Rear brake not working

[ಠ_ಠ]

Hi,
I recently replaced my brake pads at a bike shop, and when I got my bike back from them, the lever for the rear brake was loose, but it worked. It felt looser this week than usual, so I thought I would tighten them. Only problem was that I wasn't aware I was doing it wrong, and now, whenever I try my brakes, they don't catch the rim of the tire at all. If it helps any, this is my bike:

I first tried to readjust the tire, because I noticed that only one side was catching the tire, but the bolts won't move at all. I thought that maybe if I move the brake pads in toward the rim of the tire more, it would help, but those bolts won't move, either. I adjusted the brake on the handlebar many times, but no setting seems to work. I adjusted the bolts just above the brake pads, but since then, the brakes don't work at all.

It's quite obvious that I don't know what I'm doing, but I really need this to work by morning. I think I really messed it up

[KDC1956]

First off you don't want it to catch the tire at all you want it to only catch the rim. If I was you I would take it back to the shop that you took it to and have them to redo it for you. And they should not charge you for this at all. And you need to give your bike some TLC. Take time to clean it up real good and oil the brake parts not the rim. And oil your chain as well and the cables too. If you need help on all of this stick around lots of people will be glade to help you out with this. Hope this will help you a little.

[ಠ_ಠ]

I'm sorry, when I said "catching the tire," I did mean "catching the rim of the tire." It's been almost a month since I got my brake pads replaced, and I just wanted to do a quick tighten, but I just did it wrong somehow, and now they're not working at all. It wouldn't bother me much if I didn't have to ride to work at 3am. I've been readjusting everything I messed with before, and still nothing. The brakes will stop the tire when I test it inside, but when I take it out for a quick ride outside, it doesn't work at all.

Plus, the entire 30 min ride to work is downhill.

[ಠ_ಠ]

Is anyone on? I'm sorry, but this is kind of an emergency, It's a 2 hour walk to work, and I really need to fix this.

EDIT: I guess what I'm trying to say is that I messed it up myself, and I'm not sure how. It was probably something I did that I mentioned in the first post. I watched the brake adjustment tutorial videos, and they didn't seem to help in this particular instance...

[Alex Ramon]

I'm guessing the problem is when you adjusted those bolts above the brake pads (just before they stopped working). Those need to be slightly loose to allow the pivots to turn. Try loosening them just a little bit until the brake arms move again. You may need two wrenches, one on either side. Be very careful not to loosen them off too much as they will come apart and be tricky to re-assemble properly.

That should get you going for tomorrow morning, but I'd highly recommend taking it to the shop for a proper adjustment asap. I haven't done a video about your style of brakes yet, but I'm adding it to the list for the future.

[ಠ_ಠ]

(01-19-2010, 09:57 PM)Alex Ramon Wrote:  I'm guessing the problem is when you adjusted those bolts above the brake pads (just before they stopped working). Those need to be slightly loose to allow the pivots to turn. Try loosening them just a little bit until the brake arms move again. You may need two wrenches, one on either side. Be very careful not to loosen them off too much as they will come apart and be tricky to re-assemble properly.

That should get you going for tomorrow morning, but I'd highly recommend taking it to the shop for a proper adjustment asap. I haven't done a video about your style of brakes yet, but I'm adding it to the list for the future.

thank you for responding, I'll try that and see if they work. I have no money to go to the shop again, but my boss (who buys beat up bikes and refurbishes them, who sold me the bike) might be able to help tomorrow on a slightly more permanent fix until I can afford the shop.

[ಠ_ಠ]

Update: I just took it outside, and the back brake stopped on level ground. Next to my house is a really steep hill (estimate: about 58°). I went down the hill and was able to stop after about 5 feet, so I think my front brake is able to pick up the slack of the back. Luckily, none of the hills on the path to my work are quite as steep as the one I tested, so I should be okay. Thanks again, I'll be sure to be back.