Most bicycle brakes are activated by a set of cables connected to the brake levers, and most points along with your brakes will be solved by adjusting the stress of these cables. They will even want periodic changes to maintain them working correctly.
To check the stress of your brake cables, give your brake levers a squeeze. In the event that they contact the handlebar grips or get shut sufficient to crush a finger slipped beneath, it’s essential to improve your cable pressure. On the flip aspect, if solely the slightest strain on the levers causes your brakes to clamp down—or in case your brake pads rub once you spin the bike’s wheel with out squeezing the brake lever in any respect—then it’s essential to lower your cable pressure. Normally, cable pressure will be modified by twisting the barrel adjuster discovered on the level the place the cable meets the hand lever. There are tons of easy-to-follow YouTube movies that present you easy methods to modify brake cables.
There are a number of sorts of brakes, however you are almost certainly to have rim brakes or disc brakes. The most typical rim brakes—V-brakes or caliper brakes—pinch each side of the wheel rims from the highest of the wheel. Disc brakes do not contact the rim in any respect and as an alternative use small calipers to pinch CD-sized discs mounted within the heart of every wheel. Disc brakes provide superior stopping efficiency, however they are often fussy to keep up.
Fancier disc brakes use hydraulic mechanisms to pinch the discs. Whereas hydraulic brakes are usually not inconceivable to keep up at house, they seem to be a bit greater than most individuals wish to deal with. Keep in mind to periodically get the traces checked and refilled with recent fluid at an area bike store. And if the brake fluid reservoir in your handlebars appears to be like low, take it to a motorcycle store quickly.
Much less widespread are coaster brakes, which do not use levers and are as an alternative activated by pedaling backward. These are troublesome to regulate your self and are harmful when not correctly adjusted, so take your coaster brake to an expert.
Brake pads put on out step by step as you utilize your bike and are simply changed. You simply have to know what dimension or kind of brake pad to buy. The writing on the worn pads ought to offer you a touch about what to purchase. Brake pads are largely common, although their mounting methods fluctuate. The start of this video explains the variations.
Swapping out worn V-brake pads for brand new ones takes no various minutes, and all you often want is the best dimension hex key. We suggest Park Software’s hex wrench ($14) with the three most typical key sizes on it. It is going to take you a bit longer to interchange disc brake pads as a result of the brakes are smaller and extra intricate; this video exhibits a number of methods to strategy pad substitute. In each circumstances, it is best to readjust your cable pressure after placing new pads on.
You are going to want to scrub these brake pads periodically too. Use an previous toothbrush or a store towel ($3) to get into the hole between the brake and both the rim or the disc, and use some brake cleaner ($10) to take away any buildup.
