Berge20

This is likely an idiots question, but instead of randomly tinkering, figured I'd check here first.

My bike mechanic skill level: Very Low to Tinkerer
My tools available: Many

Yesterday I took off my front wheel, popped the frame and wheel in the car and when I took it out, the front rim brake had closed to the point where I could not get the wheel back on. I've opened up the small brake lever (?) to the max (Ultegra 8000s) and can get the wheel on, but still much rubbing from the break pads. Both sides equally (or essentially equally). Clearly at some point in transit, something got jostled significantly to the point where things are different than the previously day/week/month. Where should I begin? Did I mess up the brake lever somehow that has reduced the base max break openings? Or is a cable slipping and tightening it automatically by chance?

Again, this is probably a basic as all heck fix, but just looking for direction. Tried to ride off some extra padding to make it good enough, but that was ugly (and if I'm not crazy, got slightly worse by the end)

curbtender

Check your cable housing and see if it came out of the stop.

SoSmellyAir

With reference to this picture:
Shimano Ultegra BR-R8000 Brake Caliper | Jenson USA

1. What you called the "small brake lever," are you referring to the cam (on the left of this picture) which can be opened to allow insertion and removal of the wheel? The one where two dots are lined up if fully closed?
2. Is the cable housing still fully inserted into the brake cable tension screw (at the top left of this picture)?
3. If yes to question #2 above, have you tried adjusting the brake cable tension screw (at the top left of this picture)?

Iride01 

I use to wonder about that. I too would take my wheel off and have no trouble with the rim brakes. Then putting it back on it wouldn't fit.

Then I realized that I was taking it off with a flat tire and putting it on with an inflated tire. Duh...

So then I knew to not inflate the tire until it was back on the bike. When I got a bike that had a release on the calipers to let them open up for tire changes, then I was in hog heaven and thought I and my bike were up town and spiffy

alcjphil

One thing that many inexperienced riders fail to do is to install the front wheel consistently. I have removed my front wheel hundreds of times in order to transport my bicycle in my car and the only time I had any trouble was when I failed to do this: Install the front wheel with the bike upright, then put weight onto the middle of the bars with the bike on the ground ensuring that the front wheel is in the same place as it was the last time I installed it. Move the quick release lever into the closed position to secure the axle in its proper position. If you don't do this the same way every time you risk having wheel out of position sometimes resulting in brake pad rub if the axle wasn't fully seated in the dropout

Berge20

Thank you both: I Ride, good tip for sure, and that's where I started to get the tire back on at all after a good five minutes of standing there like an idiot. However, the breaks are still (suddenly) too tight for the rim even once I got the entire unit back on. It's like their max width decreased by an admittedly but important small amount.

Phil, I will keep messing with that aspect of things. Appreciate the ideas.

Iride01 

If you or someone squeezed the brake pads together while the wheel was removed, there is a good chance that what curbtender said in post #2 is the issue.

Squeezing them might have pushed the cable housings out of the cable stops or barrel adjusters and that effectively shortens the cable till the housing ends get back where they should be.

So squeezing can break your brakes. Temporarily.... and yes you should see what I did there.... break vs brakes!

curbtender

It's ok to post a picture.

Charliekeet

Yeah, that would certainly help.
Need to see/check everything- all the way from the brake lever (check position of this - fully open?) to housing (as said, is it popped out) to cable end/barrel adjuster at top of brake, and quick release lever, and pads at rim, and the angle of the wheel, and even how fully the axle is seated/clamped in the dropouts to figure it out!

Berge20

Good call guys (as always), it had popped out of the housing right below the barrel adjuster so it was very hard to notice. All solved! Thanks everyone.