Close Menu
    Bike Repair

    Is this rear rim brake broken, or does it just need lubricant?

    Share.
    View 12 Comments

    12 Comments

    2. ThatWayneO on

      That spring looks a little uncoiled in my opinion but that squeaking noise speaks to some friction otherwise. I’d compare it to the front one and see how they differ.

      Pull it from the frame and just soak all the pivot points in lube. See what happens. Triflow is my fave but you could probably just soak it in WD-40 to see if that helps if you don’t have anything else.

    4. 8spd on

      The spring is visible, inspect it for damage.

      If it’s ok, it could be excess friction on the brake pivots or on the cable. 

    6. anabolic_beard on

      Had a similar issue with my rim brakes. 

      Took apart and degreased with wd-40, cleaned them up and the lubricated and put back together, works great now

    7. SidHoices on

      Thanks everyone! Removed the caliper, cleaned it up, greased it, and it’s working well now! My girlfriend will appreciate being able to bike to work again lol

    9. Greedy_Pomegranate14 on

      I’d certainly try lube first. I’ve saved quite a few stiff calipers with a couple drops of tri flow.

    10. SampleProfessional33 on

      Could be a couple things. First, remove the cable completely from the brake. Then check the brake. Squeeze the brake together and see if it fully returns or expands. If it does, then you need to lube all the pivots on the brake. If the brake returns fine, then you have rust or a kink somewhere in your cable or housing. So, try to slide the cable through the rear piece of housing, then the front piece of housing. That will tell you if you need new brake cable and or housing.

    Leave A Reply