ricecrispies

Yesterday I replaced the front brake lever on my bike. Since then the V-brake no longer works as it did before. It is tending to stick (not release) on the right-hand side. Adjusting the adjustment screws doesn't solve the problem. I have tried removing the brake arms and cleaning them as best I could (although I don't actually know how to clean inside them properly), as well as cleaning the cylinders that the arms are attached to, and then greasing the cylinders, but that hasn't worked. I have tried putting oil into the contact surfaces in the arms themselves. I have oiled the cable. However the arm still sticks most of the time (occasionally however it does return properly after pulling the brake lever). I have had this problem from time to time before, and the brake arms are around 10 years old, but it has never stuck quite as obstinately as it is doing now. I don't understand how changing the brake lever could have made this problem worse.

tomtomtom123

Can't tell without seeing any photos. You should post photos. Rule number one.

Unhook the cable at the arms. Do both arms spring open? If not, then something is wrong with the arm, pivot, or spring.

If yes then Hook it back in. Did you adjust the screw in the correct direction? On the left arm, loosen the screw counterclockwise to get it to move closer to the rim, which reduces the spring tension. On the right arm, tighten the screw clockwise to add tension.

did the new lever have the same cable end position as the old lever? The new position might affect the entry angle of the noodle, which would affect the balance of the arms.

2old

Other possibility (FME, although shouldn't have been affected by the change you made) is the pad not releasing from the rim because of its orientation as it contacts the rim or pad wear causing a "lip" to form. Usually this can be resolved by adjustment, filing the pad or replacing the pads.

dsbrantjr

Since the brake presumably worked OK before you replaced the lever something has changed, I would look at the lever end of the cable for free movement and lack of fraying. As stated above the cable may be in a different position now and a frayed part is now sticking. Break the system down into smaller parts and check them individually. I would suggest removing the cable from the lever and checking it by pulling it. Do the brake arms move freely now? Disconnect the noodle from the brake, check the cable at both ends for fraying and reinstall the cable into the lever. Does the end move freely in the lever recess? Here are some other things to try: https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/q...-open-position

Andrew R Stewart 

And to add to this common cause is that when the wheel is turning the worn/lipped pad will often release from the rim but with the bike wheels stationary (as in a repair stand) the pads' wear will trap the pad against the rim. Once some relative movement between the pad and rim (as in the wheel starts to turn) the pad can release.

So when looking at the bike (like during a repair) there's a brake rub but when riding there might not be. Of course for the low cost of replacement pads this is an easy fix. Also note that as the pads wear they also tend to contact the rim further toward the hub, and the rim's edge. As the pads wear they can begin to only contact the rim with a portion of their surface, thus a lip can form. neglect can be a harsh reality. Andy

andrewclaus

This is probably not a cause of your problem, but sometimes I see the wrong brake lever installed, a short pull instead of a long pull. Make sure the distance from the lever pivot to the cable end is the same as the other side, and it should be about 30 mm. Just a safety item to check. This sometimes happens when pulling old parts out of a bin at the co-op.

Wilfred Laurier

Double check that the wheel is straight in the fork and fully in the dropout. If you try to adjust the brakes with the wheel even a bit crooked it will drive you insane.

Tamiya

Did you try Releasing some tension from the Left side screw?


Also since you've removed/replaced the V arms from their pivot... did you put the tension spring peg back into the same hole equally on both sides? (There's usually choice of 3 holes available)

On occasion the spring peg breaks off; you'll need new arms then.

Miele Man

Also, check to be sure that the brake pad isn't catching on the tire. That's also a pretty common reason for a brake arm to not release.

An image would really help. One from the front that shoes the pad in contact with the rim and another with the pad aweay from the rim.

Cheers

ricecrispies

Thanks for all your replies.

In the end time seems to have resolved the problem. The day after I posted, the brake was working more or less properly. My guess (tell me if I'm wrong) is that it just needed some time for the oil that I had applied to the brake arms to penetrate to all the contact surfaces.