Brakes are an essential part of your bike, so much crucial that they ensure that you always have a safe ride. That is why it is critical that you take care of them regularly, regular maintenance of the bike will surely add more years to its lifespan.
Adjusting and tightening brakes is very easy, you just need to be considerate about some steps. There are mainly two parts of a bike’s brake that need tightening, those are:
- Brake Pads
- Brake Cables
Trust me, you really don’t want to experience worn-down brake pads or loose brake cables as they could easily lead you to accidents. Before you start riding again, it is absolutely necessary that you follow these steps to successfully tighten your bike’s brakes.
How To Tighten Your Bike’s Brakes
In order to tighten your bike’s brakes, you need to follow these steps. Let’s start.
Start by Loosening The Barrel Adjuster
You have to start with the barrel adjuster first, it is located between the intersection of the brake cable and lever. Now, you have to slowly turn the barrel adjuster clockwise, this will loosen it. Once you do that, the brake cable automatically tightens.
Mostly all the problems are fixed by loosening the barrel adjuster, but there are other measures that you can take if that does not work out. You can check the state of the brake cable by pressing the lever, see that how much it comes close to the handlebar. There are other steps that you can pursue if the cable is still loose.
Adjust The Caliper Part of The Brakes Now
Caliper is that part of the brake where the pads are attached and you need to check their state now. There should be a bolt that holds the brake cable to the caliper, find it. You will need an Allen wrench for the next step, turn the bolt counter-clockwise to loosen it.
Be careful not to overdo it, you don’t want to unscrew the bolt, just rotating it two or three times would do the trick!
The Next Step is to Pull The Brake Cable
Till now you would have successfully loosened both the caliper and the bolt, the next step will require you to pull the brake cable outwards, that should happen easily now!
Once you have successfully pulled the cable out, you need to hold it tightly in one place. You will now see that the front brake pads are tightening on the rim, that is because the cable is also getting tighter. You need to make sure that the pads are tight till there is some resistance when you turn the tire, make sure not to overdo it!
If you tighten the pads too much then the tires will not turn at all and that could lead to problems. Keep on experimenting till you hit that sweet spot.
Tighten The Caliper Bolt Again
If you are following the steps correctly till now then you have successfully tightened the brake cable. Not much is left now, you just need to tighten the caliper’s bolt again. You turned the bolt counter-clockwise before, now you need to turn it clockwise and do it two to three times, do it till there is no turning the bolt again, this will mean that the bolt has been successfully tightened.
Tighten The Barrel Adjuster Again
Now you need to go to the start all over again and tighten the barrel adjuster. Turn the adjuster clockwise to tighten them. You will see that as you are tightening the barrel adjuster, the brake pads have loosed slightly, this means that you are good to go now.
The brake cables will be fully set once the barrel adjuster has been tightened. You can test the brake cables and their tightness by pressing the lever now.
Read also:
- 7 Reasons You Should Go For Mountain Bike Disc Brakes
- Why Disc Brakes Are The Best Choice For Your Road Bike
- Why Beach Cruiser Bikes Should Have Gears and Brakes
- How To Tighten A Bike Chain
FAQs
What Tool Do You Need To Tighten Bike Brakes?
The only tool that you would be needing is an Allen wrench, you will need it to adjust the brake’s components.
Why Are My Brakes Too Loose?
The most common reason for that brakes being loose is wear and tear.
How Do I Make My Bike Brakes More Responsive?
There are several techniques that you can use to make your bike brakes more responsive, you can try resetting the barrel adjuster, or adjusting the brake arm springs.
Recap
Knowing how to tighten your bike’s brakes is very necessary, it saves a lot of time and money. Not every time you will have access to a professional mechanic, you will need to take care of things all by yourself.
Bike Maintenance is critical if you want smooth and risk-free rides, they also add multiple years to your bike’s life span. Don’t skimp out on timely maintenance, taking care of your bikes leads to amazing experiences. Stay Safe and Happy Cycling!
