How To Adjust Cable Activated Disc Brakes | Maintenance Monday
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- Most entry-level disc brake bikes will have cable actuated disc brakes, and adjusting them can seem like a daunting task! But, with some care and attention, it can be done easily with just one tool! Alex shows you how to adjust your cable actuated disc brakes.
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Leave us a comment below!
You did a very good short comprehensive explanation. thank you. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
This has been helpful. Smooth transition of tutoring.
I am glad your video was at the top of my search. Straight to the point, covered all aspects, and no mumble jumble nonsense.
Thanks for taking the mystery out of the adjustment process
What a helpful video - thank you.
Unlike far too many videos that take hours to tell you nothing!
Wow. You made that a WHOLE lot simpler than I made it out to be. Thanks for the video!!
Bro , this video helped me out a lot !
I have an e bike and my brakes were ass , saw what I had to do
Not sure if I did it correctly but I sure can brake a lot better
great help thank you! wish you added in about feeler gauges, but otherwise wonderful
A more systematic approach for adjusting single-piston mechanical disc brake calipers is:
1. Loosen mounting bolts just enough for the caliper to wiggle.
2. Pull the brake lever and hold.
3. Adjust the inboard pad until the rotor is more or less in the center of the caliper's slot, eliminating the chance of the rotor rubbing against the caliper body. Slightly reduce lever pull as you wind the adjuster clockwise.
4. Gradually tighten the mounting bolts alternately while still pulling the lever.
5. Let go of lever and release cable tension by loosening cable bolt.
6. Spin the wheel and slowly back off the inboard pad until brake rub is gone.
7. Shine light between the pads and rotor, position the cable arm such that the moving pad is close enough to the rotor, and affix the cable to the cable bolt.
8. Fine tune the bite point with the barrel adjuster.
Note: some calipers have a 2mm grub screw that "locks" the inboard pad adjuster that needs to be backed off to avoid marring the adjuster's threads.
Also, dry-lube your cables, housings, and lever pivots once a month, regardless if they're teflon-coated or surface-finished. Doing so, they can feel as slick as hydraulic levers.
U just saved me $100 at the bike shop
100 bucks to adjust brakes is extortion
@@abdullahabx1 you can say that again!
$100 what?? That's a scam man!!Where u from? Im in Singapore and that's probably $4-$8 max!!
Bruh thats wayy more than entry level shimano hydraulic brakes. I use mt201.
Thank you so much for tutoring video fantastic
Thank you for posting this, very helpful
I appreciate what you shown us. May I ask what the name and type of tools You used. I need to get a set.
This was the most succinct & plainly-explained of too many videos I've watched on this topic. You rock. Thanks!
Thanks for the vid 👍
thankyou buddy for the tips.
A GCN video that includes a bike for the masses? Count me in!
I'm a traditionalist bicyclist. I like my old squeezy brakes on the side of the wheel. My buddy just got an e-bike and the shops around here won't work on it and I've never worked on an e-bike, just normal mechanical bicycles. I've never had a bike with disc brakes either, just the old squeezy ones, and this thing had disc brakes and a motor on the back of the back wheel, cuz I had to do the back wheel, and man, now the thing is like not calibrated right on the brake, so this video has been very helpful. And another thing I want to get is one of those stands, man. Can you drop a link to that stand? Thank you.
My Logan brake doesn't have an Allen wrench bolt on the wheel side. Perhaps there's another way to adjust the right side pad placement?
thankyou, good job
Thanks for this. It's very helpful for those of us with touring bikes, where cable-operated discs are preferable to hydraulic due to less risk of maintenance issues when far away from a bike shop. The hydraulic discs on my road bike are very temperamental compared to the ones on the touring bike, but the modulation when they are working is outstanding.
thank you so much
You guys lost all credibility in my book when you guys started advertising these eurobikes garbage bikes
Er when have they advertised them? They've never done anything of the kind........
