Bike shop hilarity

oh that is soooo funny, you're such a card

{turns off sarcasm switch}
"Todd Bryan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Something funny happened yesterday morning.

I have old Dia-Compe single pivot sidepulls on my bike, and I prefer to
run these brakes over newer dual-pivots. But yesterday morning before
a ride, I managed to strip the front brake bolt while adjusting the
brake centering.

To get on the road I cannibalized the rear brake, moving it to the
front, and decided to visit a few of our LBS to check if they had any old
sidepulls or sidepull brake bolts in their odd parts bins. Bike shop #1
has been helpful in the past with strange parts, so I visit them first.
The mech on duty responds to my request for old sidepull calipers with
a cheery "Sure! We've got some in the back"! "Wow", I thought, "that
was easy"! After 10 minutes in the storeroom he returns with the brakes.
I was excited until I looked down on the counter and saw he had brought
out a set of used cantilevers.

My spirits sank, but I assumed I had been unclear in my description.
Trying again, I said: "I'm sorry, I must have been unclear. I'm looking
for a caliper brake like used on road bikes, one with a side cable pull".
Recognition again shone in the mech's eyes as he disappeared back into
the storeroom. He emerged in a few moments with a set of V-brakes. "Hmmm,
perhaps I had better show you", I said. We left the V-brakes on the
counter and walked past a row of new road bikes, all equipped with
dual-pivot sidepulls, on the way to my bike. "Like these", I said,
pointing to the old long-reach Dia-Compes.

"Oh. You meant a U-brake!", he said.

"Umm, no. These are sidepulls".

"Wow, those are weird. Not sure I've ever seen them before".

I left empty-handed.

--
Todd Bryan
Santa Barbara, CA
bryan at cs dot utk dot edu

Todd Bryan said:

Something funny happened yesterday morning.

More sad than funny.

Quoted message said:

I have old Dia-Compe single pivot sidepulls on my bike, and I prefer to
run these brakes over newer dual-pivots. But yesterday morning before a
ride, I managed to strip the front brake bolt while adjusting the brake
centering.

This reminds me of a question I've had for some time. I'm sure it's a
basic mechanic trick from wayback, but I can't figure it out for the life
of me.

How DO I adjust the centering on my single-pivot side-pull caliper brakes?

The bolt just holds the brake in place and since it's also the pivot pin,
you can't just tighten it down when you get the brake aligned because that
makes it harder to compress (and it usually just slips out of alignment
with use anyway).

So what's the deal?

Quoted message said:

To get on the road I cannibalized the rear brake, moving it to the
front, and decided to visit a few of our LBS to check if they had any
old sidepulls or sidepull brake bolts in their odd parts bins. Bike
shop #1 has been helpful in the past with strange parts, so I visit them
first.

OK, wait. Do you REALLY not have bike shops that have bins of old
parts?

I know Portland is an extra-bikey town, but I can't imagine that living in
a place that doesn't have a co-op or two where you can just rummage
through discarded bits and boxes and boxes of crank arms, brakes, pedals,
levers, and spindles.

Are you just looking in the wrong part of town? (Hint: Go where young,
poor people live.)

Quoted message said:

"Oh. You meant a U-brake!", he said.

"Umm, no. These are sidepulls".

"Wow, those are weird. Not sure I've ever seen them before".

I left empty-handed.

Well, go over to Citybikes on SE Ankeny. They have dozens of these.
Hell, I've got a couple extras in my garage. (I'm being facetious, of
course, but dang.)

EK

Elmo Spam King said:

Todd Bryan said:

Something funny happened yesterday morning.

More sad than funny.

Quoted message said:

I have old Dia-Compe single pivot sidepulls on my bike, and I prefer to
run these brakes over newer dual-pivots. But yesterday morning before a
ride, I managed to strip the front brake bolt while adjusting the brake
centering.

This reminds me of a question I've had for some time. I'm sure it's a
basic mechanic trick from wayback, but I can't figure it out for the life
of me.

How DO I adjust the centering on my single-pivot side-pull caliper brakes?

The bolt just holds the brake in place and since it's also the pivot pin,
you can't just tighten it down when you get the brake aligned because that
makes it harder to compress (and it usually just slips out of alignment
with use anyway).

So what's the deal?

