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Calliper bolt too short - will longer recessed nut fix?

by Tristan.xg
Tue, Jul 09, 2019 22:10
16

As above - bolt won’t go far enough through fork. However I don’t see how a longer nut will fix the problem as there’s a thinner section inside the hole and the bolt isn’t long enough to pass through this. I’ve attached a pic in the comment below.

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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16 comments

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Tristan.xg | 5 years ago
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Just went to get a picture and had another go, turns out the nut does actually go further into the fork, you just have to push it hard enough that it lines up and goes in. Same with the rear calliper. So thanks ChasP that’s fixed it for me!

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Tristan.xg | 5 years ago
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It’s just an Allen key to take the bolt out the calliper, anyone know if you can get new bolts?

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Tristan.xg | 5 years ago
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Front calliper.

They’re Campagnolo veloce if it helps.

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Tristan.xg | 5 years ago
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This is the rear calliper, as you can see the bolt is ridiculously short.

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Tristan.xg | 5 years ago
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The frames my dads old Planet X nanolight (first gen not the high modulus) he had dura ace callipers in it which are now on his new frame. I’d rather not go taking his bike apart if I can avoid it. The problem is I don’t think a longer nut would help as the bolt from the caliper doesn’t reach far enough through the thinner part of the hole to reach where a nut can fit around it.

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ChasP replied to Tristan.xg | 5 years ago
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Tristan.xg wrote:

The frames my dads old Planet X nanolight (first gen not the high modulus) he had dura ace callipers in it which are now on his new frame. I’d rather not go taking his bike apart if I can avoid it. The problem is I don’t think a longer nut would help as the bolt from the caliper doesn’t reach far enough through the thinner part of the hole to reach where a nut can fit around it.

You don't need a longer bolt, the nut is designed to fit through the thinner part of the hole locating the brake, the flange at the end fits the larger part of the hole to tighten against the shoulder. I suggest removing the old brake from his new bike and measuring the length of the nut so you can get the same (it will only take a minute).

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Tristan.xg replied to ChasP | 5 years ago
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ChasP wrote:

Tristan.xg wrote:

The frames my dads old Planet X nanolight (first gen not the high modulus) he had dura ace callipers in it which are now on his new frame. I’d rather not go taking his bike apart if I can avoid it. The problem is I don’t think a longer nut would help as the bolt from the caliper doesn’t reach far enough through the thinner part of the hole to reach where a nut can fit around it.

You don't need a longer bolt, the nut is designed to fit through the thinner part of the hole locating the brake, the flange at the end fits the larger part of the hole to tighten against the shoulder. I suggest removing the old brake from his new bike and measuring the length of the nut so you can get the same (it will only take a minute).

I though of that but the nut just doesn’t fit in the hole.

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Tristan.xg | 5 years ago
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The frames my dads old Planet X nanolight (first gen not the high modulus) he had dura ace callipers in it which are now on his new frame. I’d rather not go taking his bike apart if I can avoid it. The problem is I don’t think a longer nut would help as the bolt from the caliper doesn’t reach far enough through the thinner part of the hole to reach where a nut can fit around it.

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Nick T | 5 years ago
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Usually when you buy a frameset they provide the longer nut to mount the brakes if it’s required. For example, Colnago stick a few extra sizes in the box for various brands of brake caliper as their forks are substantially thicker at the crown than others  

A shop that deals in the manufacturer of your frame should have spares available

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bendertherobot | 5 years ago
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Sounds like  an odd problem to have.

What's the history? Have you bought a new set of brakes for an existing bike? What bike? What brakes were there before? Have you compared the nuts/bolt you had with the nuts/bolt you now have?

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matthewn5 | 5 years ago
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Are you sure you have a front brake, and not two back brakes?
Have installed loads of brakes over the years, never had this problem.
Agree that SJS is your best bet for a fix.

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Tristan.xg replied to matthewn5 | 5 years ago
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matthewn5 wrote:

Are you sure you have a front brake, and not two back brakes?
Have installed loads of brakes over the years, never had this problem.
Agree that SJS is your best bet for a fix.

No the back one is even shorter. In fact same problem on the back.

If this is at all relevant I looked at my Dad’s bike and the nuts on his brakes sit quite deep into the fork whereas on my fork the nut is only a few mm from the edge. It definitely won’t go any further in as the hole gets too narrow.

I’ll see if the bike shop can press a longer bolt into the callipers.

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StraelGuy | 5 years ago
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I agree SJS are awesome but I think you're right Tristan. There don't appear to be any available threads there for a longer captive nut to thread onto. I wonder if it's possible to push out the pivot bolt and press in a new, longer one?

 

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vonhelmet | 5 years ago
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Yes, a longer captive nut will help. Try sjscycles.co.uk, they should have something suitable. Measure the depth of the fork crown front to back and the length of the bolt and work out how big a nut you need. I had to buy a 35mm one for the last bike I built.

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mike the bike replied to vonhelmet | 5 years ago
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vonhelmet wrote:

Yes, a longer captive nut will help. Try sjscycles.co.uk, they should have something suitable. Measure the depth of the fork crown front to back and the length of the bolt and work out how big a nut you need. I had to buy a 35mm one for the last bike I built.

 

Me too.  I think SJS will have exactly what you're looking for; they aways do.

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Tristan.xg | 5 years ago
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Excuse terrible photo, for some reason it’s been rotated.

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