Shuddering front V brake

Yosh · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 29 Dec 2013 Karma :

At the age of 25 my girlfriend can still not ride a push bike. If I'm ever to get her on a motorbike she is going to need to feel comfortable on a pushbike. I've been taking her out and she has been picking it up but is still very nervous on any kind of corner or hill.

She complains about the front V brake causes the front end to shudder quite a lot which her terrified when ever she needs to brake and is quite frankly hilarious. Any ideas what this might be or how to fix it.

stinkwheel · Bovine Proctologist Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

First thing I'd check is for any signs of play in the headset bearings or wheel bearings and take action to remove it.

So stand astride the bike, hold the front brake fully on and push the handlebars back and forth. Any looseness or clunking and you probably need to tighten or replace the head bearings.

Get hold of the front wheel at either side of the rim and try to rock it from side to side with the steering held still. Look for any looseness or movement around the axle. Again, tighten/replace bearings if necessary.

If those are all ok, have a look at the brakes themselves. Check for play where they attach to the posts on the front fork. If there is play here, you MIGHT be able to tighten them up but they could just be worn and need replacing. A basic set of v-brakes are not expensive to buy.

Have a look at the pads. Are they in the right way round and fitted on the correct side because they are directional AND handed (usually have an arrow on them and an R/L mark but the longer end points towards the rear of the bike). The pads themselves also sit on a cup, it is possible to alter the angle at which they strike the rim by loosening the bolt slightly and re-angling it. I would have the rear edge of the pad touching marginally before the front edge.

It would be a mistake to assume the bike shop put the pads in the right way round, especially if it was Halfords. In fact, if it has suspension forks, it would be a mistake to assume they put the whole front end in the right way round.

If all else fails and checks out ok, replace the pads, they might just be shit. If they are the ones the bike came with, they ARE shit, bikes universally come with shit brake pads fitted from new. I personally like clark triple compound pads when I can find them.
https://www.wigglestatic.com/images/clarks-cps513-med.jpg
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

Yosh · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 29 Dec 2013 Karma :

Thanks Stink will check it out. Thumbs Up

Tungtvann · World Chat Champion Joined: 07 Dec 2012 Karma :

Brakes are sticking, grease them up a bit and they should stop doing that.

UnknownStuntm... · World Chat Champion Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Karma :

^^ Jesus is weeping for your soul. Yosh - don't do this.

It could be the angle the pads hit the rims. When they're set up properly, the forward edge of the V brake pads should hit the rim first, about a millimetre before the back edge hits.

Yosh · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 29 Dec 2013 Karma :

sickpup · Old Timer Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Karma :

Sounds like the pads need some toe in which helps with self servo action. If the pads toe out they tend to cause a reverberation through the frame as they catch and release continuously.

There also tend to be compatibility problems between most pad materials and steel rims which could also cause the problem.