Knowing how to fix bikes brakes cable is something one need to master while riding on a bike. Riding a bicycle is a terrific way to stay fit and have fun. Improving your locomotor skills while enjoying full control over your ride is an awesome opportunity. You may ride on any terrain using your bike’s brake.
You may ride on rocky roads, unstable road elevations, and other situations without losing control. The brake is a crucial component of your bike that controls your speed or stop. You may lose control if the brake is not working properly.
It is always critical to maintain it in proper working order. As a consequence, your brake may not work properly, resulting in a loss of control while cycling. You can learn to repair your bike’s brake connections by following a few simple steps.
If the cables are not cleaned or lubricated properly, the bike will not operate properly. Replacement of the cables is also an important part of the process.
To ensure that the bike works properly, the cable must be checked. In this guide, you will learn all you need to know regarding fixing your bikes brakes cable.
What is a Bike Brake Cable ?
A brake cable connects the force applied by the biker to the braking mechanism on the wheel. Brake cables are crucial elements of your bike and are responsible for converting the force the biker exerts.
You can slow down on rough, rocky terrain with this system by employing cable-pull brakes. These brakes are typically composed of a stainless steel wire inner cable and an outer cable casing.
This system is better than conventional braking systems. The pear-shaped or round-shaped material on the edge of the inner cable is connected to the brake lever to convert the force applied by the user into a stop for the front wheel.
The cable casing is just as important as the wire itself. It protects the inner wire from dirt and other harmful things. It also provides the inner wire with a smooth, secure coating so that it can easily connect with the brakes.
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The biker’s inner cable receives the tension, and the cable housing compresses the force to prevent the wheel from turning further.
What Causes Bikes Brakes Cables Failure?
Bike Brake cables may fail for several reasons, regardless of bike brake type.
They can be:
- Unsecured anchorage of the cable,
- a bike brake cable detached,
- a bent housing cable,
- rusted and seized-up cables,
- worn and torn cables, or ones that snap near the pulley or clamp.
Also, If you don’t ride your bike frequently, you may also experience this problem.
A bike’s brake can become stiff and difficult to operate if the cable becomes dry and unlubricated.
The following suggestions can help if this occurs:
- Cleaning and lubricating the cable,
- inspecting the bike for final checking, and
- replacing the cable, if necessary.
How to Fix Bikes Brakes Cable for Smooth Ride
Clean and lubricate
Your brake cords may be operating crudely because particles are hindering the smooth transfer of energy to the brake pads. Before you begin, inspect whether your inner cable is clean or has built up dirt.
Follow the steps below to clean your brake cable.
- The first step is to pop the cable housing out of the stops, then slide the inner cable off the house. You can slide the housing up while the inner cable is down once the inner cable is exposed.
- Look for frayed cables, dirt, and corrosion accumulation as you examine the part closely. It indicates that you must change the brake cable if you find any. If you don’t see anything wrong, the inner cable is fine.
- The outer cable or the cable housing must be cleaned next.
- Next, you must clean the edges of the cable housing to make sure that no unnecessary particles are building up. Poor cable performance is caused by a jagged cable housing, so you must make sure that the edges of the cable housing are smooth.
- If you see jagged edges, you should remove the cable housing, then smooth the edges with a file or Dremel tool.
- Clean the inner and outer cable housings before applying a thin layer of lubricant.
Replace the bikes brakes cable
If cleaning and lubricating your bike brake cable didn’t resolve the problem, you may now consider replacing your bike brake cables.
Here are the simple steps for replacing your brake cable.
- Before repairing or replacing your bicycle brake cable, you must remove any frayed or kinked brake cable. Using your Allen wrenches, twist the cable in a counterclockwise direction to loosen the pinch bolt. Once it is loosened, pull the brake cable out of the pinch bolt. To remove the bolt, slide it counterclockwise. Once it has been loosened, slide the cable out of the lever.
- You must focus your attention on the handlebar where the cable connects to the lever. You will see a small barrel securing the cable to the lever.
- Slice the cable off of the brake lever after removing the outer cable housing. This process will first prepare for the removal of the inner cable.
- After measuring the old cable, you will cut the new cable to the same length. You may now insert the new cable into the cable housing.
- To do so, slide the new cable through the entire length of the old cable’s outer casing to ensure that it will fit perfectly.
- Now you can move on to the brake lever, where you will slide the new cable inside.
- Secure the cable to the casing by sliding the caps at the edges into their proper position
- You can test out your new bike brake cable.
Final testing
- You can test your brake cable by pulling the brake lever on the handlebars to determine if the brake system is functioning properly.
- If everything is working as it should and you’ve reconnected the brakes, you can confirm that your brake cable is properly installed.
- Inspect the brake system to ensure that it is operating properly.
- If the new brake cable has minor issues, repeat the installation process. You may discover that there is excess cable that must be trimmed.
- Double-check to make sure everything is in order. The cable should regain tension as you slowly pedal forward. It is ready to be ridden again!
Final Words
The brake cable is one of the most critical parts of your bike. Without it, you wouldn’t be able to control your ride. It allows you to speed up or slow down based on the road you’re driving on.
Thus, it’s important to recognize when your bike brake cable isn’t working properly. It will minimize the potential for accidents and offer a pleasant and exciting biking experience.
If your bike brake cable doesn’t operate properly, use this quick how-to guide. You may leave a comment below if you have any queries or thoughts.