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I picked up a frame a week ago and the guy said that he had it for about a year or so. And he told me that both brake arms were stuck on the brake post. But I tried so many ways to pop these suckers off but nothing worked. I can also see grease on the bottom of both arms so maybe too much grease on them was the case? I never really work with V-Brakes too.

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  • Too much grease doesn't normally make things stick. Too little in the right place might. Do they rotate freely?
    – Chris H
    Commented Mar 22, 2018 at 9:12
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    Make a good photo from the front, that we can see the threads.
    – krzyski
    Commented Mar 22, 2018 at 9:25
  • Tug away from the frame while twisting the arm back and forth. After about 15 minutes it will come loose.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Commented Mar 22, 2018 at 17:54
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    I just had this happen on my steel frame. The brake arm twists very freely but won't pull away. I'll try the 15-minute trick
    – Joe
    Commented Sep 20, 2020 at 13:49

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That's an indication of possible crash damage, because the brake arms have bent and distorted their mounts. However your photo shows rear mounts which are rarely damaged this way.

It can also happen if someone deforms the mount by using the wrong bolt, or over-tightening it and deforming things.

You may be able to use a small automotive bearing puller to pull the brake arm off. A couple of flathead screwdrivers can help provide leverage.

Another moderately good help is to warm the area with a hairdryer on high. This may be hot enough to damage plastics, but shouldn't damage paint. If the frame is carbon fibre or aluminium alloy then don't try heat, but it works nicely on steel.

Last resort is to cut the brake arm off using a dremel and small cutoff wheel. Its very hard to avoid damaging the mount posts though.

Crazy thought - have you tried backing off the spring tension adjust screws? Not all the way out, perhaps 10-12 mm.

If the tension springs are somehow locked in a groove or something, this might help.

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  • Hey thanks so much for all your guys quick responses! I think the previous owner might of used a different thread bolt or over tightened it. But my god was the post greased... I'm actually gonna replace the brake post because i can see a bit of rust on the bottom and top. The way i removed them, (DONT DO THIS) I evenly smacked both arms with a hammer and I put a bit of lube on the bottom so would slide off a bit easier. The reason i did this is because I was gonna replace the post anyways, but please use the directions the others have replied :)
    – T. Martin
    Commented Mar 23, 2018 at 2:08

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