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It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life

Bicycling Magazine's Complete Guide to Bicycle Maintenance and Repair: For Road and Mountain Bikes

Bicycling Magazine's Complete Book of Road Cycling Skills: Your Guide to Riding Faster, Stronger, Longer, and Safer

Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance

The Cyclist's Training Bible

Previous:
How to Fix a Flat Bike Tire

Next:
How to Replace Bike Brake Pads

How to Maintain Bike Brakes

Over time, the friction of braking can wear down the brake pads (on rim and disc brakes) or impair the coaster brake mechanism, limiting the effectiveness of your brakes. If you sense that your brakes aren’t responding as well as they should, test them. And even if your brakes seem to be fine, you should still test them regularly.

The process for checking bike brakes differs depending on whether you have hand brakes or coaster brakes.

How to Inspect Hand Brakes

Lift the front tire off the ground and spin it slightly, then pull the hand brakes for the front tire. Repeat for the rear brakes. The brakes should engage and stop the wheel almost immediately.
If the brakes don’t stop the tire immediately, check for brake wear at the point where the brake pad contacts the rim. New pads have a series of deep grooves. If the grooves on your pads are worn away, then the pads need replacing (see How to Replace Bike Brake Pads).

If You Can’t Find the Problem

Of all the bike’s systems, brakes are the most crucial to your safety and are among the least expensive parts to repair. If your hand brakes aren’t working as well as they should, never ignore the issue, even if there’s no evident wear on the brake pads. It’s important to take the bike to a bike mechanic to ensure that your brakes work.

How to Inspect Coaster Brakes

Lift the rear tire off the ground and spin the tire.
Apply the brake by pushing the pedals backward.
The brake should engage, and the wheel should stop almost immediately.
If the brakes fail to stop the wheel immediately, bring the bike to a mechanic. Don’t try to fix coaster brakes yourself.

Acknowledgments & Disclaimer