Adjusting your brakes

First, which brakes do you have?

• Rim brakes — pads squeeze the wheel rim. Most of the hands-on adjustment below is for these.
• Disc brakes — pads squeeze a rotor near the hub (see Modern bikes). Lower-maintenance; skip to the disc section.

Rim brakes: pads and tension

• Usually a 4 or 5 mm hex key
• The barrel adjuster (turns by hand)

1. Set the pad height and angle Loosen the pad bolt, hold the pad squarely on the braking track just below the tyre, and re-tighten. A tiny bit of "toe-in" helps stop squealing.
2. Check the gap Each pad should sit a couple of millimetres from the rim so the wheel spins free but the lever bites quickly.
3. Fine-tune with the barrel adjuster Turn it anticlockwise to bring the pads closer as the cable stretches; clockwise to back them off.
4. For bigger changes, reset the cable If the adjuster runs out of travel, loosen the cable pinch bolt, pull a little more cable through, re-tighten, then fine-tune again.
5. Centre the pads If one pad touches and the other doesn't, turn the small centring screw on the caliper so both meet together.
6. Test before riding Squeeze hard: the lever should stop firmly with room to spare, the wheel spin free, and the pads never touch the tyre.

Disc brakes

• Curing a rub: loosen the two caliper bolts slightly, squeeze and hold the lever, then re-tighten while holding — this re-centres the caliper.
• Pad wear: replace before the friction material is thinner than about 1 mm.
• Keep them clean: no oil, grease or lube near rotors or pads; never touch a rotor just after riding.
• Spongy lever? Hydraulic brakes may need "bleeding" — a shop job.