There should be two bolts on the same shaft: one on the front of the
brake to hold it in position, and a 5mm allen key in the back to tighten
it. In the case of my Weinmanns, the front adjustment nut is a 5mm bolt
head. I just put a socket wrench on it to counter the torque of the
tightening bolt.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

To get on the road I cannibalized the rear brake, moving it to the
front, and decided to visit a few of our LBS to check if they had any
old sidepulls or sidepull brake bolts in their odd parts bins. Bike
shop #1 has been helpful in the past with strange parts, so I visit them
first.

OK, wait. Do you REALLY not have bike shops that have bins of old
parts?

I know Portland is an extra-bikey town, but I can't imagine that living in
a place that doesn't have a co-op or two where you can just rummage
through discarded bits and boxes and boxes of crank arms, brakes, pedals,
levers, and spindles.

Are you just looking in the wrong part of town? (Hint: Go where young,
poor people live.)

Quoted message said:

"Oh. You meant a U-brake!", he said.

"Umm, no. These are sidepulls".

"Wow, those are weird. Not sure I've ever seen them before".

I left empty-handed.

Well, go over to Citybikes on SE Ankeny. They have dozens of these.
Hell, I've got a couple extras in my garage. (I'm being facetious, of
course, but dang.)

EK

Elmo Spam King said:

More sad than funny.

Amen.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

To get on the road I cannibalized the rear brake, moving it to the
front, and decided to visit a few of our LBS to check if they had any
old sidepulls or sidepull brake bolts in their odd parts bins. Bike
shop #1 has been helpful in the past with strange parts, so I visit them
first.

OK, wait. Do you REALLY not have bike shops that have bins of old
parts?

I know Portland is an extra-bikey town, but I can't imagine that living in
a place that doesn't have a co-op or two where you can just rummage
through discarded bits and boxes and boxes of crank arms, brakes, pedals,
levers, and spindles.

Are you just looking in the wrong part of town? (Hint: Go where young,
poor people live.)

Well the situation is one of the minor negatives of living in Santa
Barbara, where there are a lot of rich people. Consequently most bike
stores here focus on moving the $3000 and up bikes out the door, and
they move a lot of them. Some of the more 'elite' stores almost
discourage coming in to buy a tube or some such minor item. I
understand their business focus but obviously they are not my kind of store,
nor the kind most r.b.t. readers probably prefer.

I hear you about bike shops in younger or poorer neighborhoods. We have
a university here and I got my current lugged steel frame for $7.08 at their
annual surplus auction. There is also a co-op on campus, but alas it's
closed for the summer. There is a great bike shop in the student
district, IV Bikes, that keeps all the rusted out beaters going.
They seem to be the best shop around - they actually have to and know how to
work on bikes.

In the story I recounted, I just couldn't believe that someone so ignorant
of basic bicycle parts could work as a bike mechanic.

--
Todd Bryan
Santa Barbara, CA
bryan at cs dot utk dot edu

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

Todd Bryan said:

Something funny happened yesterday morning.

More sad than funny.

Quoted message said:

I have old Dia-Compe single pivot sidepulls on my bike, and I prefer to
run these brakes over newer dual-pivots. But yesterday morning before a
ride, I managed to strip the front brake bolt while adjusting the brake
centering.

This reminds me of a question I've had for some time. I'm sure it's a
basic mechanic trick from wayback, but I can't figure it out for the life
of me.
How DO I adjust the centering on my single-pivot side-pull caliper brakes?
The bolt just holds the brake in place and since it's also the pivot pin,
you can't just tighten it down when you get the brake aligned because that
makes it harder to compress (and it usually just slips out of alignment
with use anyway).
So what's the deal?

Go to http://www.parktool.com/tools/OBW_1.shtml and then follow the link to
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/sidepull.shtml .
-----------------
Alex

Rhesus Monkey top-posted:

Quoted message said:

oh that is soooo funny, you're such a card

{turns off sarcasm switch}

Turn off the HTML while you're at it.

Bill "OP all snipped because it's silly to keep it BELOW now, isn't it?" S.

Quoted message said:

So what's the deal?

I use a cone wrench on the thing that holds the spring between the caliper
and the bike when the brake is mounted. There are flats on this "thing"
that allow you to adjust it.

If all else fails or you don't know what I'm talking about, loosen the long
female nut on the opposite side of the brake, reposition the brake, and
tighten back down.

