How to Fix Rubbing Brake Pads on Bike: Brake Adjustments
Hey there, bikers! I hope you have a great ride. But if not and are having issues with your brake pads, then this article is for you guys. I am a bike freak and love to roam around with it everywhere. Currently, I came with an issue with my bike. My bike brake pads were suffering severely, and so I decided to share an article and tell you how to fix rubbing brake pads on the bike quickly at home.
How to Fix Rubbing Brake Pads on Bike?
Here I have differentiated the adjustments into two parts, one where I am explaining how to adjust your brake pads, and another is steps to fix rubbing caliper brake pads. Caliper brakes generally come with trekking bikes and mountain bikes. If you have a simple bike, you can refer to the first one. So check out these easy steps and fix your bike front brake rubbing.
Things you will need
- Brake pads
- Allen wrench
Follow the steps to adjust your brake pads:
Step 1. Let’s check the adjustments:
Brake pads play a very vital role in controlling the bike. Brake pads clamp down on the front tire whenever you pull the brake lever. You need to order new brake pads if they are worn down.
Step 2. Let’s check the pads:
We need to check the pads, whether they are hitting the rim or not. For this, we will squeeze the brake lever, and they should hit the rim with an equal proportionate. Crouch down the brake pads to get a fantastic look.
Step 3. Let’s loosen the bolts:
Now we will loosen the bolts that are holding the brake pads with the help of an Allen wrench. Turn the Allen wrench clockwise, and you will see that the bolts are losing slowly. Make sure you take the bolts out entirely from the brake pad holder.
Step 4. Movement of brake pads:
Once you loosen the bolts, ensure that the brake pads are moving upwards and downwards. It should move easily without any hesitation. If there are any issues like the pads are too low, then move the pads upwards until they are centered on the rim. Similarly, if the pads are too high, then move them downwards until they are centered on the rim.
Step 5. Fixing back the bike:
We are now ready to realign the bolts. So far, with the help of an Allen wrench, we will tighten the bolts. Make sure you are using the Allen wrench anti-clockwise. If you move it clockwise, the bolts will loosen even more. Now, check whether the brakes are centered and readjust if needed further.
Follow the steps to fix rubbing caliper brake pads on the bike:
- Center your brakes.
- Check the distance between both sides and ensure that it is equal from the rim.
- To check whether the brake pads meet the rim or not, you can squeeze the brake and get to know.
- If both the pad pushes the rim or even one of the pads pushes the rim, then you need to fix your rubbing brakes.
- To adjust the rubbing pads, firstly, we need to loosen the bolt from the back and realign the brakes.
- While realignment, you have to tighten the bolts and secure them properly.
- Once you secure the bolts, measure the distance between the pads.
- Even after this, adjust the brake caliper in one hand and loosen the both again.
- Squeeze the brake caliper slightly and hold the cable of the bike.
- Remember, that you are tightening the bolts by securing the adjustments.
- Now we will test the brakes by squeezing the lever and repeat until we are satisfied.
- The lever is positioned in a way that allows the clearance of the wheel.
- Make sure you keep the lever point downward facing.
- After these steps, I will say that the brakes are adjusted to the caliper position and aligned with the cable tension.
Yes, I know you understood the method to fix the rubbing brake pad issues, and now your bike is ready to run again. I hope this article would have helped you. I will be coming soon with another super interesting article and make you hassle-free. If you have any other issues, you can also comment below. Keep riding; keep slaying.