How to Center Brakes on a Bike

Off-center brakes can drag against the wheel when they're not being applied. Since dragging against the wheel is how bike brakes slow your bicycle down, this makes cycling much harder. Fortunately, the brakes are some of the simpler components of a bicycle and easy to put back on track. The adjustment can be made either in your garage or on the side of the road with a simple, portable tool kit.

Things You'll Need

  • Bicycle
  • Allen wrench (sized appropriately for your brakes)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Stabilize your bicycle using the kickstand or a convenient wall, tree or similar object.

    • 2

      Eyeball both sets of brake pads. Check the position of the pads with the brakes both released and engaged. If any pad touches the wheel when not engaged, you need to re-center that set of pads.

    • 3

      Try to hand-center the brake. Take hold of the brakes near where the legs connect at the hinge. Twist the mechanism to move the nearest pad away from the wheel until the pads are equidistant.

    • 4

      Repeat Step 2. If the brakes are still off-center, continue with Steps 5 and 6.

    • 5

      Use the Allen wrench to loosen the brake mechanism. Do not disassemble it entirely, just loosen it enough to facilitate moving the arms.

    • 6

      Adjust the loosened brake arms until the pads are equidistant. Tighten the brake mechanism with the Allen wrench.

    • 7

      Test the brakes again, making sure the pads retract from the wheel once disengaged.

    • 8

      Test your brakes at least once, while pedaling slowly, before returning to full speed.