Dia Compe Rim Brake Spring Creaks when Brake is Pressed
12-05-14, 11:00 AM
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Dia Compe Rim Brake Spring Creaks when Brake is Pressed
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Last edited by OldBikesRules; 12-28-14 at 06:09 PM.
12-05-14, 11:13 AM
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Hello, I need some advice. I have Dia Compe 500G side pull brakes on my vintage bike. The rear one works fine, but the front one emits a rather loud creaking sound from the spring rubbing against the calipers every time I pull the cable. I've already cleaned it and lubed the whole brake, but the annoying sound is still there. It also seems to be harder to pull vs the rear brake. Any thoughts? Thanks.
hold it in hand backside toward you and squeeze the lever and observe.
Look for scraping wear.
I am assuming you have adjusted the main pivot with the spring disengaged to observe smooth movement.
Be sure to grease the spring horns where the spring is retained by the arms.
There is excess friction in the system, so the task is to locate it.
Also check to see if there is grinding between the arms themselves, on the cheaper Dia-Compes, this was common, usually associated with one of the arms being bent due to the front end swinging around and the brake taking the load as it hit the frame or shift levers.
12-08-14, 10:40 AM
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If it bothers you enough, replace the caliper. 500G calipers or reasonable equivalents from Weinmann, etc. ought to be abundantly available. Otherwise, inexpensive and effective modern dual-pivot calipers are also available from e.g. Tektro.
12-08-14, 11:52 AM
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And if you're like me, you'll shock yourself with how well dual pivot brakes stop.
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12-08-14, 03:00 PM
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I know you're 105% sure it's the caliper, but lubricate the lever. Lube the pin that holds the cable and pivots against the handle. This may be the real source of the squeak.
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12-09-14, 06:21 AM
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Also flip the bike over and dribble some light oil into where the cable exits the threads on the adjuster. let it sit a few minutes, then flip the bike back upright.,,,,BD
12-09-14, 04:18 PM
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On some calipers, molded plastic "sleeves" cover the spring "horns" where the spring ends contact the arms. I've used the plastic tubing that covers exposed runs of cable, which slips right on and stops squeeks and creaks that originate here.
On my 1987 Motiv Defiant road bike with safety levers, I finally tracked down the creak to where the tang on the safety lever pulls down on the font edge of the main lever.
There's some flex-caused movement there between the two levers, so I took a toothpick and dabbed a speck of grease in there, which immediately smoothed things out.
Yet further from the OP's question, I took the bike off-road yesterday for almost two hours, crossing creeks, dodging rocks and skirting mud pits. Afterwards, the once-mottled braking surface on the rims was smoothed to perfection from all of the abrasion, and the new pads fully settled against the fresh surfaces. Braking has never been better.
Last edited by dddd; 12-09-14 at 04:28 PM.
