aka Tom Reingold
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,583
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
Mentioned: 513 Post(s)
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You've done really nice work on this bike.
There are tricks to adjusting this type of brake caliper. Make sure there is a bit of oil between the return spring and the caliper arms. A bit of friction will make it work asymmetrically. But the most common cause is unequal spring force. Back in the day, I had a technique to equalize it, and I have not found a video that demonstrates it. I've been meaning to make one. You can't loosen the attachment nut, reposition the caliper, and re-tighten the nut. The unequal spring forces will almost surely take over.
My technique is to determine which side is a bit too strong. Place the back end of an adjustable wrench at the top of the spring near the center bolt. Bang on the wrench with a hammer.