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RadExpand / Re: A new remarkably light RadExpand 5?
« Last post by handlebar on Today at 05:49:35 PM »When I assembled my first Rad bike, I discovered that the step-by-step manual skipped the front wheel. I'd never mounted a quick-release wheel or a disk-brake wheel. I had to guess. It came out okay.
My second Rad bike was worse. The skewer assembly came mounted with a hard stainless steel spacer between the nut and the dropout. I figured they wouldn't use hard stainless steel as packing material, so I used it when I mounted the wheel. Several weeks later I noticed that the nut was loose because the spacer had let it rotate. I don't know why it was there in the first place.
My Aventon came with a solid front axle. I can remove the wheel about as fast as with a quick release, and it's safer because it's foolproof besides making a stronger assembly.
The drag and long lever movement of your front brake suggest to me that the caliper is misaligned, like the rear caliper of my first Rad bike. The fix is easy. Make sure that the cable is loose enough to let the lever on the caliper open to the stop. Loosen the two bolts holding the caliper half a turn or so, allowing it to be repositioned.
With a 5mm hex bit on a shaft maybe 6" long, reach through the spokes to turn the adjuster on the spoke side of the caliper. Turn it clockwise until the wheel won't turn. Then back off a click or two until the wheel turns freely.
Now apply the brake with the lever on the handlebar. If the lever bottoms out agains the bar, you'll need to tighten the cable. If you tie the lever to the handlebar to keep the brake applied, the disk will keep the caliper aligned while you tighten the two mounting bolts.
The result should be firm lever action and no drag.
My second Rad bike was worse. The skewer assembly came mounted with a hard stainless steel spacer between the nut and the dropout. I figured they wouldn't use hard stainless steel as packing material, so I used it when I mounted the wheel. Several weeks later I noticed that the nut was loose because the spacer had let it rotate. I don't know why it was there in the first place.
My Aventon came with a solid front axle. I can remove the wheel about as fast as with a quick release, and it's safer because it's foolproof besides making a stronger assembly.
The drag and long lever movement of your front brake suggest to me that the caliper is misaligned, like the rear caliper of my first Rad bike. The fix is easy. Make sure that the cable is loose enough to let the lever on the caliper open to the stop. Loosen the two bolts holding the caliper half a turn or so, allowing it to be repositioned.
With a 5mm hex bit on a shaft maybe 6" long, reach through the spokes to turn the adjuster on the spoke side of the caliper. Turn it clockwise until the wheel won't turn. Then back off a click or two until the wheel turns freely.
Now apply the brake with the lever on the handlebar. If the lever bottoms out agains the bar, you'll need to tighten the cable. If you tie the lever to the handlebar to keep the brake applied, the disk will keep the caliper aligned while you tighten the two mounting bolts.
The result should be firm lever action and no drag.