Finally a mechanics video I can relate to my bike 😅
Man i almost got hit by car yesterday but i fixed it and now i can ride my bike comfortably
Great information. It will definitely help me with my new bike. What I need right now is a video on why my mechanical disk brakes aren’t stopping the bike quickly. I just got a used Raleigh Redux 1 and need to figure out what’s wrong with the brakes. The V brakes on my older bikes work better than these.
I service mech discs for a living, sorry you adjusted everything in the wrong order.
Start with 2:05 loosen cable
3:28 undo caliper post mount bolts, just loose with minute tension
Put paper/business card in between pads/disc
1:33 tighten the inner pad adjuster till the outer pad contacts. Remember the disc will flex so wiggle the rim or push the disc to confirm its straight.
Mark the post mount to caliper alignment with texta/paint or ideally scribe a line across both parts
Tighten the caliper post mounts, make sure your texta/scribe line stayed true where you marked it. Even with washers these elongated holes move around when torquing.
Tighten the cable.
Spin the wheel, check for daylight between the outer pad and disc.
Make the inner pad almost rub.
It is critical that the calipers rotating arm be at maximum looseness (rotated anticlockwise as far as possible) with the outer pad as close to the disc.
It uses 3 ball bearings that are on ramps. When not set as above the ramps run out of room.
You lose breaking leverage(they will run out of travel and apply no more force) and the calipers will lock up/lock on and they won't release.
These ramps not only wear down but they form a divet at maximum clockwise rotation.
I would strongly recommend removing the lever arm and repacking the grease on these balls. Most/all mech calipers are built with donkey turd for grease that overheats in 1 stop. Just use car wheel bearing grease, no lithium or eco friendly garbage, don't use oil or anti seize. High temp wheel bearing grease only.
Good calipers have 2 o rings to stop grease seeping into the brake pads (tektro/promax) others like zoom do not. They are shocking as well as have undersized pads.
Setup well mech discs will equal performance of hydraulic, but finger pull strength is greater. You will feel more with cable and you have no fluid to boil.
The original mech calipers had a sliding pivot(floating calipers) that self centered the pads on the rotor. The identical setup to 99.9% of cars. This prevents the disc from flexing to one side which causes pads to wear at an angle/slope which then makes the disc flex even more.
The outer pads still wear 30% faster so pressures are not equal, but considering that bike hydraulic calipers rub and push discs to one side its not like this issue is fixed with hydraulic.
Very good manual/explanation. 😀 Can you give some advice about cables/housings too? I have noticed, that when I cut the end of compressionless housing (sometime called universal housing, because it has same construction like shifting cable, but is reinforced with Kelvar) nice and flat, when it's straight. The end becomes non straight (Some wires that have shorter bath through of curves protrude), when I route it to frame. Frame designers always don't take to account how the curves effect the cable housing. I cut the outer first a bit longer and then cut the excess, to square square end after routing it, but it's so much hassle. I need to remove caliper and hold the end on right place.. And little space to cut it there. Also I think it would take time for wires to settle on right place.. So I might need to do it again. And I wonder is there actually much difference.. Or I'm just going too far with perfectionism. Or maybe I make actually things worse by doing that? I think I got it working little bit better, than it was before, Because it became more compression less. The outer is less springy, but I'm not sure.. Might be just that I routed it better. But I was able to leave bigger cap between pad and rotor. Although I have adjusted the brake levers reach little closer. I can still get the brake levers against bar if I brake full force, but it works great. I was surprised that when I replaced the handlebar. The curve the outer took, was perfect. The ends of housings that go to lever were exactly same like when the housing was straight. So I supose some manufacturers do design their stuff better than others. And that handlebar was not even expensive. But from a good brand.. They must be just on another level. ^_^
@@Hardi26 are you saying you end up with friction or that cable free play is an issue? Internal cables will flex more if the frame mounts don't hold the cable outer fixed.
People like sethsbikehacks drill out frame cable mounts and install 1 piece cable outers instead of the exposed 3 piece cable outers.