Are there any advantages to single-pivot compared to dual-pivot? I myself
want dual-pivot for the ease of centering and the (possible) higher
mechanical advantage.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Elmo Spam King said:

Are you just looking in the wrong part of town? (Hint: Go where young,
poor people live.)

Poor people? In Santa Barbara?

Now _that_ is funny.

Chalo Colina

Elmo Spam King said:

This reminds me of a question I've had for some time. I'm sure it's a
basic mechanic trick from wayback, but I can't figure it out for the life
of me.

How DO I adjust the centering on my single-pivot side-pull caliper brakes?

The bolt just holds the brake in place and since it's also the pivot pin,
you can't just tighten it down when you get the brake aligned because that
makes it harder to compress (and it usually just slips out of alignment
with use anyway).

So what's the deal?

Look on the other end of the pivot bolt, where it contacts the front of
the fork (for the front brake -- or, of course, the rear of the chainstay
bridge for the back brake). There usually are flats machined into the
plate where it hits the fork (or bridge) so you can turn the whole
assembly independently of the nut on the other side, using a cone wrench
or other thin 14mm wrench.

AFAIK Campy was the first with these, back when they introduced their
brakes in the late '60s. before then, adjusting brakes was a RPITA. This
made it easier, but still nothing like a modern brake.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | When you are up to your ass in alligators, it's hard to remember
_`\(,_ | that your initial objective was to drain the swamp. -- LBJ
(_)/ (_) |

Elmo Spam King <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Todd Bryan said:

Something funny happened yesterday morning.

More sad than funny.

Quoted message said:

I have old Dia-Compe single pivot sidepulls on my bike, and I prefer to
run these brakes over newer dual-pivots. But yesterday morning before a
ride, I managed to strip the front brake bolt while adjusting the brake
centering.

This reminds me of a question I've had for some time. I'm sure it's a
basic mechanic trick from wayback, but I can't figure it out for the life
of me.

How DO I adjust the centering on my single-pivot side-pull caliper brakes?

The bolt just holds the brake in place and since it's also the pivot pin,
you can't just tighten it down when you get the brake aligned because that
makes it harder to compress (and it usually just slips out of alignment
with use anyway).

So what's the deal?

Well the fast sleazy and almost always effective way of doing it is to
take something like a Robertson screwdriver, nail set, punch, Drift or
even a large slot screwdriver ... place it on the inside of the loop
of spring on the side that holds too far from the rim, tap it lightly
with a hammer..

This technique assumes that you have gotten it as close as possible
with the wrenches already and that it is tight...

kabuze-<< "Like these", I said,
pointing to the old long-reach Dia-Compes.

"Oh. You meant a U-brake!", he said.

"Umm, no. These are sidepulls".

"Wow, those are weird. Not sure I've ever seen them before".

I left empty-handed. >><BR><BR>

And people wonder why the bike biz is in trouble.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

els-<< How DO I adjust the centering on my single-pivot side-pull caliper
brakes? >><BR><BR>

Generally two flats on the back, where the spring lives. Use a 90 degree flat
wrench, move that part around to center-

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

Todd Bryan <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Something funny happened yesterday morning.

I have old Dia-Compe single pivot sidepulls on my bike, and I prefer to
run these brakes over newer dual-pivots. But yesterday morning before
a ride, I managed to strip the front brake bolt while adjusting the
brake centering.

To get on the road I cannibalized the rear brake, moving it to the
front, and decided to visit a few of our LBS to check if they had any old
sidepulls or sidepull brake bolts in their odd parts bins. Bike shop #1
has been helpful in the past with strange parts, so I visit them first.
The mech on duty responds to my request for old sidepull calipers with
a cheery "Sure! We've got some in the back"! "Wow", I thought, "that
was easy"! After 10 minutes in the storeroom he returns with the brakes.
I was excited until I looked down on the counter and saw he had brought
out a set of used cantilevers.

My spirits sank, but I assumed I had been unclear in my description.
Trying again, I said: "I'm sorry, I must have been unclear. I'm looking
for a caliper brake like used on road bikes, one with a side cable pull".
Recognition again shone in the mech's eyes as he disappeared back into
the storeroom. He emerged in a few moments with a set of V-brakes. "Hmmm,
perhaps I had better show you", I said. We left the V-brakes on the
counter and walked past a row of new road bikes, all equipped with
dual-pivot sidepulls, on the way to my bike. "Like these", I said,
pointing to the old long-reach Dia-Compes.

