No calliper?

[Guardian]

Am I being stupid? My friend got a bike and looking at it, it seems to have no callipers? How do I stop the brakes from moving? They can be moved from side to side by just pushing them

SOLVED - I am stupid apparently sorry!

 

[iluvmybike]

That's a v-brake and yes you will be able to push it and move it. The brake has two arms and the cable pulls them together to make it work. They have been common on bikes for a lot of years now....errr...

 

[Hugh Manatee]

Those are Vee brakes. They took over from cantilever brakes in the mid 90s. They work well. Use the two small Phillips heads (one on each arm) to make the two sides move at the same rate.
They have less movement at the pads per cm pulled at the lever than cantis so bear that in mind.

 

[Guardian]

Those are Vee brakes. They took over from cantilever brakes in the mid 90s. They work well. Use the two small Phillips heads (one on each arm) to make the two sides move at the same rate.
They have less movement at the pads per cm pulled at the lever than cantis so bear that in mind.

I tried adjusting it with the Philips but it did not affect it, sorry if it’s stupid, new to this

 

[Guardian]

Those are Vee brakes. They took over from cantilever brakes in the mid 90s. They work well. Use the two small Phillips heads (one on each arm) to make the two sides move at the same rate.
They have less movement at the pads per cm pulled at the lever than cantis so bear that in mind.

Sorry haha, new to this, just different to any videos I’ve seen

 

[ColinJ]

Check that the brake blocks are adjusted properly - that one looks like it might NOT be! (It looks in danger of rubbing on the tyre because it doesn't line up with the braking surface on the rim properly.)

 

[rogerzilla]

Also, the steel bosses on the frame (that the brake arms slip onto) must be clean, shiny and well greased. If a cantilever or V-brake won't stay centred, it's usually because it isn't moving freely on the boss. Many brake arms now have internal bearing surfaces and rely less on the cleanliness of the boss - these also gunge up and stop moving freely.

 

[Hugh Manatee]

This should get you somewhere close:

-Have a look at the brake bosses. You should see three little holes for the V spring to engage into. You should also see the end of the spring in one of them. It is usually in the middle of the three holes. If one of the pair is in the middle and the opposing arm spring is in the top hole, this imbalance will make adjustment very tricky.
-Like Colin said, check the blocks are lined up with the rim and don't touch any part of the tyre.
-Look for the barrel adjuster on the lever and unscrew so that it about half way out/in.
-Use a 5mm Allen key to undo the bolt on the top of the V arm holding the cable.
-Hold the arms in with the blocks on the rims. You do not need to worry about toe in with V brakes. The blocks can contact the rim flat.
-With V arms held in with the blocks against the rim, pull any slack in the cable through and do it up via the 5mm Allen bolt.
-Of course, now the wheel won't turn very well. Screw the barrel adjuster on the lever back in making the cable longer and bringing the blocks away from the rim. If you have judged it right, the blocks will be the correct distance from the rims and you'll have plenty of lever adjustment as the blocks wear.
-now you can adjust the Phillips heads to get the arms moving evenly. They oppose each other so you can try a bit of slacking/tightening on opposite screws.

Here's a quick picture of the back of one off the bike. You can see the spring sticking out. This engages the hole in the brake boss and is what the Phillips screw adgusts:

 

[Guardian]

Thankyou everyone for your answers! Will try and sort it when I can!

 

[confusedcyclist]

I think you have a bigger problem. Your bicycle is upside down. Might have a hard time riding it like that.