part to use, and now: how do I get there?

[Monie]

Ok I just cant leave well enough alone.

I switched the front brakes from the Terry to the Fuji at the wrench party. Then last night I was all excited to play with what I learned and having mismatched brakes was driving me batty.

So I started to take my back brakes off the terry and the center bolt was super tight to get off. Not just the first rotation till it loosened but the whole time I was unscrewing it. I assumed it was al gunked up and not lubed so I throughly took it apart, cleaned and lubed.

I put them onto the Fuji. Still hella hard to get on. When I finally got the center bolt tight enough so the brakes dont flop to the left or right. Then it is so tight the arms wont move at all.

Any ideas oh wise ones?

[joeball]

A couple of things:
Do you have a nylock nut for this brake?

These help prevent nuts from loosening so that even after you back it off it is still too hard to take off with just your fingers but I would never say it feels hella tight to get off.

A less desirable issue could be that the bolt/nut was cross threaded at one point.


Now that you have moved the brake and re-tightened the hella tight nut you are half way there (whooa livin on a prayer). If you have older side pull brakes (i think you do). Then you need another little wrench to adjust how tight the caliper arms are. Park Tool goes into the details here of re-centering side pulls but it also applies to adjusting how tight the brakes are. The nut on the back is tightened onto the bolt running through the whole brake (it is threaded on both ends). Tightening it pinches the frame, you want this tight, The front nut is threaded onto the other side of the bolt running through the brake and controls how tight the calipers arms feel (ie wether it is loose enought to let the caliper arms spring open and closed). Clear as mud?

[lantius]

i know wrench parties get all the love but i'll be at the bike shack (55th & 9th NE) from noonish - 230 on sunday.

i can show you how to get those things workin'.

[Alex]

[Monie]

[derrickito]

[Monie]

[Monie]