The bicycle is a useful and ecological means of transport and in many cases it can become a trusted friend with which to move around the city or discover nature. For this reason, it is very important to check that it is in the best possible conditions of use: adjusting the bike brakes is very important and we should all be able to do it, just as in the case of repairing a sudden puncture.

Brakes indeed are a fundamental part of your means of transport and if they are not properly checked they risk causing accidents: that's why we decided to gift you this infographic with all the advice to follow to travel in absolute tranquility.

Adjusting the bike brakes: user manual

The adjustment of the bike brakes is done through a simple operation that aims to "regulate" the tension of the brake cable: by loosening the register located towards the upper edge of the brake cable it is possible to tension the same cable. Essentially, by loosening the register the tension of the cable is increased and this allows the brake shoe to get closer to the wheel rim.

Conversely, by screwing the register the tension will decrease and the distance between the brake shoe and the wheel will increase. The objective is to find the perfect tension: adjusting the bike brakes will make braking faster or slower. In fact, the more the cable is tensioned, the less time will be needed to brake.

Keep in mind: to adjust the front brake, you need to act on the controls that you find on the right of the handlebar, to adjust the rear brake, you have to act on the controls that you find on the left of the handlebar.

A second adjustment concerns the distance between the brake shoe and the wheel rim: in some cases, the distance between the two brake shoes and the wheel rim is not the same. In this situation, if the wheel rim does not present any deformation, you need to adjust the brakes by directly acting on the screw of the main body of the brake.

To intervene correctly on this screw you just need a multitool, which you can find in any bike shop or even at Decathlon. You will need to screw the screw from the side where the shoe is close to the rim and unscrew it from the other. Be careful, this operation is millimetric so you unscrew from one side and unscrew from the other always a quarter of a turn at a time and try the brake, repeating this operation until you reach equal distance between the shoes and the rim.

Before adjusting the brakes of any type of bike, it is important to check the condition of the shoe: if it were to be very worn it is essential to replace it. Here's how: unscrew the screw that stops the shoe (photo 3) and remove it completely, then replace it with the new one making sure to maintain the position and number of washers between the shoe and the bolt (always look at how they are before disassembling the worn shoe).

By putting these simple steps into practice it will be possible to travel on your bike in total safety: taking care of your means of transport is the best way to guarantee it a long life at our side, always ready to live new adventures together between city and nature.

Looking for new ideas for your next bike, eBike or MTB trips? On Cyclando you will find many tours in Italy and in Europe, to travel alone or in a group!