How to Tighten or Loosen Your Bike Brakes

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Professional guidance on fixing your brake pads or cables

Co-authored by Jonas Jackel and Eric McClure

Last Updated: May 16, 2025 Approved

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Brake Pads

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Brake Cables

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Hydraulic Brakes

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Routinely adjusting your bike brakes will help them perform better and ensure you’re riding safely. The two main things you’ll want to adjust in your bike’s brake system are the brake pads and the brake cables. Worn-down brake pads that are too low or too high on the rim can be a safety hazard. Brake cables that are too loose will make it harder to brake. Fortunately, you can easily fix these issues with some simple tools, as well as our expert advice from bicycle shop owner Jonas Jackel.

Bike Brake Adjustment: Quick Guide

Loosen the bolts on the brake pad with an Allen wrench. Then, move the pad up or down until it is centered and re-tighten the bolts. To tighten the brake cables, turn the barrel adjusters counterclockwise. Or, loosen the bolt on the brake cable and pull the cable outward.

Section 1 of 3:

Adjusting Your Brake Pads

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1
Check your brake pads before you make any adjustments. The brake pads are the pads that clamp down on the front tire of your bike when you pull the brake lever. If the brake pads are worn down past the line labeled “wear line,” you’ll need to replace them before you make adjustments to your brakes. ^{[1]
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- If the wear lines on your brake pads aren't labeled, they should be marked by grooves on the side of the pads instead.
- You can order new brake pads online or pick some up at your local bike shop.
- Jackel provides a key bit of advice: Make sure your wheel lines up correctly in the dropouts as well, or else it won't make good contact with your brakes. ^{[2]
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  Jonas Jackel
  Bicycle Shop Owner
  
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Squeeze the brake lever to see where the pads hit the rim. Both brake pads should be coming into contact with the rim of the front tire at the same time. They should be hitting the center of the rim, with an equal amount of space above and below the pad. If the pads are hitting the rim too high or low, they could come into contact with the rubber part of the tire or the spokes on the bike. ^{[3]
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- Crouch down to get a good look at the brake pads as you're squeezing the brake lever.
- Jackel says that, if your bike has a quick-release mechanism, check to make sure that it isn't loose or hasn't come undone. Otherwise, your brakes won't squeeze tightly on the wheel. ^{[4]
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  Jonas Jackel
  Bicycle Shop Owner
  
  [v161271_b02]}
- “People frequently have the quick release open and they don’t realize it,” continues Jackel. “They think that their brakes need to be adjusted, but they actually just need to close the quick release.” ^{[5]
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  Jonas Jackel
  Bicycle Shop Owner
  
  [v161271_b02]}
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Turn the Allen wrench counterclockwise to loosen the bolts. Don’t loosen the bolts all the way or the brake pads will come out of the brake pad holder. ^{[6]
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They should easily move up and down once the bolts are loosened. If the pads were too low on the rim, move them up until they’re centered. If the pads were too high on the rim, move them down until they’re centered. ^{[7]
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Keep turning the Allen wrench clockwise until the bolts are fully tightened. Check to make sure the brake pads are centered. Readjust if needed. ^{[8]
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Section 2 of 3:

Tightening Your Brake Cables

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When you pull the brake levers, they should be about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) away from the grip on the handlebars. If the levers hit the handlebars when you pull them, the brake cables are too loose. ^{[9]
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2
Loosen the barrel adjusters for minor brake cable adjustments. If your brake cables are just slightly loose, loosening the barrel adjusters might fix the problem. The barrel adjusters are located where the brake cables meet the brake levers. ^{[10]
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- Loosen the barrel adjuster attached to the loose brake cable by turning it counterclockwise. Loosening the barrel adjuster will actually slightly tighten the brake cable.
- After you loosen the barrel adjuster, pull the brake lever to see if it fixed the problem. If the brake cable is still too loose, you’ll need to adjust it on the caliper. Leave the barrel adjuster as it is. Don’t tighten it yet.
3
Unscrew the bolt holding the brake cable on the caliper. The caliper is the main frame of the brakes that the brake pads are attached to. The brake cable is the thin cable extending off the caliper. Locate the bolt that’s holding the brake cable. Use an Allen wrench to turn it counterclockwise a few times until the bolt is slightly loose. ^{[11]
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- Don’t unscrew the bolt all the way. Just rotate the Allen wrench counterclockwise 2-3 times until the bolt is loose.
4
Pull the brake cable outward to tighten it. Now that the bolt is loosened, you shouldn’t have any problem pulling the cable. Hold it in place with your fingers once you’ve pulled it taut. As you pull the cable, the brake pads should tighten on the rim of the front tire. You want them to be tight enough that there’s some resistance when you turn the tire, but not so tight that the tire isn’t able to turn at all. ^{[12]
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- If you can't turn the tire at all, pull less hard on the brake cable so it's not as tight.
Use the Allen wrench and turn it clockwise 2-3 times until it won’t turn anymore. The cable should be secure in place once the bolt is tightened.
6
Tighten the barrel adjusters on the handlebars. Turn the barrel adjusters you loosened before clockwise several times until they’re fully tightened. Tightening the barrel adjusters will loosen the brake pads that are clamped onto the front tire. Once the barrel adjusters are tightened, your brake cables should be all set!
- Test the brake cables again by pulling the brake levers. When you pull the levers now, there should be 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) between the lever and the grip on the handlebars.

