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I like to put 28c size tires on my Giant OCR4 2006 (which I second-hand bought recently), but these old Tektro brakes don't have this useful release switch modern brakes have. I tried loosening the fine tuning bolt marked (marked as 1 in the picture). But this doesn't open far enough for 25c+.

Is there supposed to be an easy way of releasing the brakes in case I get a puncture? The only way I can think off is taking the brake blocks out, or loosening the table tension bolt (marked as 2 in the picture).

Or is my best option just buying some new brakes if I want to run bigger tires?

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  • You did double-check that there's no release lever on the brake lever, right? And no way to pull the brake cable housing out of the stop at the lever so that it produces slack? – Daniel R Hicks Jul 8 '14 at 22:59
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There are two ways: 1. Deflate the tyre, put the wheel in, re-inflate. I had to do like this in the old days. 2. There are tension release devices you can put in the cable-housing. Shimano amongst others sells those for their direct-mount rear Dura-ace brakes that don't come with release levers. (item SM-CB90) The alternative would be new brakes indeed.

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  • Thanks, my next question is. Do you know if the Shimano Sora 3500 2013 Brake Calipers are compatible with my old 7 speed levers? – erwin_smit Jul 8 '14 at 19:56
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    Road brakes are most probably compatible with road-type levers. Only V-brakes use a different cable pull ratio. – Carel Jul 8 '14 at 20:07
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    You don't need to worry about releasing brakes if you get a puncture. A flat tire will come out. Inflate after you put in a new tire is not that big a deal. Is it really worth $80 in brakes? – paparazzo Jul 8 '14 at 20:56
  • Probably not. I will leave these on for now. Set of sora brakes are not expensive though. – erwin_smit Jul 8 '14 at 21:54
  • @Carel Normal roadbike brakes have similar cable pull to cantilever brakes, U brakes (BMX) and road-specific disc brakes. MTB-specific mechanical disc brakes should have the same cable pull as V-brakes. (Avid's BB5 & BB7 have road and MTB versions). A Problem Solver roller device may also provide long- and short-pull compatibility. – Emyr Jul 9 '14 at 16:57

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