Front brake adjusted itself?!

[r-sparks]

If you answer this query, you will stop me going mad. I'm a relative newbie cyclist, although cycled throughout my teens and also at university.

I was out cycling today and, half way through, found that my front brakes had started rubbing, thus bringing me to a premature stop.

I know little about bike maintenance, I'm afraid, but after some investigation I discovered that the "reach adjustment" screw in the handle had screwed down, so that the handle was constantly engaged (and therefore the brake was always on). See here to see what I'm referring to.

Thing is, how ON EARTH did it manage to screw down on its own? And not just a bit, but a lot! It actually can't screw any further down.

Lacking a screwdriver, but equipped with an allan key/wrench, I was able to adjust the brakes to loosen them up, and completed the ride with the brake maladjusted. I'm fixing it tonight, by simply screwing back (or removing!) the adjuster. Incidentally, it appears the back brake handle is missing its adjuster.

But please tell me what happened here. I'm starting to think the hand of God was involved.

 

[daveryanwyoming]

......But please tell me what happened here. I'm starting to think the hand of God was involved.

Are you absolutely sure you don't have a cable ferrule that's not seated correctly or for that matter a wheel that's gone out of true or isn't properly aligned in the fork? It's very unlikely the reach screw vibrated itself tighter , do you know for a fact that the reach screw was further out and is now closer in or was that just the easiest way to resolve the problem? I'd look very carefully at all the places where the cable ends have ferrules and see that they're seated into their matching receptacles and not cocked a bit. I'd also remove and replace my front wheel to make sure It's not cockeyed in the fork and spin it to see if it rubs in only a few places(out of true) or rubs one side all the way around. Even then I'd make sure one side of the brake isn't loose while the other is tight. That's a common problem with brake return springs getting out of balance.

Maybe the hand of god did come down with a driver and tighten up your reach screw, but I'd bet on cables not seated correctly, wheels out of alignment or brakes that are unbalanced in terms of return tension first.

Good luck,
Dave

 

[r-sparks]

Are you absolutely sure you don't have a cable ferrule that's not seated correctly or for that matter a wheel that's gone out of true or isn't properly aligned in the fork? It's very unlikely the reach screw vibrated itself tighter , do you know for a fact that the reach screw was further out and is now closer in or was that just the easiest way to resolve the problem? I'd look very carefully at all the places where the cable ends have ferrules and see that they're seated into their matching receptacles and not cocked a bit. I'd also remove and replace my front wheel to make sure It's not cockeyed in the fork and spin it to see if it rubs in only a few places(out of true) or rubs one side all the way around. Even then I'd make sure one side of the brake isn't loose while the other is tight. That's a common problem with brake return springs getting out of balance.

Maybe the hand of god did come down with a driver and tighten up your reach screw, but I'd bet on cables not seated correctly, wheels out of alignment or brakes that are unbalanced in terms of return tension first.

Good luck,
Dave

I can't say for sure what the position of the reach screw was prior to this, because I didn't know it existed But the handle definitely returned to it's "home" (completely off) position at all times. The handle is now always 50% engaged, because the reach screw is pushing into it.

I will check for the things you outline, so thanks. The wheel has a quick-release bolt and I take it off for storage, so that is a possibility. Additionally, I was coming down a bumpy hill before the incident, and the wheel might have gone out of true (it was already ever-so-slightly out of true).

But I'm fairly sure that the reach screw is the issue here. Unless I'm missing something blindingly obvious (possible, I admit), the reach screw is what's pushing the handle in, so that it's always engaged, and it always returned to full-off position previously.

 

[alfeng]

...

But please tell me what happened here. I'm starting to think the hand of God was involved.

Possibly, so!

Because, you:

• were going too fast at the time
• S/He wants you to learn bicycle maintenance

 

[r-sparks]

Possibly, so!

Because, you:

• were going too fast at the time
• S/He wants you to learn bicycle maintenance

Repair completed, and Dave's investigations carried out. The wheel is true (well, as true as it ever was), and the fork isn't bent.

It was definitely the reach adjustment screw causing the problem. It had somehow screwed itself down around 1cm. This meant the handle was pushed in, so the brake was constantly engaged.

The screw turns freely, without much resistance, so it must simply be the case that cycling down a steep bumpy path vibrated the bike enough for the screw to work its way down. Perhaps tellingly, the other brake handle is missing its screw—that one might have worked its way out and become lost.

I've now removed the screw because I have no need for it.

 

[garage sale GT]

Did you stop for a soda? Maybe the hand of smartass was involved.