The 3 piece make the cable stiffer, counter intuitive. But as you pull the cable the outer housing moves wasting energy and meaning more lever throw for the same caliper piston movement.
@@janeblogs324 Sorry, it seems I have difficult to explain what I mean. I'm talking about wires that are part of braided universal housing. The ones that are under compression when braking. Not confused with pulling cable. When I cut the braided cable housing correctly 90 degree angle, so that it would fit inside end cap nice all around, when the housing is straight. The cut changes, when I bend housing More noticeable when bending it at close to the cut.. It changes less or not at all if the section of bend has certain length, because all those wires spiral gradually around the housing. When makinf sharp/short bend some steel wires that are part of housing, protrude out from the cut end. And then not all wires of housing don't touch the end cap. I think that it is not good, if only one edge of housing is against the end cap. Maybe it's not a problem for shifting housing, because there is not so much force, but in braking it probably need all the steel wires that housing has to hold.. But I like the braided universal housing still better for disc brake. It's just that because how the frame is designed, there is a sharp turn near to brake caliper where the cable comes out from inside fork. Maybe it would really be better to route cable to outside of fork. And in 3 sections.. and with some sealed kit to keep dirt away.
Thanks.😊
My new bike has two brake levers per caliper, and that confuses me a little. For the front brake, one lever is adjusted properly, the other bottoms out. I'm guessing when I go look at it again there are barrel adjusters on each of the levers to adjust them relatively. Could be a good video topic.
My front wheel brake is not working at all . The wheel keep spinning even though I pull the brake all the way to the handle
Absolute life saver video; properly panicked after initially changing my pads and thanks to this sorted! 🙏
Great way to get into cycling!
Thank you soo much you made adjusting brakes soo simple !!!!!
Cable actuated discs will still be common. Eventually even most entry level frames will be made disc only but the cost of making an entry level groupset fully hydraulic would not be economical. So it makes a lot of sense. It would mean that Shimano Claris and Sora would not need complete redesigns and can continue using the tried and tested trickle down tech approach.
In all fairness, the latest Claris and Sora iterations are so good for their budget they have very little to no performance disadvantage to the older Dura-Ace and Ultegra of the same speed, just weight. Also the additional refinement of the components (both in tech and ergonomics) mean they look and feel better too. The fact that the latest Sora shifters allow the cables to run under the bar tape makes a cleaner aesthetic than the old Flight Deck levers.
Mine is a TRP Spyre, no hassling with barrel adjuster. As long as your caliper is parallel to you rotor, 3mm allen key will do the rest.
The bike I've just sold had the same (TRP Spyres) and I thought they were just fine. The one-finger breaking on the 105 hydraulic callipers on the replacement bike however is wonderful.
@@matthewvelo My dad has 105 hydraulic on his bike. Surely it's amazing how you could just brake with one finger, while I have to put quite a bit of force on my 5800 shifters. But the cost... I just can't justify to upgrade. Mechanical still works for me.
gracias!
My spacer on the back seems like it was really tightened on. Any advice for loosening?
Thank you so much sir, you just saved me a trip to the rip off bicycle shop that wanted $40 to adjust my disc brake.
Maybe in the UK, US, Europe... But in 3erd world country like mine tons of road bikes come with mechanical disc brakes due to costs. I mean in Mexico an entry trek road bike is around 4 months of minimum wage ~1000 usd
Excellent video.
This was very well explained, and covered some of the points that others seem to miss. As someone who has had to take a bike into the shop twice in the same week, due to the front brake locking on during a commute, knowing what I can do to fix the issue enough to get home is very helpful
hi, thanks for the comment! glad you enjoyed the video and it was useful
@@gcntech you mentioned at the beginning of the video that you don't see cable disk brake much on road bikes anymore. Which brakes are you seeing in their place more often now? I am presuming you implied you now see more hydraulic disk brakes on road bikes than cable disk brakes? or?
Great video!!
