Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Centering side-pull brakes

Do you have trouble in centering side-pull brakes? Here’s a simple little trick that I have always used. First, tighten the brake; don’t worry too much about centering the brake pads at this stage.


With a flat punch, (An old bolt or ¼ inch socket extension works well.) and a small hammer, tap on the top of the brake spring as shown below. Tap on the right or left side, moving the pads in the direction they need to go to center.


Make sure your brake cable housing is not too long, or too short, or it will constantly push or pull you brake pads off center.


3 comments:

VintageSpin said...

Simple, effective and really the best way to center blocks, especially the front brake, as you can't get a spanner on without removing the front wheel (unlike the back brake).

Timmy Mac said...

Jesus god! Brilliant! I wish I'd found this page about 2 hours of brake fussin' ago!

Anonymous said...

Excellent! I was just getting ready to do this on an older bike I have in the garage, but was remembering the last time I was fussing with it. Thanks!