Paulie,
There are a number of possible things that my cause a self-uncentering brake caliper. I have found that in general, nutted brakes tighten better than allen bolt types. Allen bolt mounting also can present a few conditions that will disallow proper tightening. I have also experienced on extra small frames such as yours and mine, that aero brake routing can push on the front brake caliper and uncenter it when the bars are turned, if it is not tight enough. Use of the flat spanner and the proper wrench to tighten the nut is the best method. Punching the spring can work by either moving the brake or bending the spring. I would make sure you can properly tighten the nut, then learn to set the caliper in center by a little back and forth as neccessary. Once centered, it should stay there if properly tight. Always "snap" the brake levers a few times to make sure the brakes are all the way open. Make sure the cable is well stretched and seated before trying to final adjust your brakes. Make cables are properly lubricated as well.
That should get you started.
Brian Baylis
La Mesa, CA
>
> Hi all,
>
> I keep running into what must be a classic problem with my various Campy sidepull brakes -- difficulty in centering. One book I have says the spring needs to be retensioned with use of a punch somehow, but it seems more like a question of centering the brake caliper body and re-tightening the nut. However at the moment, even when I do that, it doesn't work for more than one or two uses of the brake lever.
>
> Can somebody point me to a good discussion of this problem in a book or online? Sheldon Brown covers cantilevers, but I can't find something on his great site that addresses my problem.
>
> Paulie "seemingly forever newbie" Davis
> In foggy (rainy?) Los Angeles, CA