Hey everyone!
Now that cold and rain have arrived in the northern hemisphere I’ve decided to put on some proper winter tyres (Vittoria Rubino Pro Control in 28mm). While the frame clearance is fine, the issue is the rear brake clearance. I have Tektro R741 (dual pivot) mounted on. I had the same tyre but with 25mm last year and it was fine but wanted the extra security of a 28mm this time, which rubs on the upper part against the brake.
Any tips or piece of advice to fix this apart from getting a 25mm tyre? 
Thanks and have a nice day!
The biggest advantage of disc brakes is actually improved tyre clearance. They also work better in the wet.
Short reach callipers like you have are normally limited to 25mm tyres depending on where the mounting hole on the frame is, you can see that there would be room to move the pads lower if you could mount the calliper a few mm higher.
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Option 1: Make it a fixie, then you don’t need a rear brake…
Option 2: Pretend it’s 1993 where everyone is advocating 21mm tyres, and you go for big fat comfy 25mm ones.
Option 3: N+1…
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Option 3 was what I was hinting at.
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brakes? who needs the extra weight?
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In that pic you can see that the arm crosses the tire some distance below the central mounting bolt. SRAM and Shimano calipers I have here don’t do that and provide more clearance. With thinner (worn) pads and/or a narrower rim that arm would be a little bit higher, but not much. You might look around and see if you can find a different caliper that might work. The LBS might have something lying around, or that they could order for ~$20-30. A newer/different Tektro caliper might do the trick.
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@Glen.Coutts - Tis why I do not have front brakes on me BMX bike. I am ‘extra weight’ too much already. I just need to lose 3 stone (and a few rocks)
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We need a hug emoji.
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Just grind a bit off the caliper and then repaint it black
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@Nicola - the answer to change your brake. A new ultegra or 105 brake from the current 12 speed range will allow you clearance for 28mm tyres and also 28mm outer width rims (which is wide for time brakes). I have a bike with these brakes and running a 28mm tyre on a 29mm outer rim wheel and it fits fine. The 28mm comes up larger the narrower the inner rim width is (some narrow wheels are not recommended for 28s for this reason check with the wheel manual). You also need to check that your levers are compatible with Shimano brakes (the amount of pull) but many are. Links below.
Hope that helps.
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@Nicola - Looks like tiagra is compatible with 28mm also. That might be the most cost effective solution. I prefer the shoe and cartridge pad system on 105/ultegra than the all in one piece block of tiagra. However, I am told that the shoe and cartridge pad can be bought separately and can be retro fitted to tiagra brakes. The main part of the tiagra brake looks very similar to an ultegra design from about 10 years ago, so it is probably well tested.
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Thank you all for your answers! I guess I‘ll go for the simplest solution and just get the 25mm version.
Have a nice day/evening!
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Late to the table, but FWIW, many calipers are designed with more of a flat/U at the top where it meets the tyre so may well have clearance, like these SRAM Apex. Not sure where you are based, but in Europe they are only 20euros.
That may well work. Looking at those calipers too, the outer arm appears much lower than the pivot/mount. That would suggest the brakes are quite far from the rim?
I do think another caliper may work. I think the brake design is a little flawed in how it is designed. I can see how you would have plenty of clearance with the frame.
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