Any help for a diy competent dad here – I've just got no experience with bikes. As the video shows, one brake pad sizes against the rim when the handle is engaged. What am I tightening/loosening/shifting?
Kids Xmas bike help. Brakes seizing when pulled
byu/CaptainSkrull inbikewrench
by CaptainSkrull
5 Comments
https://preview.redd.it/98k8v8f1e28e1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=01fcde241694937896787e9336183429ea3eb066
All advice is appreciated. Extra photo if anyone needs to circle a certain bolt. The bike seems to be in good condition otherwise, so I doubt it’s anything meaning it needs extensive maintenance.
Typically, this style of break has a “return spring”. You can actually see a little bit of it in the video that you posted:
https://preview.redd.it/93kny14ue28e1.png?width=351&format=png&auto=webp&s=e0eba1049228adefbd5a2d03718e4df9b7ed49f1
From the video, it looks to me like that spring isn’t pushing back out hard enough to re-separate the brake pads from the wheel.
You can probably pull that spring out (be careful to note *how* it fit in before you do so); if you take it out and pre-bend it gently, you can re-set it so that it’s a little wider than it is now. Then fit the spring back in place.
[Park Tool has a video about side pull brakes](https://youtu.be/UOrIVc5lG-k?feature=shared) which could be helpful. My gut says it’s a centering issue
[https://www.parktool.com/en-us/blog/repair-help/sidepull-brake-service](https://www.parktool.com/en-us/blog/repair-help/sidepull-brake-service)
To put it plainly, it is a very low quality brake with a weak spring. The spring doesn’t have enough strength to consistently work correctly.
In these situations, you can try different angles with the actual brake pad to see if a different angle hangs up less on the rim. You can also try to align the brake off center so the spring tension will favor the side that is getting stuck.
As a last resort, remove the front brake if the bike has a good working rear brake.
Happy holidays.