Armstrong to Ride in Tour De France Again - Page 10 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

02-27-2005, 07:40 PM

x-no-archive: Yes

thank you for your explanation. i ended up paying a bike store to do it
right. given my ineptitude, if i followed your instructions, i would
have done damage. i could not see the screw you were describing. all i
saw was the wire going down the center and beside the left front brake
shoe. there was also a fat little barrel that may have contained the
spring you were talking about, but i was afraid to ruin things. my
experience has been that i ruin things.

thanks though.

i hate being inept and not having someone skilled show me how to do it
right.

aotearoa706 wrote:
> Hi,
> You have 'cantilever brakes' on that bike.
>
> To re-center the brake is quite simple.
> on the side of the brake is a small screw. It may have a screwdriver
head or
> it may have a 2.5mm or 3mm hex head (allen key).
> The screw may be on one side of the brake or on both sides depending
on the
> brand.
> Simply screw in the screw on the side of the brake that's rubbing or
unscrew
> the screw on the side that is not rubbing (or both). This adjusts the
spring
> tension on the brake and balances the braking. Adjust the screw(s)
about 2
> complete turn at a time and squeeze the brake lever 4-5 times to see
if it
> needs more adjusting.
> This should fix your problem.
> Good Luck!
> Jason
> <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
> news:1108851688.091763.214950@f14g2000cwb.googlegr oups.com...
> > i've got a used mongoose sycamore with (i think) side pull brakes.
the
> > brake cable goes down the middle but emerges beside the left brake
shoe
> > on the front.
> >
> > my problem is that i when apply the front brake, the left brake
shoe --
> > the one nearer the cable -- stays. i have loosened and retightened
the
> > appropriate bolt while holding the shoes in what would be proper
> > position, but doing so doesn't help.
> >
> > what's up? very frustrating to see the shoe just lying there.
thanks.
> >