A couple of (what may be stupid) questions!?!

Haven't been on here for a while due to relatively trouble free cycling, however the bike has started to have a couple of little niggles with it: -

1) The brakes seem dire - I have had a fiddle with them, trying to adjust them, and replaced the pads on the rear brakes, but to no avail. They are 'Weinmann 610 for Raleigh' centre pull cantilevers - are there any tricks I am missing, or are they just pains in the posterior to get to work! Also the rear brake has ceased to work - you pull on the lever and it doesn't engage and sticks. The cable is new and snag free - was working about a week ago, but then not now!

2) I keep on getting punctures on the front wheel, and the side wall of the tyre keeps on collapsing as a result - get off as soon as I feel a flat, but still there is a massive gash in it - replaced the tyre about a fortnight ago only for it to happen again this morning - all was perfectly fine, then it went down very quickly and I jumped off in a couple of feet, but still a hole in sidewall! am I pumping the tyres up to much, or not enough (pump to about 70-80psi when it says pump to 90psi max on the tyre)

The tyres I am using say that they are suitable for road/commuting - are they suitable for using on the towpath (Kennet and Avon near Bath) also read the thread about punctures and the debate on high/low pressure in tyres - what should I do to ride on these routes - pump it up or let it down?

any help appreciated, and apologies for coming across as a complete dullard - I am good at fixing punctures, and usually quite good at working on brakes, but feel a bit stumped on this!

Cheers
Sam

You may have kinked the cable.

I have some centerpull Mafacs and Dia-Compes, and a set marked "610" but the logo fell off. The pivots are bolts. They must not be overtightened. They also have bushings around the bolts, which the caliper arms and springs ride on; these must not be left out. Make sure the return springs are pushing the calipers open.

maybe one of your cable housing clamps has come loose. it is especially important with centerpulls to have the cable end firmly supported.

I would recommend going to sheldonbrown.com or maybe getting a book on bike repair from the library. It's much better to simply see how things are supposed to look.

If it is an old bike I hope you are not trying to get by on an old supply of dry rotted tires and tubes. Your rim strip may be dry rotted too, damaged, or incorrectly located too. If that goes, you'll have nothing but flats.

The grease in the hubs and bottom bracket of an old bike tends to separate and creep out, leaving a dusty stain. (mostly if the bike has sat unused, I think.) What is left behind is so thick that the bearings can just squish it out of the way and it can't flow back. I would recommend oiling. Don't disassemble the axles or bb until you learn how to adjust bearings.

I reckon there is a really good chance that the bike has its original cable housing ... and, if so, that the cable housing is possibly/probably collapsing when you squeeze the brake lever.

Replace ALL of the housing because some of the housing that Raleigh used way-back-when wasn't as good as some other cable housing that was-and-is available (e.g., Japanese [and, Campagnolo's] cable of the same vintage had a coiled metal inner 'layer') whereas some of that Raleigh housing was just bound to fail after a few decades.

When all else fails, consider a pair of GREENTYREs (http://www.greentyre.co.uk/).

The the locking bolt for the brake pad can slide up or down a slot, as well as set the angle of the brake pad post in all directions. They are tricky to set and there is little leeway between rubbing the tire on the way to gripping the rim, and slipping off the rim on the spoke side. Sounds like both are happening to you, the pads are hitting the tire and slipping off the rim.

Try lowering the bolts in the slots so that the brake pad posts are pointing slightly upwards towards the rim when the lever is relaxed, and are square on or slightly upwards when gripping the rim. Watch how the pads travel when you squeeze and relax the lever.