V-brake tension pins bending... why?

[d3v]

Hi all, I'm just rebuilding my mountain bike and noticed the tension settings pins on my v-brakes are all bent and while I can straighten them with pliars, they simply bend back again, even when inserted in to the lowest tension hold on the frame.

Since it was a second hand bike, I'm wondering if the previous owner fitted the wrong type of v brakes, then again, don't all brakes generally fit all frames?

I also noticed that when the brake is installed, only the second half of the pin engages the hole, whereas with the other bikes I look after/use, the pins seem to reach all the way in leaving just a small gap.


Am I missing something here??

[nfmisso]

for safety; time to replace the brakes. I like Avid.

On my SR Sierra Sport I installed these:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003WO9GRE/
On the tandem, these:
http://www.amazon.com/Avid-Single-Digit-Bicycle-Linear/dp/B000NNQKGC/

They appear to be identical, except for the black coating.

[d3v]

I was thinking something a lot cheaper, like both pairs for under £15 ($20).
I'm all for durable parts, but aren't cheap brakes adequate??

[DaveM]

If you're really trying to cut costs, cheap brakes are probably "adequate", whatever that means. But note that you're are looking at buying new brakes because the old ones were probably cheap pieces of crap that are bending under normal use. Also, nfmisso's cheaper link is about $21 for both sets, so I don't know how much cheaper you're trying to get.

Half way decent brakes will work better, last longer, be easier to install and adjust, and it's not like brakes aren't important. You don't need the fanciest thing out there. But don't buy the cheapest thing you can find.

[d3v]

Makes sense, thanks for putting me on the right track. After spending lots of £$£$ on my road bike getting it winter-ready, I was hoping to get away with not having to spend any money on my mountain bike... thought I'd just strip, clean and reassemble but it seems every corner I turn a new part needs to be purchased. Those Avid breaks seem like the best value/performance brakes out there, but they are a lot more expensive here in the UK than in the USA, which never fails to annoy me!

[d3v]

Here in the UK, we only get one pair for £13 see here http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/51/av082021/avid-single-digit-5-front-or-rear-brake.html

£26 for both pairs is like $10 more than you guys pay.