Bicycle Maintenance: Brakes

Video Transcript

"Let's take a look at your brakes on your bike, probably the most important piece on the bike is how you stop it so if your bike has been in storage or hasn't been ridden around take a look at your brake pads, if they have worn a bunch replace them, if they need just a bit of cleaning due to that, very simple, this bolt comes out on this particular Shimano brake and the pad slides right out, you replace it with a new one and put the bolt back in there. Once the brake pad has been replaced you want to make sure that it is hitting the rim evenly meaning that the pad is contacting the rim at the same time as the other one. If you apply the brake a couple of times you can notice if it is pushing the rim one way or the other. If it is you adjust it a little bit with your hands or possibly this little bolt right here will adjust the tension of the brake. It is really important to make sure that that is correct. If your bike has been in storage for a long time go ahead and replace those brake pads and it will allow you a little bit cleaner surface and allow you to stop the bike when you want to safely."