If your brakes are slightly too loose or too tight, or your brake pads have worn down a little since you made your last adjustments, you can modify the cable tension with the barrel adjusters, changing the brake pads' distance from the rim. On mountain, city, comfort and hybrid bikes, find the barrel adjusters on the brake levers where the brake cable goes into the lever. On road bikes, you'll find a barrel adjuster on the brake itself, just above or below where the cable clamps into the brake assembly. Some mountain bikes or other bikes may have another barrel adjuster on the brakes.
Step 1
Turn the adjusting barrel on the brake lever counterclockwise, if appropriate, viewing the barrel from the side where the cable approaches and enters the brake lever.
Step 2
Check the tightness of your brakes about every half turn by squeezing the lever until you reach your optimal brake tightness. Generally, the pads should be about 1/8 inch from the rim when the brake levers are at rest.
Step 3
Turn the barrel adjuster on the brakes, if applicable. Generally, these will also turn counterclockwise to tighten the cable tension, but observe what happens to make sure. Again, check the adjustment about every half turn of the barrel adjuster until the pads are 1/8 inch from the rim.
Tips and Warnings
- When riding long distances in wet conditions, your brake pads can wear down especially rapidly. During breaks, turn your barrel adjusters to compensate for this wear. To solve issues such as misaligned brake pads, debris caught in the brake pads or somewhat unevenly worn brake pads, you will need tools. Carrying a bicycle-specific multi-tool with wrenches dramatically increases the number of repairs you can make to your brakes on the road. When you have access to tools, screw the barrel adjuster back in and pull the brake cable further through the clamping bolt to mimic the tension you added on the fly. BikeWebSite cautions that you must tighten the clamping bolt down as hard as you can to avoid the cable slipping out during braking. Barrel adjusters can be difficult to use beyond a few full complete turns, so retightening the cable in the clamp resets the barrel adjuster and preserves your ability to make useful adjustments the next time you're away from tools or a bike repair shop. Former Bicycling Magazine technical editor Jim Langley notes that when your brake pads are worn down completely, adjusting the cable tension won't do anything for your braking capacity. When your brake pads wear down to the wear line or if they become extremely unevenly worn, it's time to replace them.
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