Replacing and adjusting brake blocks

One of the points used to sell V-brakes was that changing the blocks would be easier than with cantilever brakes. This is slightly misleading – changing blocks is not difficult, but can be fiddly. You may find yourself wishing you had smaller fingers.

The key is to set up the brake units so that they’re parallel and vertical before fitting the brake blocks into the units. Most new brake blocks come with a new set of curved washers but occasionally you’ll have to reuse the old ones. It’s a good idea to clean your rims at the same time so that the new brake surfaces can get maximum grip. Step 1: Undo and remove Allen key nut on the end of the old brake block stud, then wriggle out the old block and its curved washers. The new brake block comes with fresh washers, but keep old ones as spares. Now look at the position of the brake units. They should be parallel and vertical (A). Get the position of the units right…

You're reading a preview of

Bike Maintenance Tips, Tricks & Techniques (Digital) - 1 Issue, Bike Maintenance Tips, Tricks & Techniques 3rd Edition

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.