As the title says, the brake pads don’t go low enough to clear the tire(on both sides). The wheel itself is also tilted to the left no matter how often I tried to re-tighten the hub.
It’s a used bike so I don’t have much info apart from what I see for myself.
Any advice for what to do is greatly appreciated
by asdfkkngrf
3 Comments
You need long drop calipers. I suspect the previous owner has ‘upgraded’ the calipers because they thought it would give them more stopping power.
We can’t tell whether that wheel is even designed for that fork and brake combination. The simple fix is to install a compatible brake caliper (there are different designs) where the pads reach metal brake track.
>The wheel itself is also tilted to the left
Likely causes are a bent fork or improper dish of the wheel. Simple test: flip the wheel 180 degrees and install it that way; if wheel now tilts to the right, then you need to redish the wheel.
Ok let’s start with the wheel being not aligned – loosen the nuts on both sides, and remove the wheel. Check that the dropouts (parts of the fork with slots for the wheel) are straight, flat, and parallel to each other. Check that the axle of the wheel is not bent. Make sure that if there are conical springs inboard of the nuts, that the smaller end is on the inboard side (closer to the hub). Then, when reinstalling the wheel, do it with the bike right side up, and ensure the wheel is as deep in the dropouts as possible, evenly on both sides. Use the weight of the bike to help hold things in place as you tighten the nuts. Don’t do one side all at once, get both finger tight, then a turn on each side, then final tighten.
As far as the brakes it is very possible that you need long reach calipers. Maybe the previous owner needed new calipers and just bought something off of Amazon/Ali Express/whatever was cheapest without consulting the actual need? Potential other issues would be the wrong wheel size (there are older “27 inch” wheels that are similar to but larger than 700C wheels, but this is unlikely looking at the vintage of the bike).