Section 3 of 3:

Adjusting Hydraulic Brakes

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1
Diagnose the issue by spinning the wheel and looking at the calipers. The process for adjusting hydraulic brakes is identical in the front and the back. Before you tinker with anything, lift the tire up and spin the wheel. Look at the gap between the calipers and the discs. ^{[13]
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- If the disc rubs against the brake pads: Your brake pads need to be adjusted and you should continue with the remaining steps.
- If the disc wobbles and doesn’t hit the brake pads: You do not need to adjust your brakes. Your disc needs to be realigned , unbent, or replaced , though.
- If the disc spins straight and doesn’t hit the brake pads: Your brakes are set up correctly. You can tighten them slightly to make them more sensitive if you’d like, but if they’re working as intended, it’s best to leave them alone.
2
Loosen the mounting bolts on top of the calipers. Unlike traditional brakes, the mounting bolts for hydraulic brakes are typically on top of the calipers. Grab an Allen wrench that matches the size of the bolts and turn each bolt counterclockwise until you can freely jiggle the calipers by hand. ^{[14]
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- On some fringe models, the mounting bolt is actually underneath the calipers.
3
Squeeze the brake lever to center the calipers. With the mounting bolt loosened, squeeze the brake handle and keep it held down. The brakes will engage perfectly center with the rotor. ^{[15]
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- Yes, it’s actually this easy to center hydraulic brakes. Because the hydraulic brakes are a closed system, engaging them while the calipers are loose will force the system to equalize, leaving you with perfectly centered brake pads. ^{[16]
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4
Tighten the mounting bolts while you continue holding the lever down. With the brakes centered, retighten the mounting bolts with the same Allen wrench you used to loosen the calipers. Once your mounting bolt is tight, check your work by spinning the wheel. ^{[17]
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- If the problem is fixed: Tighten the bolts all the way and use a torque wrench to secure the bolts to the recommended torque (usually 6-8 Nm).
- If the problem persists: Either the issue isn’t with your brakes (you may have a bent wheel, for example), or your brakes have actually failed. See a professional bike repair shop for help.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I adjust the back brakes? The pads do not close onto the rim at the same time.

Paul S

Community Answer

The calipers have an internal recoil spring on each side. The small screw on the side near the pivot mount increases or relieves the tension. A clock-wise turn pulls that side away from the rim, while a counter-clockwise turn on the opposite side will help pull the closer pad away from the rim. Adjust each at the same time in half-turn increments, testing the brake pull after each adjustment. Usually the pads can be centered evenly after 2.5 to 3 turns. Neither side should be full-turned to its maximum in or out. Lubricate the pivot mount with a little WD-40 and insure the brake cable is not binding.

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Question

One brake caliper touches the wheel, and when I tighten the caliper, the tire never moves away. When I loosen it, no break bits touch the tire. What do I do?

Paul S

Community Answer

There is a recoil spring tension adjustment on the calipers near the mounting pivots on each side. Turning it clockwise increases the tension on the internal spring, allowing it to pull farther away from the rim. The side that is moving too far would need counter-clockwise turns to relieve tension, and the side not pulling away enough, clockwise turns. Turn these screws in half-turn increments, testing after each adjustment. Each side works together and should be adjusted at the same time.

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Question

After squeezing the brake cables, the brake pads do not retract fully and rest on the tire. They are rubbing the tire and slowing motion, how would I adjust to solve this problem?

Bireswar sett

Community Answer

First check that the brake pads are in good condition. If they are not, then replace them. If it's still not working, then check the lever that around the wheel that is holding both the brake pads in position and adjust the lever by loosening the central screw on it. Make sure that both the brake pads are in equal distance from the rim of wheel and then tighten the screw again.

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