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Felt B2 rear mounted brake sticking- any advice?

Hey folks.  I've got a Felt B2 which has the rear brake hidden down at the bottom and behind the seat post.  The brake calipers are kinda "sticking" and the action of the break lever is squishy and doesn't really realease correctly.  FYI- these are the stock brake calipers that came with the B2- pretty low end crap stuff (obviously where they saved some $$).

Anybody run into this before and have any idea how I fix it?  I think I might need a special wrench to adjust the bolt that holds the caliper to the bike??  Would that adjust the caliper action?

Comments

  • Nemo, Can't provide specific stuff on this brake. However, to save you some hassle if you decide to switch. You'll need shimano 7800 series ( I had to go to ebay to find it). The B series and DA are the same frame just different carbon.

    From the folks at GAG in Chicago (who did my build)

    2) The rear Ultegra brake you had us order is incompatible with the Felt DA frame (the front brake is fine). In the past, I have also found that the SRAM Red, Force, Rival, and Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 rear brake is incompatible with the DA. The incompatibility is due to the arch of the brake hitting the frame. The only common brake I have found to fit the Felt DA is the Dura-Ace 7800.

     

     

  • I've got a B2R and replaced the calipers with Dura-Ace 7800. Not all brakes will fit back there. I'm not sure if we have the same levers, but some have a return spring that helps pull the cable back after you squeeze, and some don't, relying on the spring on the brake to push the cable back to the lever and the cable to push the lever back out. My brakes feel a lot better with the DA calipers--I'd considered replacing the levers but have decided I don't really need to do it.

    If the brakes worked OK at first, it could be that the housing got kinked or that it is interfering with the cable moving easily. To test that, you can undo the cable fixing bolt on the caliper and feel how smoothly the cable runs.
  • Thanks guys! That rear brake action just never felt quite right to me. I'd been considering replacing the brakes but wasn't sure about compatability because of the way it fits back there- good to know what will work!! Before I buy new calipers though I'll check the lines, I did have the calbe re-run over the winter when I adjusted the handlebars and it seems to me the action in the brakes got worse. I'll check to see if there is a kink.
  • Is the brake located on the bottom of the BB? Will Dura Ace work down there? I thought only the Tektro (sp?) would bolt down there and behind a front fork also.

    V
  • Although it's a different issue, while we are on the subject of the brake issues on Felt B-series bikes, I should say that I have had one heck of a time trying to mount my HED Stinger 6/9 combo on my Felt B12. The width of the C2 rim is simply too wide to clear the stock brakes, no matter how you adjust them. The only solution I have been able to find for this is to either drill out the caliper to increase clearance or sand down the brake itself to give more room. I suppose this is just a word of caution since Zip has started to move more towards wider rims similar to the HED C2 rim, it's a heck of a tight fit.
  •  Just cut the cable - brakes are for wussies 

  • My old Zipp wheel has a pretty tight fit as well. In fact, I think that's part of my problem! That rear brake deal looks cool and all, but frankly I'm not sure it's worth all this trouble for whatever the aerodynamics are that I'm gaining by having it down there!
  • For better or worse, integrated or otherwise hidden or non-conventional brake designs I think are only going to become more and more prevalent on the next generation of TT bikes. From here on out, I don't think we'll see many conventionally mounted rear brakes (look at the Felts, P4), and now we'll get to deal with the fun of inaccessible integrated front brakes too (Speed Concept, Shiv).



    As for the HED C2 rim, the Stinger 6 is actually wider at its apex than the Stinger 9 (or at least it seems), such you can not even mount it even with zero cable tension on the front brake without modified pads or calipers. I’d have to remove the front brake all together… maybe that’s not such a bad idea… I’ll pull the brakes, get a Bianchi Pista, a brooks saddle and match the colorway in accordance to my novelty mustache. As far as I know, there’s no USAT rule prohibiting hipsters... but ahem, back to reality. The 2010 Zipp 303 uses a similar width rim to the C2 I believe, it'll be interesting if the full line of Zipps moves in the same direction as HED.

  • Hipster at an IM- now THAT would be fun!!! I checked the cable and it slides in/out pretty easily. I ordered a set of Dura-Ace 7800 Calipers- I've wanted to replace them ever since I got the bike anyway- there's no way I'm chancing myself on the IMWI course with brakes I don't trust.
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