Brakes: Introduction

(M = mountain bike; R = road bike; C = cruiser)

OVERALL BRAKE SYSTEM DIAGNOSIS: Your bike has either hand brakes or a foot (coaster) brake. The coaster brake only stops the rear wheel, and is not as efficient as good hand brakes, but it will work for children and for low-speed cruiser cycling for adults. You might have a special hand actuated hub or disk brake, but these gizmos are too specialized for me to cover.

(C) If you have a foot or coaster brake (the kind you pedal backward to apply), and the thing sticks, or it doesn’t slow you down very well, or it slips, you have to take the rear wheel off the bike and take the hub apart to fix the brake. This takes time and patience. But the problem is usually relatively simple, so if you’re short on cash and long on time and patience, carefully follow the Overhaul procedure on below and you’ll probably have the brake working fine in a day or so.

(M, R) If you are having problems with hand brakes, you may have to look at the whole brake system to find out just what is causing the problem. The following paragraphs describe the two basic problems you can have with brakes; read them to find out which part of the brake system you have to work on to solve your problem.

(M, R) Brakes don’t go on: The problem is probably a loose or broken cable, or an entire brake system that is so rusty or mud-clogged that the parts are locked together. Inspect the brake cable for breaks or frayed places. (See Cable PROBLEMS for more info.) If the whole system for either your front or your back brake is rusty or clogged, try cleaning it with a rag or your shirttail, apply some lubricant if you have any along, and work the mechanism by hand while squeezing the hand lever; if that doesn’t get it working, ride home slowly using your other brake, then replace the cable and overhaul the mechanism if necessary, as described later in this chapter.

(M, R) Brakes don’t go off: Something is stuck some where in your brake system so one or both of the brake shoes won’t let go of the wheel rim when you let go of the brake handle. Any of the three units of the brake system— the Hand Lever, the Cable, or the Mechanism—could be hung up. If your brakes get the “stickies”, first find out which unit is stuck. Apply the brake. Move the hand lever back to its released position. If it moves freely, it’s OK and you know the snag is in the cable and/or the mechanism. If the hand lever doesn’t move freely, it has the stickies. (See Hand Lever PROBLEMS.)

Info-graphic:
The Three Units of a Brake System

(M, R) If the trouble is in the cable or mechanism, pull the little transverse cable end out of its notch on one of the cantilevers (on road bikes, release the quick-release lever on the brake mechanism) so the brakes become loose. Then tug a little on the carrier with one hand and operate the brake hand lever with the other hand. When you release the lever, does the cable fail to slip back towards your tugging hand? If so, and the lever is OK, then you can bet the cable has the stickies. (See Cable PROBLEMS.)

(M, R) Cable OK?

That leaves the brake mechanism. Try reaching through the spokes of the wheel with your fingers and squeezing and releasing the brake shoes. If one or both don’t spring away from the rim when you let go of them, or if one shoe is cockeyed, see Mechanism PROBLEMS.

Next: Hand Lever

Prev: Prepare to Ride and Repair your Bicycle