I love cable actuated disc brakes. I have trp spyre-c and they are great after I have modified them to be useful. I put some grease inside to the bearings that became rusty and I cut a groove to the clamp that holds the cable. Because originally the clamp had teeth machined into the surface that holds the cable(across with cable) to provide superior grip. Those teeth destroyed the cable. After few times adjusting it, there was only 3 furs left holding the cable.. Little bit helped if I did not dightened it so hard, but I never exeeded 7 Nm torgue. Usually it's 7 Nm needed. I think I had 5 at first, because it felt like that's good for it. But tryied also 7 that is recomended for most cable actuated brakes I think. That destroyed the cable.. But now with groove for cable to sit in. It's so good. Now I can use abit more expensive polished stainlesssteel cables. Also kelvar reinforced outers. The front brake is now very smooth firm and well working, comparable to well bleeded/maintained hydraulic brakes, except the actuator arm on caliper flexes a bit when press really hard.. but doesn't compress the cable outer. And sti 5800 brake lever flex too. Mechanical brakes aren't made too good, because the industry want to force hydraulic brakes, that are easier to manufacture and frame designers can design more aerodynamic frames by hiding hoses and don't need to be concerned about best lines for mechanical cables to work properly.
Thanks very useful information 👍
Everything I needed to know, clean and simple explanation and the job went perfectly on my end, thanks!
Absolute legend thanks so much for your help mate, saved me so much hastle with getting someone else to fix it🤝
By far the easiest talk through and follow along video yet. I can not stand to watch tutorial videos that's all talk and no hands on instructions till a hour into the video. Get a clue people and quit wasting everyone's time.....THANK YOU for this posting!!!!
😮should you help Schwinn Manuel . That shows only both sides with piston. Then Hyster lift hydraulic. I'll have brakes today
Alex looks so fed up in those slomos. I can relate since I've got such brakes.
Well explained! Thank you!
Very good. If you go off road, particularly through grass, check for bits in the mechanism.
Dislike the thumbnail - my way to vote against stupid faces on my youtube main page. Next step - unsubscribing.
When you pull the brake cable out to tighten it. Should you have the 2 barrel adjusters tightened all the way? Only asking because I've had to adjust the barrel adjusters alot more than I've seen people online do and I know there's a limit.
Great video..thankyou! Wished your garage was down the street....I'd bring my bike to you all the time !
I have the cable activated disc break system and tried to adjust the stationary side of the disc brake but while I was doing so, I noticed that that setscrew that adjusts the opposite side of the cable controlled brake (stationary side) only turns ever so slightly.
Is this normal or should the adjustment screw turn at least one full revolution?
Thank you sir, your video helped me fix a cable actuated disc brake.
Thank you so much. Now my brakes work perfectly.
You saved me! Need my bike today, the front break been a problem for awhile but today it gave up fully. Was calling around bike shops but getting no answer. Didn't think it would be so easy to sort out but your video helped me resolve it. Thanks man you really helped me out today!
Man, thank you for the beautiful video, I swear I was seriously considering returning my new bike, cz of the breaks.
2 issues, is it right looking from in front or from saddle? and what do you do when the caliper is a * not an allen...
This was just a great video
Thanks! Wasn't able to get the front brake of my daughter's bike right.
After watching your video it was fixed in less than two minutes! ;)
This fixed my brakes and got me to a meeting thank you!
Thank You. I just fixed my brakes. Saved this video.
Clearest explanation in the least amount of time.. thanks!!!
Man this video was just awesome.
Thank you so much
Great video. Thanks!
one of the best explanations on this thank you
Thanx! I live in a small town in BC, Canada, and the bike shop cannot fit me in until one month for repairs. I have to do a disc brake adjustment tomorrow, and I am now starting to do my own work on my Rocky Mountain Vertex 10 MTB. I trued my wobbly front wheel today, and fixed a flat on my rear tire also. It is very satisfying fixing my own ride!
What bike do u have
I love this portal AC. We can move around the house. Definitely need it for the hot summer.
