

Top tip: Tightening or loosening the barrel adjuster is a quick and easy way to address braking issues if you’re out on a ride. Once you’ve tightened or loosened the barrel adjuster accordingly, give the brake lever another squeeze to see if it’s fixed the issue.
#Cannondale quick disk break adjustment how to#
This video shows how to tighten or loosen the barrel adjuster if you’re not sure – skip to 50 seconds. This will increase or decrease tension in the cable. Tighten or loosen the barrel adjuster by turning it clockwise or anti-clockwise. Tighten or loosen the barrel adjuster accordinglyĪfter diagnosing whether your brake cable is too tight or too loose, you can make minor adjustments using the barrel adjuster. Ideally, the brake lever should squeeze 3-4cm before becoming difficult. If you can barely squeeze it at all, the cable is too tight.

If the lever touches the handlebars, the brake cable is too loose. The clearest giveaway that something is wrong with your brakes is if the brake lever is too tight or too loose. Pull the brake lever to judge how tight or loose your brakes are If you find you have to pull hard on the brake lever to slow down, or it squeezes right into the handlebar, it’s likely your brake cable needs adjusting. The barrel adjuster is the metal cuff on the brake cable at your brake lever. On mechanical disk brakes, the caliper is the claw-looking device at the disk in the centre of your wheel. On v brakes, the caliper is the horseshoe-shaped device over your tyre that’s attached to the brake pads. One is at the caliper and the other is the barrel adjuster. There are two main points of adjustment on cable-based brakes like v brakes and mechanical disk brakes. This article will teach you the basics of how to maintain, align and adjust your bike brakes. To clean the brakes and harder to reach areas of your bikeĮvery cyclist should know how to adjust bike brakes and, while all the moving parts can make it look intimidating, it’s not as complicated as it looks.There are many reasons you’d want to adjust your bike brakes –
