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Step 1
Squeeze the brake lever to see if the bicycle brakes need tightening. If the lever almost touches the handle, the brakes need to be tightened. Properly tightened brakes will only allow the lever to move half way to the handle at most.
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Step 2
Adjust the barrell adjuster by the brake lever. Turn the barrell adjuster to the left or counterclockwise to tighten the cable and bring the brake arms closer to the handle.
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Step 3
Squeeze the brake handle again to see if a greater adjustment is needed. If it is, find the nut on the rear brake arm.
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Step 4
Loosen the nut to free the brake cable.
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Step 5
Hold the cable in place and push the brake arm closer to the rim of the wheel. Make sure that the brake arm is close to, but not touching, the rim.
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Step 6
Tighten the bolt back up and check the brake lever to see if you need to make further adjustments.
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Step 7
Fine tune the brakes by using the barrell adjuster again. When you are finished, check the brake lever and make sure that it can be pulled an appropriate amount but not too far.
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Step 8
Check that the brakes on both wheels are toed-in, meaning that when you apply the brakes lightly, the pads on the brakes trail along the rim of the wheel. Adjust if necessary.
