I have an issue with my wife’s Giant Escape’s rear v-brake. At some point, I removed the rear wheel which meant I had to release the brake. Upon re-assembly, the brake is pulling to one side. As you look ago the bike from the rear, the right side pad is dragging into the rim. Try as I may and try as I might, I cannot seem to get it aligned.
She’s making noises like she wants to get on the bike and I need to get this fixed. Am I missing something in the black art of v-brake setup?
Hard to say without seeing it but there are a couple of things to check
is the wheel in straight?
are all the cable housings and the noodle seated properly?
brake pads are tight and haven’t been knocked out of alignment?
there are usually spring adjustment screws on each brake you can turn them to get the brake centered. I have a bike with cheaper v brakes that has to be adjusted this way sometimes after removing a wheel.
At 12 o’clock around the bolt hole (in the picture) is a peg that belongs in a slot on the frame. If the bolt that holds the arm has backed out at all, or was loosened at some point, it could have popped out.
Everything is in place, the tension spring is where it should be, the arms spring freely, the cable looks correct. It’s just that the block/pad just rubs on the rim when it’s all hooked up.
Very strange…I might need to take it to the shop and haven them look at it.
If the brake has tension adjustment, increase the spring tension on the side that is rubbing, shimano brakes usually have a small allen screw that increases tension, avid v-brakes sometimes need the mounting bolt loosened and turn the spring adjuster with a wrench, then re-tighten the mounting bolt.
Or, if you are lazy and want a quick fix, pop the spring out from behind the pin it pushes on on the brake arm and bend it out a bit, increasing the tension it puts on that side.
So I took another look tonight. I adjusted the tension wiith the little Phillips head screw on the base of the spring. That seems to have helped, if not completely fixed the issue.
