How to Put Brakes on a BMX Bike

A BMX bike is a popular make of bicycle that is used both for personal pleasure and professional motor sports. An important feature of a BMX is that you can easily put on brakes yourself. Brakes are an important part of your BMX because they are your means of controlling the bike's speed when in motion. Because you can change them with ease, you shouldn’t hesitate to replace your brakes if they show any sign of wear or lack of response when cycling.

Things You'll Need

  • Brakes
  • Brake cables
  • Clippers
  • Allen wrench
  • Straddle cable
  • End cap
  • Pliers
  • Plastic zip ties
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Instructions

    • 1

      Turn your bike over so the wheels are in the air and the handlebars are on the ground.

    • 2

      Stand behind the bike so the back wheel is right in front of you, and slide the bottom brake arm onto the right side brake post. The brake post is on the metal arm holding the wheel in place. Slip the upper brake arm onto the left side brake post. Screw the bolt over the brake posts to hold the brake arms in place.

    • 3

      Pull the inner wire out of the brake cable so you have an empty housing.

    • 4

      Insert one end of the brake cable housing into the brake lever and tighten the cap on the lever to hold it in place. Run the cable along the handlebars and down the central bar of the bike until it reaches the barrel adjuster, just before the post where your bike seat is inserted. Cut the cable with clippers where it reaches the bridge.

    • 5

      Slip the inner wire back into the cable housing until it is all the way in, and place a wire cap at the end of the housing. There will be extra wire sticking out.

    • 6

      Insert the loose end of the brake cable through the barrel adjuster on the underside of the horizontal bar. The housing and cap of the cable will not come through the barrel adjuster, but the extra wire will come through.

    • 7

      Slide the end of the wire sticking out of the barrel adjuster into the bridge through the top and coming out of the bottom. The bridge should open toward the back of the bike.

    • 8

      Move the bridge so that it is one inch away from the barrel adjuster and tighten it slightly with an Allen wrench so it stays in place.

    • 9

      Press the straddle cable into the groove in the bridge so there are equal amounts of cable sticking out from both ends. Insert the ends of the straddle cable into the brake arms, pushing them in as far as they will go.

    • 10

      Adjust the tension on the brake arms with an Allen wrench. The bolts on the arms are used to control this. Finish tightening the bridge. Make it as tight as you can for a secure brake system.

    • 11

      Trim the extra wire sticking out of the bridge, leaving about ½ inch slack. Cap the wire by pressing a wire cap closed with pliers over the end. Use plastic zip ties to secure the cable along the central bar of the bike, trimming the ends to keep it neat.