Can I fix this without buying a new fork?

Jamey

You know that pin on V-brake arms, the one that can go into three possible holes on the mount depending on how hight you want the tension to be? Well one of my brake arms had all but seized up and in an effort to try to get it moving again I put it in the highest-tension hole (the top one) and tried to jiggle it about.

I now regret this because not only have I bent the pin but I've put a gouge in the hole.

Here's a crap diagram to try to explain what I mean...



Does that makes sense or do you need me to explain further? The gouge is mostly at the entrance to the hole, it doesn't seem to extend the whole way down it.

So... I know I'm an idiot, my question now is whether this is fixable without having to buy an entire new fork?

I might get lucky and be able to live with lower tensions (the replacement brake arm I've got in there at the moment seems to be holding out, despite being in the top hole) but I want to ask just in case, and so I know for future.

redvee

You need to remove the brake from the boss and clean it up with a bit of wet n dry and likewise on the inside of the brake arm then grease them both before reassembly. The middle hole is the favoured on for tension on the brakes.

whyamihere

The middle tension setting is generally fine with decent brakes. Many forks only have the middle hole.
For fixing, what material is it? If it's steel, it could be fixed, but it will be tricky and probably not worth it. If it's anything else, it's definitely not worth it.

Jamey

In this instance, the middle hole wasn't enough.

I fitted new Kool Stop Salmon blocks (the all-in-one version, because nowhere had the inserts in stock) today and with new pads the clearance needed to be greater, so even with the tension screw as tight as possible the middle hole wouldn't pull the pad back from the rim.

Redvee - I cleaned the brake arms completely today (ultrasonic cleaner) and greased the bosses before installing, but as you probably know, the arms don't actually rotate on the boss, they rotate on the cylinder/barrel section at the bottom of the brake arm and that was (and still is) seized solid to the rest of the arm assembly.

To pick up on whyamihere's first sentence - what would you recommend for replacement V-brakes, then? These ones were the stock ones that came with the bike and while I'm not entirely surprised they've begun to seize after a few months I didn't really think there was much to go wrong on V-brakes. Do more expensive models repel dirt better somehow? If so how?

And is that parallel push gubbins worth buying? I've seen people say the XT version doesn't work and causes excessive brake squeal. Is that true?

Steve Kish

I have a pair of XT V-brakes and I just bend the return springs south to increase the tension -seems to work!

nicklouse

old XT´s were noisy but when they took on the lower models link they were fine.

But the parrel link has gon now from the lower sets,

I still rate it.

Avid also do a similar idea the arch rival.

what were the old arms?

Jamey

Do your XT V-brakes have parallel push? Is it worth bothering with?

Edit: Nick replied at the same time as me, it seems.

Nick - the old arms were the stock ones that came on the bike, Tektro, I think but don't know the model.