How to adjust a V-brake

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This tech tip is for V brakes, for mountain bikes that do have V breaks. Now, when you running a V brake and if you notice your brake lever is too soft as it is coming up too far, this means that you need to adjust your V brakes or a quick fix when you are on the trail, it can be as simple as adjusting the barrel out.

And by doing this, this is going to tighten the break rubber. So the further you adjusted out, the tighter the brake lever will get. Now, you will come to a pint where you are almost out on the barrel adjustment and if your break lever is too soft still, then this means you need to adjust your V brakes. Now, to adjust your V brakes, it is pretty simple. We will continue to stay here with the barrel and we will adjust this almost all the way up until it comes to a point where you need to stop and we will come down to the V brakes, grab your number five Allen wrench and what you are going to do is loosen the cable here, alright, where you can actually slide the cable.

Now when the cables is nice and loose, what you are going to do is get two of your fingers, pinch your break levers right here on your V brakes, hold the cable tight, you will come back with your number 5 Allen wrench, when we are going to tighten up the cable. As I tighten up that cable, if you come back to your wheel here, you will notice how tight the wheel is, your break levers here should be rubbing against the tire. When it is nice and tight like this, we are going to come back to our barrel adjustment, alright and as it backed out, what we are going to do is back it all the way in.

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Alright now, my barrel adjustment is all the way in, when I spin the wheel, check my breaks and it is going to be nice and tight. So now, you are ready to get on the trail and you will have tight breaks.

I am David Gonzales and that is your V break tech tip of the day.

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