FordTrax

I picked up my grand daughters Specialized Expedition today. It seems to be in good shape - I don't think it was ridden much the rims have no brake wear and the crank and rear gears (I think this might be a freewheel) are excellent also. I am not very knowledgeable about V-Brakes, calipers and cantis I know. There are rubber "spacers" about 1/2" thick behind the brake arms. I tried to capture them in a couple of pictures. Which I will attach. What purpose do these spacers serve, I expected the brake arms to be against the brake mounts. Are these required because it is only a 15" frame or because they used very wide brake pads? They seem a bit spongy - so if they are necessary parts I might need to get new ones (the ones on the bike are 24 years old)? What are they called so I can order them when I order new tires?

They are visible between the frame and the brake arm on both the front and the back brake.

You can see them here - especially on the right side the black spacer.

bboy314

hard to tell anything from the pictures, but you might be referring to the plastic spring covers?

Yan 

What the other guy said. Those aren't spacers. They're a hollow plastic shell that contains the spring for the brake. That small screw sticking out of the shell is for adjusting the tension of the spring. That's how you balance the left right retraction of the two arms.

ScottCommutes

The above posters are 100% correct. These are pretty safe to take apart if you are interested - no tiny parts and nothing will go flying. There is a coil spring inside of the black rubber cover with two ends. One end engages a hole (choice of 3 usually) in the frame while the other engages the brake arm. It might perhaps be a good idea to degrease all the dried gunk from inside the cover and regrease, but certtainly not a high priority - it's only a spring.

choddo

That’s in very good condition for a 24 year old bike!

XxHaimBondxX

Brakes are soft because cables are loose, especially the rear one. Tires look alright, like new. Bike stored inside, I'm sure rubber is still soft. I wouldn't bother for casual neighborhood riding.