Rear brake adjustment?

Question

I am pretty new to road biking, i purchased a trek 1.5 2 months ago (LOVE IT!) and i have a quick question regarding replacing the rear wheel. I got a flat, so i fixed the flat and put the wheel back on, but it seems as though the wheel is not really straight. One brake touches the rim while the other doesnt. How do i fix this?

Does it have to do with the metal rod that goes through the rear wheel (i forgot the name of it). Do i need to tighten that as tight as possible?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Sounds like you didn't get your wheel centered properly in the dropouts when you reinstalled it.  Get the wheel in straight, using the brake pads as a guide.  When you have an equal distance between the rim and the brake pad on each side, your wheel should be straight.

There's no need to go messing with the brakes themselves, as they were apparently fine before you fixed your flat.  You risk creating a new problem by doing so.

And ditto about not overdoing the tightness of the skewers.

Answer 2

Do not tighten the skewer more!!!!!

They need to only be tight enough to prevent the wheel from moving in the drops, over tightening the skewer can cause bearing problems.

Answer 3

The part you are thinking of is called a skewer.  What you can do is put the bike upside down, loosen the rear axle (skewer) set the wheel between the brake pads then tighten.  You could also loosen the skewer and then tighten it with the rear brake applied. If that fails you can adjust the spring tension on the brake arm buy turning the philips s***w.  You may have to adjust the other one also.  Operate the brake several times and adjust as needed.  The skewer should be tight when it is pressed down.