V brakes keep losing their tension

[GoatBeard]

Do I need new V brakes or something? I'll set the screws so the pads are equidistant and play the brake lever a dozen or so times, then I find that a few minutes later there's some resistance and rubbing and the screws need setting again. Same thing keeps happening over and over. I really hate V brakes, I can't believe hwo inferior and fiddly they are compared to simple calipers.

I'd really prefer not to slacken the cable to account for this as I prefer having immediate braking at my finger tips rather than having to pull the lever right back. Then the pads would still hit the rims and different points which I think is substandard.

 

[si_c]

What model/brand of v-brakes are they?

 

[I like Skol]

What brakes are they? If cheaper with adjustment screws set in plastic it could be that the thread has stripped and the screw is backing out under pressure?

 

[GoatBeard]

They're no-brand V-Brakes off my old Subway 1. One of the screw heads has now totally stripped so I'll probably just replace the lot.

 

[rogerzilla]

IME they do, weirdly, take several pulls to settle in the new position.

 

[raleighnut]

New inner cable time.

 

[C R]

Also check the state of the noodle plastic liner, they sometimes get sticky.

 

[FrankCrank]

If the screw has stripped, all is not lost. You can easily bend the spring to set the right tension. On one of my bikes a brake screw fell out, and so I removed the other one also, and tweaked the springs till all balanced. Bonus is it's now two screws lighter as well

 

[iluvmybike]

Sometimes you need to remove the brake arm from the post it is mounted on and pop some grease on there