[moschika]

so i got a set of paul's neo-retros off ebay and was going to install them on my cx bike, however i ran into a problem. the paul's don't seat on the posts at all. there's a little sleave in the brake arm pivot that goes about 2/3 down the post and stops and if i remove the sleave, the arm only goes about 3/4 down the post and is loose. do i need some kind of adapter? am i installing them wrong?

i posted this in wrenching too...

 

[bcroteau]

Last I knew, all brake studs were a standard length. What kind of fork are you trying to install these on. Can you post any pictures? I've been using these brakes for about 4-5 years and have never seen this problem. If they are longer than standard, you can buy new studs from any bike shop. QBP keeps them in stock.

 

[moschika]

they're on a mid-late 90's waterford. i was running a cheap pair of shimano brakes before without problems.

i'll see if i can get pictures up later tomorrow afternoon.

 

[moschika]

here's a pic of my problem. the sleeve only goes partially down the post, thus the arm goes only as far as the sleeve leaving the rest of the post exposed.

 

[Ninja #2]

here's a pic of my problem. the sleeve only goes partially down the post, thus the arm goes only as far as the sleeve leaving the rest of the post exposed.

Mine are the same way. I guess that's how its supposed to be. I've been running them like that for three years now, with no problems.:idea:

 

[TedH]

here's a pic of my problem. the sleeve only goes partially down the post, thus the arm goes only as far as the sleeve leaving the rest of the post exposed.

Does the spring fit into the hole in the fork? If so, when you start torquing the bolt on the caliper, you will load hte spring and all is well. I believe my IF steel fork looks similar to what you describe. Can you take a photo of what the caliper looks like when bolted on with the spring?

 

[ChuckUni]

The spring doesnt go into the hole on the fork. It's like a press fit on the post and the spring works from that.

Mine mounted up about the same way (with sleeve). Work fine!

 

[moschika]

that's weird imo. why would it leave that "gap"? I guess I could paint the primer over in black paint but I just had the frame repainted! had I known... I think this might bug me.

 

[ChuckUni]

My frame has paint that tapers down onto the studs. It's an old Jamis Nova, so nothing fancy by any means. But it's been setup like that for a while and no issues. I don't remember exactly but I think the pauls stop on that taper about 1/3 down the stud.

Neo and Touring canti....

 

[ChuckUni]

or Vanilla:

 

[moschika]

wow. that's just weird to me. wonder why would paul make a sleeve that only went partially down? i sent them an email with the pic. i'm wondering what their response will be. if i knew that this was how it was going to be set-up, i would've had the painter paint up to that point on the studs. i guess i could use model paint to fill the gap but I'ld hate to do something like that to a fresh and nicely painted frame/fork.

 

[PlatyPius]

Yup, that's just the way they are.

See if the frame painter has any of the paint left over.

 

[ChuckUni]

I think the difference is that all brake pivots attach to the smaller part of the stud. Most brakes have a spring on the back side, covering up that last bit. The pauls have the spring on the front, hence the difference.

Your model paint would probably look fine for that tiny bit.

Awesome brakes though.

 

[moschika]

I think the difference is that all brake pivots attach to the smaller part of the stud. Most brakes have a spring on the back side, covering up that last bit. The pauls have the spring on the front, hence the difference.

that makes sense, then it should also make sense to make the sleeve base longer. I have a few days before my crank gets here, so hopefully paul will have a good response.

 

[zank]

What you are seeing is perfectly normal. Almost all cantis ride and pivot on the 8 mm diameter "stepped down" section of the post, except for the Pauls which pivot on the stainless bushing. The bushing gets locked down on the post when you set the spring tension and tighten the bolt. The alloy brake arm then pivots on the stainless bushing, which is sealed by the two o-rings. The reason you don't usually see the "stepped up" section of the post is because the bottom section of the brake fits over it usually houses the spring.

Here is a Spooky brake and a Paragon canti post. You can see the section of the post that the brake pivots on and also the "stepped up" section. On the Spookys, the "stepped up" section would be partially covered by the spring. On an Avid, it would be almost entirely covered and you wouldn't really notice that the brake is really only riding on the "stepped down" section. The Paragon post has the flats milled in the "stepped up" section for installation into the boss that is brazed or welded onto the frame. Hope that clears thing up a bit.