Avid Shorty centering screws

[David Ripton]

Just picked up a used touring bike with Avid Shorty 6 cantilevers.
It's missing 3 of the 4 screws which are used to adjust spring tension
and center the brakes.

One screw seems to be enough to center a brake, but zero is not. So
the rear brake is dragging on one side. I can loosen the rear brake
cable enough to make it stop dragging, but then it won't provide much
emergency stopping power.

Anyone know of a source for these centering screws? They seem a bit
smaller than the #4 screws at Home Depot, have a very fine thread
pitch, and take a 3mm allen wrench. (Though I'd be equally happy with
a different head, if the screw fit.) The LBS didn't have any (except
on brakes on bikes).

SRAM now owns Avid; anyone have experience with their support people on
small-parts issues?

Any non-awful way to center these brakes without the screw? There are
3 holes for the centering spring, but none of the combinations I tried
helped. I have a non-locking straddle cable yoke; perhaps one that
grabs the straddle cable would help? I could always deform the
springs, but that seems a last resort, right before buying a new brake.

Thanks.

 

[Eric]

I fought those screws over and over until I realized they were stripped
out. I got replacement parts directly from Avid, but I don't remember
if they were part of SRAM at the time or not. As I remember, they were
sent to me in a few days.

It turned out to be such a pain to replace the parts that I just got a
whole new brake, but I was a lot more impatent at the time.

Eric

 

[john]

David Ripton wrote:

>Just picked up a used touring bike with Avid Shorty 6 cantilevers.
>It's missing 3 of the 4 screws which are used to adjust spring tension
>and center the brakes.

Hi David

It's really not a big deal to find these setscrews. You are fortunate
to have one screw left. Find a LBS that has these screws. If you can't
find a LBS that has them, go to an Orchard Supply or other good
hardware store, in the metric section, find a nut that fits your one
screw. Note its size & find the screws that are the same size & length.
Screws in this small size range are often available in both black oxide
& Stainless Steel. Choose the finish that suites your esthetic taste.
I'd buy at least 8, & put the remainder away in a safe spot

The best hardware store in the Bay Area that I know of is Dales'
Hardware in Fremont, Ca. I'm sure they have small metric screws in both
finishes.

If you don't have it already, buy a tube of blue LocTite 242, to apply
to the threads so you don't lose any of the new screws. Due to lack of
tension on these screws, this is a perfect use of blue LocTite.

Odd this subject came up. I just finished, before I came online, blue
loctiting & torquing the screws on a SPD cleat.

Hope this helps, John

 

[john]

David Ripton wrote:

>Just picked up a used touring bike with Avid Shorty 6 cantilevers.
>It's missing 3 of the 4 screws which are used to adjust spring tension
>and center the brakes.

Hi David

It's really not a big deal to find these setscrews. You are fortunate
to have one screw left. Find a LBS that has these screws. If you can't
find a LBS that has them, go to an Orchard Supply or other good
hardware store, in the metric section, find a nut that fits your one
screw. Note its size & find the screws that are the same size & length.
Screws in this small size range are often available in both black oxide
& Stainless Steel. Choose the finish that suites your esthetic taste.
I'd buy at least 8, & put the remainder away in a safe spot

The best hardware store in the Bay Area that I know of is Dales'
Hardware in Fremont, Ca. I'm sure they have small metric screws in both
finishes.

If you don't have it already, buy a tube of blue LocTite 242, to apply
to the threads so you don't lose any of the new screws. Due to lack of
tension on these screws, this is a perfect use of blue LocTite.

Odd this subject came up. I just finished, before I came online, blue
loctiting & torquing the screws on a SPD cleat.

Hope this helps, John

 

[Tom]

You can find replacement screws at OSH.

But you don't need them. You can remove the straddle cable and then
loosen the mounting screw position the canti a little lower than it was
and retighten the mounting screw. You may have to repeat this several
times to get the tension balanced so that the canti's ride equally but
that's the proper way to set the tension in the first place.

 

[john]

Tom wrote:

>But you don't need them. You can remove the straddle cable and then
loosen the mounting screw position the canti a little lower than it was

and retighten the mounting screw. You may have to repeat this several
times to get the tension balanced so that the canti's ride equally but
>that's the proper way to set the tension in the first place.

Hi Tom

Are you saying that changing the effective length or centering of the
straddle cable can control the balance of canti brakes? If so, I'm
highly skeptical, but willing to learn. Can you please further explain?

Thanks, John