"Oh. You meant a U-brake!", he said.

"Umm, no. These are sidepulls".

"Wow, those are weird. Not sure I've ever seen them before".

I left empty-handed.

Todd, Hmmm, your story reminds me of an old story of mine.

Years ago, I took a trip to the Museum of Science and Industry in
Chicago.
There, they have the old captured U-505 German Submarine on display.
While I'm looking at the Submarine, a little old Italian Man is
standing next to me, so, wishing to strike up a conversation with him,
I look over to him, and remark, "Is that a U-Boat"?

The little old man says (In broken English) "No, thats'a no my boat, I
just'a loook"! :-) Mark

Mark said:

Years ago, I took a trip to the Museum of Science and Industry in
Chicago.
There, they have the old captured U-505 German Submarine on display.
While I'm looking at the Submarine, a little old Italian Man is
standing next to me, so, wishing to strike up a conversation with him,
I look over to him, and remark, "Is that a U-Boat"?

The little old man says (In broken English) "No, thats'a no my boat, I
just'a loook"!

Mark, hold on to your day job like grim death.

Bill "small wince" S.

[email hidden] (Chalo) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Elmo Spam King said:

Are you just looking in the wrong part of town? (Hint: Go where young,
poor people live.)

Poor people? In Santa Barbara?

Now _that_ is funny.

Chalo Colina

Yessiree... Santa Barbara: home of the newly wed and the nearly dead.

I was in Santa Barbara a week ago (my brother-in-law was getting
married) and realized that I liked the place- but $750,000 for a
three-bedroom ranch house is a little pricey. A comparable house in
inner Portland sells for $250,000, while my house (across the river in
Vancouver, WA) would go for about $180,000.

Frankly, I think the riding's better in the Portland area, too.

To the original poster- which bike shop did you check with? ISTR the
downtown Open Air Bicycles had some junk parts- are they still there?

Jeff

In article said:

Something funny happened yesterday morning.

I have old Dia-Compe single pivot sidepulls on my bike,

Todd, go over to the Varsity Bike Shop in Isla Vista (Pardall Road). George
probably still has his big box of old stuff, including ancient brake parts.
If not, you haven't had to go super far out of your way. As others have
noted, you won't find the stuff you need at the yuppie heaven shops.

I used to live there and visit Varsity on my yearly trip back to town.

Art

"Arthur Shapiro" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Todd

Bryan said:

Quoted message said:

Something funny happened yesterday morning.

I have old Dia-Compe single pivot sidepulls on my bike,

Todd, go over to the Varsity Bike Shop in Isla Vista (Pardall

Road). George

Quoted message said:

probably still has his big box of old stuff, including ancient

brake parts.

Quoted message said:

If not, you haven't had to go super far out of your way. As

others have

Quoted message said:

noted, you won't find the stuff you need at the yuppie heaven

shops.

Quoted message said:

I used to live there and visit Varsity on my yearly trip back

to town.

Sheldon probably has more than his share, too. DiaComp used a
standard center bolt, and an old Suntour, Campy, Shimano center
bolt from the same era probably would do the trick. You also
could try cleaning up the threads, or hack off the bad threads
and use one of those long "problem solver" nuts used on the first
CF forks. -- Jay Beattie.

Jay Beattie said:

Sheldon probably has more than his share, too. DiaComp used a
standard center bolt, and an old Suntour, Campy, Shimano center
bolt from the same era probably would do the trick. You also
could try cleaning up the threads, or hack off the bad threads
and use one of those long "problem solver" nuts used on the first
CF forks. -- Jay Beattie.

Jay, thanks to you and all the others for helpful replies. Finding
a replacement bolt was actually no problem - just had to visit some
other shops. The incident was funny to me because I couldn't believe
a full-time mech at an LBS thought that a cantilever was a caliper,
a V-brake was a sidepull caliper, and that my calipers were 'U-brakes'.

--
Todd Bryan
Santa Barbara, CA
bryan at cs dot utk dot edu

Quoted message said:

other shops. The incident was funny to me because I couldn't believe
a full-time mech at an LBS thought that a cantilever was a caliper,
a V-brake was a sidepull caliper, and that my calipers were
'U-brakes'.

The way he reacted is actually quite understandable. Read what you wrote
again.

Then again, it's still inexcusable that he didn't know what the sidepulls
were.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training