V brake advice, please

[Ham]

I've never done much with v-brakes beyond minor fettles of other peoples' and I've never really liked them. But the beater has them, and the front brake ain't right. Specifically, the pull side is closer to the rim and has been dragging. The spring tension adjustment does nothing. The wheel had been about 6mm out of true, I've brought it back to about 1mm, but couldn't get the brakes to behave. At some point soon I need to change the blocks, especially the pull side which is more worn, for the moment I've dodged it by taking the spacer out the wheel side, but that isn't ideal.

Any thoughts? Change the brake assembly completely?

[Paul H]

The spring tension adjustment does nothing.

Then there's a problem with it.  The most common one is that the screw isn't pressing on the part of the spring it should be.  Sometimes, particularly on cheaper brakes, the screw ends up alongside the part it should be in contact with. if you take it off the boss, you can see what it ought to be doing.  Other possible issues are that the spring may simply have lost it's err... spring, the long arm that goes up the brake can just be bent to return it.  Plenty of other possibilities, those are the two I'd start with, along with making sure everything was freely moving.

[robgul]

The spring tension adjustment does nothing.

Then there's a problem with it.  The most common one is that the screw isn't pressing on the part of the spring it should be.  Sometimes, particularly on cheaper brakes, the screw ends up alongside the part it should be in contact with. if you take it off the boss, you can see what it ought to be doing.  Other possible issues are that the spring may simply have lost it's err... spring, the long arm that goes up the brake can just be bent to return it.  Plenty of other possibilities, those are the two I'd start with, along with making sure everything was freely moving.

Further comment on the spring - most bosses have several options (the holes!) for the spring tension, try the spring in another hole to increase tension.

[Ham]

<lightbulb moment> my spring is broked, innit?

[Ham]

Gone for this https://www.bikemonger.co.uk/tektro-837al--v-brake-18904-p.asp - about 10mm shorter but there is still clearance and it should sort out most issues .... I hope

[onerousdeporte]

Last couple of v brake bikes I have played with I just replaced everything with this https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-parts/bike-brakes/clarks-v-brake-set-193402.html? £18 and just replace everything, brakes, pads cables inners and outers are stainless.  Halfords will even deliver it for free.

[Wowbagger]

I think one of the problems I've found with V-brakes is that there's a big variety in quality. Some of the tensioners are pretty shit and don't really work.

I even came across one, on a friend's Giant, in which the noodle passed through the hole that was meant to restrain it.