Help! Quick release brakes

[soulful dog]

I recently got new brake pads installed on my bike by a LBS and they're pretty tight (a light squeeze of the brakes and I stop). Consequently (at least I presume this is the reason), when I went to remove the wheel today, I couldn't get the quick release brakes apart.....

Well I did eventually, but now I can't get the noodle hooked back on, there's just no way it'll reach to clip back in. I used to be able to do it no problem, but I guess that's because the brake pads were pretty worn! Help, what do I do?!

It's my hybrid with v-brakes and the quick release like the one shown here:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/canti-direct.html

 

[jay clock]

The only easy way is to loosen the allen key bolt that holds the cable, slacken it off slightly, the use the barrel adjuster on the brake lever to tighten it up again.

 

[soulful dog]

Hmmm, thanks for the reply. In that case, I think I might need to just take it back to the LBS.... the last time I tried to slacken the brake cable slightly I made a complete a*se of it!

If I ask them to adjust it so the brakes aren't quite so tight, should that make it easier to release the brakes?

 

[HLaB]

Depending on how they were adjusted you may be able to screw in the barrel adjusters creating slack to let you close the quick release. If that's the case its a 2 seconds job, no tools needed. Afterwards you might need to screw out the barrel adjuster to achieve the desired braking force but that should be unlikely with new pads.

 

[soulful dog]

Took it to the same guy who'd fitted the brake pads and adjusted the breaks so tightly. At first he said it was the wire from the cycle computer wrapped around the brake cable that was causing it, but when I pointed out the rear one was the same, he conceded they were just too tight.

He said they just like to adjust the brakes to make them as tight as possible and hadn't thought the quick release would be a problem.... ah well, it was quickly and easily enough done.

Not that impressed with them though as they didn't have any presta inner tubes and said they don't stock them much as the schrader valves are better, which I thought was a bit strange for a bike shop?

 

[gwhite]

Not that impressed with them though as they didn't have any presta inner tubes and said they don't stock them much as the schrader valves are better, which I thought was a bit strange for a bike shop?

That's one strange shop.
It's better as has been said to set the brakes with the adjuster a little unscrewed (anti-clockwise). This means that if there is a problem undoing the noodle you just have to screw in the adjuster a bit and this gives you enough slack to unclip the noodle.

 

[mickle]

Fecking amateurs. I mean FFS if you can't get brakes right what hope is there. Don't go back.

 

[soulful dog]

Where is this screw for future reference? Is it the spring adjuster on the brakes themselves, because I tried the barrel adjuster (next to the brake lever on the handlebars) but didn't feel it was making much difference?

Cheers for confirming my thoughts about that bike shop, I only went there because it was handy for me, I'll steer clear of it in future.