Brakes not aligned

The_B_Man

Hi,
I had sent my bike in for a service about 6 weeks ago and everything was fine. I got a flat on the back, so had to take the back wheel off. I was fiddling with it for a few minutes and got frustrated so just forced it out. I must have bent something or nudged something because now the back brake is rubbing off the wheel and making it very hard to cycle.
I've "hitched" up the back brake on something for the time being so that I can actually cycle it. This leaves me with front brakes only.

My question is, how can I tell what I moved, and how do I fix it/align it properly?

Thanks.

PS, its a 6 year old Giant Rock.

rflynnr

I'm afraid there's a myriad of possibilities here. Any chance you could put up a pic?

feck sake lads

did you buckle the wheel by any chance,
is you wheel centred in the frame make sure the wheel is in line with the seat tube.
check that the brake caliber is centred and the brake blocks are hitting the wheel rim not the tyre.
give a bit of slack on the cable.;)

The_B_Man

I can try put up a pic when im home later.
I dont think i buckled the wheel. This happened to me before and then it fixed it self. I think when the brake pads wore down.
But then when i got it serviced, the brake pads were replaced and they aligned everything and it was fine. I think I just nudged the metal brake bracket thing out of the way a bit.
The wheel is centred with the seat tube anyway, though it does slightly move. When I said i forced it out, i didnt use enough force to actually buckle the wheel, just enough to move the brakes, which is why I think thats where the problem lies.
I'll try pull the brakes and see where the pads are touching, ie tyre or wheel.
Don't know what u mean by giving the cable some slack. As in, I dont know how to tighten it or loosen it.


Cheers.

BeepBeep67

If you have just knocked the brake out of alignment, meaning it rubs on one side and doesn't recenter after being pulled. Then get an allen key and a spanner.
1. Loosen the brakes with the allen key, this is accessed through the fork on the opposite side of the brake.
2. Re position the brake to the center using the spanner on the nut close to the frame.
3. Hold the brake in place with the spanner and re tighten the brakes using the allen key.

feck sake lads

yeah your brakes blocks are probably just that bit to close to the rim.
take a look at where the brake cable is ,loosen the nut that holding it let it slacken by about 3to4 mm then retighten but make sure the brake caliber is centered.

monkeypants

I'd loosen the brakes, apply brakes and keep them applied, tighten them up and then release the lever.

The_B_Man

Cheers lads, I'll give that a go!

AaronB

here is a very good video to show you what to do!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45llr44Pu9g