This is a very good help. Thank you
Thanks it helped me on a last moment situation 😂🫶
Excellent video. Thank you very much.
its quite funny how all these guys on this channel have same accent.
It's because they live in the same country 😊
maintenance monday: edit the title of your youtube video hehe
Tried everything nothing stopped rubbing on my brand new cycle! Maybe discs aren't true
Great explanation and perfect length for the video. Thanks a lot!
Only video that actually helped me solve my rubbing problem. Thank you!
In my bicycle the front disc brake is a single cylinder but I can't adjust the right side Allen key it's jammed
My caliper pops when I apply it and no breaks, I'm pretty sure it's toast.
It's the exact same caliper.
You should not use the barrel adjuster to compensate for pad wearing, but only for cable slaking. Adjusting the barrel changes the lever arm of your pad actuator. It's the same thing on all cable actuated brakes, barrel adjusters are not a way to compensate for wearing of the braking surfaces.
Very helpful thanks 👍
I had these on my old bike, I had to preload the moving side of the break pad by Mucuna the lever up a little bit and then tightening the bolt. That was the only way I could get it to feel responsive.
Best video for adjusting mechanical disk brakes. Short and precise. Thank you.
Mines braking but it's not enough to do skids
This was so helpful, thank you for finally explaining the barrel adjusters correctly and succinctly. Most all videos about adjusting brakes/shifters have missed this. Even the older GCN videos, sorry Ollie!
I have TRP Spyre’s on my road bike. I really like them. Much quieter and easier to live with than the hydros on my gravel bike, even if I do give up a bit of braking power and modulation
The noise will be unrelated. Probably due to contamination 👍
@@charliewhelan9488 if it is contamination ( mine were contaminated with oil, grease and the pads were glazed with the gunk.. ) instead of isopropyl alcohol i recomend a sinple solution of liquod palmolive dish washing soap and h2o ... dilute/ mix/ shake well ,, now use a windex type spray bottle to spray into all the pad inserts and onto the rotors directly... you will see all that love grime cause the soapy solution to suds up 🤔 pure magic -- wicked and effective 😙 PEACE
My brakes move when i turn. Either causing it to brake on its one or making it so i cant brake at all.
Can't thank you enough for posting this. It's the best, simplest most concise brake adjustment I've seen for cable operated disc brakes. The front and rear brakes on both my Aventon E-bikes were getting a tad sloppy at the lever and this is exactly what I needed to bring it back to factory pull and feel.
This video is great and to the point. Not worth making a new video over, but I wish the end of this video covered when it's appropriate to replace brake cables.
Replace them when they no longer work. Duhhhhhhh
This was absolute magic. I just saved myself a trip to the bike store and now I actually understand how disk brakes work (on ebike). Thank you (subscribed). I should mention I was getting a clicking from my caliber (causing failure) and figured out just a simple drop or two of oil on outside of the caliber (so it closes smoothly) resolved the issue.
Best video on TH-cam explaining this....
This is exactly what I needed to learn. Thanks!
Thanks a lot, I have just adjusted mine. Historically the caliper was usually working properly before the bike was stolen, so I never had to do it on my own.
Thank you!
It's always a good day when the Eurobike Road Bike XC550, 21-Speed Shifting, Dual Disk Brake Road Bicycle makes an appearance
This is easily the best video I have seen for anything bike related so far. And showed exactly what I needed for connecting my kids brake line. I can't possibly like this video enough.
Thank you for this clear and straight forward explanation. One question: when do you know it is time to replace the disk or the pads?
The Aipas customer support provided with this video link when I have asked them why my new A2 Elite e-bike brakes noisy when applying both brakes. Just after I put only the first 20 mi on my best value e-bike below $1K for the masses. After 450 mi on my odometer the brakes still squeeze and the issue is not exactly in adjusting the mechanical 180mm cable brakes?! Your thoughts?
this video got me back up and riding on the trail, thanks!