Bike Maintenance Tips, Tricks & Techniques (Digital)

Bike Maintenance Tips, Tricks & Techniques (Digital)

1 Issue, Bike Maintenance Tips, Tricks & Techniques 3rd Edition

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Mechanical disc brakes: adjusting brake pads for controlled stopping

The pad position will need adjusting after changing a brake cable, after fitting new pads or as the pads become worn. Ideally, the pad position should be set so that you can lock up the wheel by pulling the brake lever halfway to the handle bar. This gives you enough lever movement for precise speed control, without the risk of trapping fingers between lever and bar during emergency stops.
Mechanical disc brakes can be fiddly to adjust. The clearance between pads and rim must be small, without allowing the pads to rub on the rotor. A common source of confusion is that only the outer brake pad gets moved by the action of the cable, pushing the rotor against a stationary inner pad. This means that the two pads have to be adjusted in different ways. You will really benefit from a workstand for this task. If that’s not possible, press-gang a mate into lifting the wheel off the ground at opportune moments. Before you start adjusting, spin the wheel, look into the calliper slot and check how much clearance there is between rotor and pads. If the brake binds as you ride, one or both pads are rubbing…
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Bike Maintenance Tips, Tricks & Techniques (Digital) - 1 Issue, Bike Maintenance Tips, Tricks & Techniques 3rd Edition

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