Hi, this is Tim and I am here in Camas bikes here in Camas, Washington. And this is how to check your bike brakes. Now there are many styles of bike brakes and many styles of bikes. And each brake has it's own individual characteristics. But all of them do have brake pads. And this one has the brake pads that run on the rim. And so we would call these rim brakes. These brakes use a completely different system and that is a different topic. Here we are going to check first to see if the brakes actually function. Turn the wheel, see if they stop. Now there is a lot of lever play, these brakes are really loose. So, there is something we can do, we can unscrew this barrel adjuster. And as we unscrew it, it adds tension to the cable and tightens the brakes and then we can see there they are a little tighter now. Every bike brake has a bike brake cable. And we want to inspect that cable to make sure it doesn't have any rust. And when we pull the lever it releases and the cable is taken back out. And then you also want to check your brake pads. There are little lines that are etched into them. Along the length, and once those lines disappear it means that they need replaced. And also, if you take your wheel off your bike and look at the brake pad surface, sometimes you will see little bits of rock and other materials stuck in there. That will accelerate the wear on your rim, and also wear the brake pads off even further. So, you want to check that these grooves are still there, so these break pads still have a little life still in them. Once those are gone, it's time to replace your pads. And this cable looks pretty good, it's not rusty, it's not frayed. It's not broken, so the cable is good. So, I want to say this brake is just fine for now. Probably about another 100 miles to go or so on that brake before they need replaced. And then we will put the back, the wheel back in there. And tighten it up. Also whenever you adjust the position of the brake pads, you want the front of the brake pad to hit slightly before the back. And this is more or less a credit card thickness difference. And they call this adjustment, toe in. And this just keeps your brake from squealing. So, if your brakes do squeal, that is what you want to look for. I'm Tim, and that is how to check your bike brakes.
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