Disc Brakes

[ridebikeme]

It's hard to really get a sense of what is happening without seeing the bike, but I have another suggestion.

The v brakes all rely on spring tension, and generally that spring tension can be dialed up as the spring wears.( that's why your caliper ends up leaning back on the rim) By being able to do that you extend the life of the brakes, and one side can indeed be different than the other... overtime that is. Because you have the 'push style' of caliper, these brakes can NOT be adjusted to give them more tension. What happens is that because of this style, the brake pads end up at an angle that hits the tires. So your only option is to replace the caliper itself.

Although I haven't seen the bike/fork, I too, doubt that it is the suspension fork. If it were the fork, then it would sound as though the fork would need a rebuild,(new bushings etc..)but given the fact that you don't ride it a whole lot and that you are fairly light... well I would opt at replacing the caliper BEFORE I did anything.

Lastly, I just had a bike that left the shop yesterday with a pair of wheels that I built and new brake calipers for the above problem. Of course, there's always a range of what you can spend for wheels... but $650 seems on the high side of things. ( mine were $260 with the existing hubs, and Sun Rynolite rims and DT spokes)The Mavics are indeed nice wheels, and very durable but definitely much heavier than your wheels.

Anyway, definitely try replacing the brake caliper first, and feel free to PM if you should have any other questions. Another thing to check is make sure that your brake pads aren't worn uneven so that they can 'catch' on the sidewall of the rim. And lastly, look and feel the sidewall of the rim, is it flat, concave? Concave would mean that the brake track on the wheel is gone and you should replace the wheel.(although the LBS shop has probably already checked the above)


http://chasecyclery.blogspot.com