AMoney

My touring bike has V brakes. Most of the time, I'm able to open and close them without a problem. However, sometimes they are very difficult to close. Even if I am able to close them, at times they rub against the brakes. Even if I am able to close them, they occasionally rub against the wheel. Why is this a semi-recurring issue? This is not an issue with cantilevers or any other brakes that I have.

cyccommute 

The first thing I would suspect is corroded cables or a cable that is binding. Disconnect the brake cable from the brakes and see if the arms move freely.

Second thing to check is if the wheel is centered in the frame. You didn’t say if this was front or rear but if either one is not centered in the frame, the brakes can rub. The third thing to check is if the brake block is rubbing a tire.

Andrew R Stewart 

One reason why brake pads seem to stick to the rims and sometimes they retract is from excessive pad wear. With cantis the pads swing into the rim in an arc and if the pads are left to wear so much they will develop a "shelf" or an unworn portion of the pad "builds up". As the pad gets thinner from wear it will arc more and more and the pad no longer is well centered on the rim sides. This "shelf" can catch on the rim and hinder the arm's retraction. Sometimes this hindering shows when the rim is stationary, when moving (as in riding) the rim's relative to the pad movement reduces the friction the shelf is seeing and the shelf often slides off the rim and all seems to be good, until you stop and try the brakes when not moving

Is this what is going on? Without a vid or photos and better description of what's been tried we really can't say. Andy

Russ Roth

Would also check for worn pads, if they're worn enough the brakes start compressing the dust boot too much which can add a lot of resistance if its older and hardening with age, or just being squeezed enough it can't compress any more. Worn out pads could also cause the arms to touch a wider tire. Semi-recurring because the local shop replaces pads with a tune up? Pads should last a while but wet and muddy rides can help you burn through them quickly.

AMoney

It has happened with both wheels. Most recently, it happened with my rear wheel. The tightness of the cable when remounting the cable leads me to believe that the cables are binding. That being said, what is the fix?

I have noticed both that the V-Brakes are harder to close back after remounting a tire and that it is very hard to get cantis centered. Are you saying that both the inevitable result of brake pad wear?

shelbyfv

Misplaced noodle?

FBinNY 

I echo Andy's comments re: the travel arc of both V and canti brakes. This isn't about either design, but rather the vertical distance from rim to pivot.

So, the shoes travel in a small circle and strike the rim lower as they wear. This eventually leads to the under rim shelf that traps the brake in closed position.

So, start by looking at the shoes, and,if necessary, dressing off the lip or replacing the shoes.

It also helps to shim the shoes so they hit the rims while the arm is closer to 12 o'clock where the motion is more horizontal. FWIW this is why vintage canti shoes mounted on posts allowing them to be moved inward to strike the horizontally, rather than on the drop.

Otherwise, dirty pivots, binding cables, damaged or unbalanced are all possible causes.

Bill Kapaun

That or the housing not being fully seated in the brake lever. It often "creeps out" when releasing the brakes and hangs up.

Jeff Wills

I agree. When reconnecting V-brakes, I check both ends of each piece of housing to verify that they are fully seated in their stops. With no tension on the cable, the housing can wiggle and hang up on the stop. A hung-up housing will make reconnecting a V-brake very tough.

cyccommute 

As others have said above, check to make sure the cable is seated in the lever and the noodle. If that doesn't work, pull the cable out and look for kinks in the cable or for the cable not being smooth. If the cable is kinked or corroded, replace it. Consider replacing the housing as well.

70sSanO

You just need to systematically go through the brake setup.

Disconnecting the cables from the brakes will take gummy housing/corroded cables out of the equation. You should be able to hand squeeze the arms together to apply the brakes and they should spring back. The arms should move freely. If they don’t you’ll need to clean and lube.

If there is no pressure squeezing them to the rim, and they don’t spring back, the spring ends might be in the wrong mounting hole on the fork. Or the spring tension adjustment screws need to increase the spring tension.

But since it is difficult to close, there is a good chance you need to replace the cables and housing. Typically I use Jagwire; slick cables. Then you should replace the brake pads. I use KoolStop.

John