Adjust V brake pads to avoid rub but then pull brake lever &...

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Sweep
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Re: Adjust V brake pads to avoid rub but then pull brake lever &...

Post by Sweep »

NATURAL ANKLING wrote: 5 Oct 2021, 9:20am
You have noodles right?
Ideally these are rigid steel tubes, not the flexible type.
I did buy a flexible one (still in the spares box) as I thought it might help with something. Can you tell me what the issue is with them?
Sweep
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Sweep
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Re: Adjust V brake pads to avoid rub but then pull brake lever &...

Post by Sweep »

colin54 wrote: 5 Oct 2021, 8:15am It may also be worth your while to remove the arms and clean and grease the posts that they pivot on (you'll need a 5mm allen key for the pivot's screws).
Can I ask of you or others how often you do this/what type of grease you might use for this?
I have always had the idea that since it's a mucky area, grease might just attract lots of gunk, form a paste and make things worse. So have usually just left well alone.
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colin54
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Re: Adjust V brake pads to avoid rub but then pull brake lever &...

Post by colin54 »

Hi Sweep, I use Halfords Bike Hut Teflon Grease, it seems as good as anything and is not too sticky. The pivots do need lubrication or they will be prone to seizure/wear. I also occasionally give the pivots a squirt from outside with aerosol semi-fluid grease (Carlube 100+), if I'm cleaning the bike. I don't know if this actually penetrates, but they're always free and lubricated when I strip them. A bit of that from the front and rear of the bolts might be as good as anything, mind you don't get it on the rims or brake blocks tho'.
Edit; picture and text added.
I'm just by my bucket of lube at the moment, here's a picture of what I use.
The Shell Gaddus is a Brucey recommendation for cup and cone hub bearings, I've just used it in a loose ball headset I'm doing at the moment- very messy black stuff, chock full of additives- graphite etc. The Comma Copper Ease (Halfords) is the anti-seize stuff I'm using at the moment), it's meant for coating the back of brake pads, seems OK. The little grease gun came from Halfords and fits their Bike Hut grease tube, good for small measured amounts ( brake posts!).
I got the car lube 100+ and the Shell Gaddus off of ebay.
P1140990.JPG
You've probably already seen Brucey's treatise on grease (greatise ?) in the too good to lose section of the forum.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=121287
Good luck.
Last edited by colin54 on 8 Oct 2021, 10:01am, edited 5 times in total.
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Sweep
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Re: Adjust V brake pads to avoid rub but then pull brake lever &...

Post by Sweep »

colin54 wrote: 8 Oct 2021, 9:16am Hi sweep, I use Halfords Bike Hut Teflon Grease, it seems as good as any thing and is not too sticky, the pivots do need lubrication or they will be prone to seizure/wear.I also occasionally give the pivots a squirt from outside with aerosol semi-fluid grease (Carlube 100 ?), if I'm cleaning the bike. I don't know if this actually penetrates, but they're always free and lubricated when I strip them. A bit of that from the front and rear of the bolts might be as good as anything, mind you don't get it on the rims or brake blocks tho'.
thanks colin - will give them more attention in future.
Maybe strip and clean once a year on my bikes - most of them are V brakes - several self builds converted from basic Cantis.
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Adjust V brake pads to avoid rub but then pull brake lever &...

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
Sweep wrote: 8 Oct 2021, 8:27am
NATURAL ANKLING wrote: 5 Oct 2021, 9:20am
You have noodles right?
Ideally these are rigid steel tubes, not the flexible type.
I did buy a flexible one (still in the spares box) as I thought it might help with something. Can you tell me what the issue is with them?
I think I originally bought them for use on some other type of break.
But haven't use them at all because anything that moves or flexes on a break will make the break a little bit less effective.
They do the rigid noodles in plated steel and stainless.
I suppose it is possible that you might use them where a rigid needle will foul on something like the rear rack.
If the noodle does not deformed like a rigid one won't then it won't affect The run of the cable, i.e. the cable won't move around and misalign the brakes.
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Adjust V brake pads to avoid rub but then pull brake lever &...

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
Sweep wrote: 8 Oct 2021, 8:53am
colin54 wrote: 5 Oct 2021, 8:15am It may also be worth your while to remove the arms and clean and grease the posts that they pivot on (you'll need a 5mm allen key for the pivot's screws).
Can I ask of you or others how often you do this/what type of grease you might use for this?
I have always had the idea that since it's a mucky area, grease might just attract lots of gunk, form a paste and make things worse. So have usually just left well alone.
I think if you clean them and grease them when you get a bike/buy a new bike.
Because of the design the bits that need the grease and the bits that seize up Are hidden and covered.
So even in Winter conditions and mud the grease will stay there a long time.
But maintenance is preventive maintenance.
Disconnecting the cable arms so both arms are free to move out is relatively simple operation, (No tools necessary) and it's easy going to see if the break arms are nice and free.
I don't regard it as much of a job and if there's no problem I might do it once a year.

Like the old adage- Any oil is better than no oil.
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope
You'll Still Find Me At The Top Of A Hill
Please forgive the poor Grammar I blame it on my mobile and phat thinkers.
Choon
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Re: Adjust V brake pads to avoid rub but then pull brake lever &...

Post by Choon »

@pt1029 I think it was a bit of brown rust caused this one as well then (the mud was just outside I think). That difference in screw points was what happened to me too, I just thought vaguely that must be why they have the screws, and maybe wheel alignment or a springs just get weaker, now I know.

@NATURAL ANKLING I do need to be more consistent in maintenance, I didn't realise there was quite such a diff in road vs offroad. Thinking back, the brake arm problem may have originated when the bike was outside unused for a year.
Last edited by Choon on 20 Oct 2021, 8:06pm, edited 1 time in total.
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531colin
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Re: Adjust V brake pads to avoid rub but then pull brake lever &...

Post by 531colin »

All my bikes have flexible noodles......I think its the best way to achieve the sharp bend I have to make to use drop-bar levers on my bullbars.
I have never had a problem with them, and I like that you can see the spiral wound outer. I think the liner may be thicker than the liner in conventional spiral wound outer? I'm using Vee brakes or MTB BB7 disc calipers, no road pull stuff, no "compressionless" outer.

ImageIMG_5542 by 531colin, on Flickr

ImageIMG_5137 by 531colin, on Flickr

I have XT parallel push Vee brakes on 3 bikes.....theres lots of pivots, I simply apply a drop of oil to the outside of the pivots. My local tracks are sandy when its dry, so the brakes pick up a fair bit of dust...

ImageIMG_5544 by 531colin, on Flickr

The dust brushes off; the brakes seem to last OK with this lubrication, they stopped making them maybe 15 or 20 years ago? The brakes get an oiling if the bike gets soaked......rain all day, or filthy muddy tracks.....my bikes get one "wheels out" clean/service each year, other attention "as needed".
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