Things You'll Need:
- Hex key
- Brake cable lubricant
- Owner's manual for mountain bike
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Step 1
Inspect the calipers on your front and rear brakes to determine whether or not the pads are coming into contact with the rims of your mountain bike. This can be accomplished by squeezing the brake handles while getting a close view of the action of the calipers. Each caliper should come in contact with the rim at the same time.
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Step 2
Use the owner's manual of your mountain bike to determine how to adjust and repair the brakes. In most cases, adjustments can be performed through adjusting knobs on both the handlebars and the brake arms. Generally, the handlebar knob is used to make fine tuning adjustments, while the knob at the brake assembly is used to quickly correct major alignment issues.
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Step 3
Adjust the brake pads by using a hex key to loosen or tighten the brake arms until the pads are properly aligned with the rims. Be sure to tighten the screws on the pads after the proper adjustment is made.
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Step 1
Keep your brake cables well-maintained by lubricating them on a regular basis. Simply remove each cable by loosening the locking hex nut at each end (usually, no tools are required to do this).
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Step 2
Loosen the locking hex nut that controls the cable tension. This is usually located near the rear brake.
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Step 3
Loosen the hex nut at the other end, which is usually located near the other cable adjustment knob at the handlebars.
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Step 4
Pull the brake cable through the housing by removing the end cap of the tube.
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Step 5
Apply brake cable lubricant to the cable itself, and then push the cable back through the housing so that it will lubricate the interior as well.
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Step 6
Reassemble the brake cable assembly by slipping the cable back through the housing, and attaching each end to the hex nuts at the adjustment knobs. You may need to refer to the owner's manual of your mountain bike for variations.
