Weight Weenies

Been adjusting the caliper a lot but still the brake would press in on one side before the other and this is causing my rim to bend a little when I hold the brake lever.

Is this dangerous during a ride? That the rim is being pressed to one side?

Tried adjusting the housing length but the result is still the same.

My bike runs a full length brake housing, from shifter to caliper.

Any help will be thanked thoroughly!

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Off the bat it sounds like caliber isn’t attached to the frame tight enough.
Its a pita tbh. First center it and then tighten. Had similar problem when the bolt was a bit loose and let the brake move when braking.


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Have you adjusted it correctly? I take it the single pivot sram red - you have centered it using the grub screws? You have checked the main bolt is tight as suggested? Your wheel is centered in the dropouts?

Get a set of Campy Record/Chorus, Cane Creek, or Dura Ace/Ultegra and move on. Sram are crap.

I suspect you're talking about the aerolink calipers. They're notoriously difficult to get just right -- re-adjust your cable housing length -- I had to get mine within 1-2mm of optimal so it wouldn't pull or push at all on the brake or the brake would float to one side.

dvq wrote:I suspect you're talking about the aerolink calipers. They're notoriously difficult to get just right -- re-adjust your cable housing length -- I had to get mine within 1-2mm of optimal so it wouldn't pull or push at all on the brake or the brake would float to one side.

Yes it's that one. I had an eebrake but it can't fit on the rear due to the frame's design. It's a Specialized Allez Sprint.

I'll try to trim the cable housing again.

Though, the way the brake works when without the wheel on the bike, when I pull the lever, only one side will engage while the other side is not moving.

So when I fit in the wheel, as the moving side presses in, only the other side will engage, causing the wheel to bend in on the side that presses in first.



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i have the same problem with my aerolink, did you find a solution?

Step 1. Clean and lube the caliper. Note the two pivot points. Lube, lube, lube.

Step 2. Unscrew the spring tension adjuster fully. It's useless.

Step 3. Clean and grease the axle threads. You don't want any seizing there. It will mess up your centering later.

Step 4. Make sure the housing is not pushing down or pulling on the caliper when the caliper is closed. Make sure the housing end is floating nicely up and down a few mm around the barrel adjuster. The natural curve of the housing should result in it entering the caliper nice and straight. Trim until right, then mount it. If your housing is old and stiff that also causes a problem, replace that piece.

Step 5. Install the brake, ignore centering. Tighten everything down and align the brake shoes. (carbon clinchers = brake shoes as far down on the brake track as possible). Make sure the quick-release is in the closed position before adjusting cable tension. Rear wheel needs a larger clearance than in the front, thats normal. If you obsess about lever pull being small you will get brake rub.

Step 6. With the recessed nut tightened fully, get a cone wrench or even better a narrow jawed adjustable wrench and grip the axle body and nudge the caliper into a centered position. Use some cloth or a napkin under the jaws to not leave any marks on the caliper.

Note: If you find yourself constantly having to recenter then the serrated washer is maybe missing/flipped, the recessed nut isn't tight enough or the caliper has developed play and needs to be preloaded properly. Lube the two pivot points every few months and then wipe off.

Yes someone might say to tighten the nut with the caliper already aligned but anyone who has done that will know that it will still require a bit of tuning at higher tension. It's easier when not trying to do two things at the same time.

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Same explanation as above but with pictures: SRAM rim brake user manual.

I'd say the spring tension adjusters are not useless, as they can be used for very fine tuning. For example when changing between wheels which have a slight difference in dish, the easiest way to take account of that is by adjusting the spring tension balance. However it should be kept in mind the adjusters in a single pivot caliper affect the single spring in the pivot - so two adjustment screws which should be in balance, as they can effectively cancel eachother out.