Putting new brakes on a road bike: can a putz do it?

[Climb01742]

Mechanically, I'm a putz. But for a while, I've wanted to try my hand at a small mechanical job on one of my bikes. There's a bike that has enough frame clearance for fatter tires but the old brakes on it don't clear the tires. So...

Can a putz put new mid- or long-reach brakes on a bike? Is it a job Mr. Fumble Fingers here could do? Any details I should be aware of? Any particular tools I need other than basic wrenches? How do I know whether mid- or long-reach brakes are needed? Last, I'm running Shimano, any recco on which brakes to get? Shimano or another good option?

We who are about to feel frustrated and stupid, salute and thank you.:rolleyes:

[Bentley]

Its not the most demanding technical job, plenty of YouTube videos that can guide you thru it step by step. You need to be able to remove and install the brakes, remove and install new cables, tension the cables and verify they hit the brake track, install a cable end . You have all the needed tools?

Brakes are easy, but also very important 😀😀

Ray

Mechanically, I'm a putz. But for a while, I've wanted to try my hand at a small mechanic to job on one of my bikes. There's a bike that has enough frame clearance for fatter tires but the old brakes on it don't clear the tires. So...

Can a putz put new mid- or long-reach brakes on a bike? Is it a job Mr. Fumble Fingers here could do? Any details I should be aware of? Any particular tools I need other than basic wrenches? How do I know whether mid- or long-reach brakes are needed? Last, I'm running Shimano, any recco on which brakes to get? Shimano or another good option?

We who are about to feel frustrated and stupid, salute and thank you.:rolleyes:

[choke]

How do I know whether mid- or long-reach brakes are needed?The frame determines what type brakes are needed....you can't just put medium or long reach brakes on a frame that is designed for short reach brakes. Well, you can install them but they won't work....the pads will be below the rim.

If you lack clearance for bigger tires your only real option, outside of a different frame, is to try a different model of brake. Some have more clearance than others so you might squeeze something a bit bigger in there but it's not going to be a huge difference.

[R3awak3n]

I think Bentley and Choke covered it nicely but I think that was the first thing I ever done to a bike, change the brakes. Its pretty easy and requires minimal tools.

Things to consider though, if indeed a long reach brake fits, or if you just change the brake to gain more clearance... some brakes have the clamp in different stops to there might be less cable to clamp so if the cable is already on the short side could be a problem and might need a new cable (this is most likely not a problem though if the brake was installed properly in the first place).

Apart from that I say install away, if installing on a carbon fork, becareful to not over torque the mounting bolt, they do take a lot of torque tough (10nm) so should not be a problem.

[mktng]

Tektro and Shimano both have good offerings for L to M reach brakes.

Installation shouldnt be hard. Pretty much remove and replace. Tune and go ride.

On top of what was already recommended. Goto your LBS and test fit before buying. Heck, if they are nice enough there. They will show you how to replace, and which tools you need. !!

[jc031699]

Agreed with above. Not likely to get more brake clearance by changing brakes, unless it is a very specific circumstance, I.e. EE brakes with the eccentric mount point. The new Shimano brakes like 6800 do seem to have more clearance, as well as the old style Campy brakes vs. the newer skeleton brakes. As well, center mount brakes like the Dia Compe at Velo Orange may have more clearance. May be much trial and error involved, as well as chainstay, seatstay, seatpost, and fork crown clearance concerns.

Also, if you have shimano brakes you may be able to increase clearance by spacing the brake further from the mount point (true for all brakes) or screwing the centering screw most of the way out and re centering by hand.

Easy job, changing brakes, but not easy job, increasing tire clearance.

[Vientomas]

Pad to rim adjustment and pad toe in is critical. If the pads are too high you can damage the tire sidewall when the brakes are applied. If the toe in is off you will get squealing and poor braking. To adjust toe in I loosen the bolt holding the pad, place a short section of doubled over Velox rim tape (sticky side together) between the rear one third of the pad and the rim, squeeze the brake lever and tighten the bolt holding the pad. Release lever, remove tape and eyeball amount of toe in. Any relativety thin material can be used in place of the Velox tape, you just want something to create the toe in angle. Good luck!

[cachagua]

Cable clamps on brakes usually hold pretty well, but just to reassure myself, whenever I mess with the brake cable, after I'm done I squeeze the lever all the way back to the handlebar. That's way more tension that you'd ever use actually riding, but -- margin of safety.

Sometimes I do it before a ride, too, even if I haven't worked on the bike. Good way to find a faulty brake cable before it finds you.

[Climb01742]

Thank you all!! I'm so clueless, I didn't understand that the reach of the brakes is part of the frame design. Duh! I'll get in touch with the builder and see if I have any options. I'm grateful for your collective info that may have saved me from myself.:beer:

[matyasdm12]

Youtube has all of the help you need. I am not very mechanically inclined and I have been able to do lots of stuff. So many helpful videos.

[NHAero]

If you post a couple of photos of your set-up, and make it clear which brakes are on the bike, we could tell you about brake options. I doubt it is a change in reach - if the pads are properly located on the rims now, the caliper is the correct reach. If the calipers don't open wide enough to let a wider tire slip through, that's a different issue than a reach change. My CAAD10 has Ultegra brakes that barely open wide enough to let a 25mm tire slip through. I could make it a bit better by adjusting the pads further from the rims, but I like the feel of the pads engaging as soon as I squeeze the lever.

[Ken Robb]

Some bikes that were built for 700 wheels and short-reach brakes can be converted to 650b wheels/tires and medium reach (the old "standard reach" brakes) so fatter tires can fit. Rivendell used to, and maybe still does, have good info on this conversion on their site.

[smontanaro]

Where do you live? Maybe you can hook up (in a platonic sense) with a fellow Paceliner who can help you figure things out.

[AngryScientist]

As mentioned, this is definitely an easy job anyone can do, you just dont want to order parts that wont work for you. if you post a picture here of what you're working with, i bet we could help you out.

there are some issues that can be solved with different brakes, but 90+ % of the cases, the brake bridge and fork crown are the limiting factor, not the brakes themselves.

[pinkshogun]

If using wide tires with a mid reach brake, turn out the barrel adjuster so when removing the front wheel you can screw in the adjuster to widen the brake arms clearing the tire

[palincss]

The frame determines what type brakes are needed....you can't just put medium or long reach brakes on a frame that is designed for short reach brakes. Well, you can install them but they won't work....the pads will be below the rim.

If you lack clearance for bigger tires your only real option, outside of a different frame, is to try a different model of brake. Some have more clearance than others so you might squeeze something a bit bigger in there but it's not going to be a huge difference.

Or, you could go to a smaller diameter wheel (e.g., 650B) in which case you'll gain clearance for significantly wider tires, but long reach brakes will definitely be in order.