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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 11th, 2023

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  • The likely cause is that the cable is slipping, probably where it connects to the caliper. This is more likely if you loosened then re-tightened that bolt, less likely if you did not.

    Loosen the cable fixing bolt on the caliper. Make sure the brake lever is free (not depressed). Carefully follow the cable housing from the lever all the way to the caliper - is it seating correctly in any cable stops? If so:

    1. Pull the cable so that it is tight
    2. Tighten the cable fixing bolt tightly (you may need a friend to help maintain cable tension while you tighten the bolt).
    3. Wrap some tape around the cable just below the fixing bolt, as a marker.

    How does it feel after that? Carefully try it out on a ride. Check the tape - is it squished/has it moved? (Probably not).

    Ride for a few more days (carefully! Brakes are the most important thing on a bike!). How do the brakes feel?

    If they are getting looser, but the tape has not moved that means the cable itself is not slipping, something else is changing.

    I would avoid loosening the bolts that connect the caliper to the fork - if you do, make damn sure they get tightened again

    Other things to check are:

    • How much wear do the pads have? Take them out and measure them. (If you have been dragging the rotors with the pads, you could be wearing them down. Seems unlikely). To measure, stack them on a flat surface and measure the height.
    • Are the adjuster knobs on the caliper moving? Mark then with a sharpie then take a picture, check if they are in the same place when things feel loose again (this is possible, but rare).
    • Are the calipers themselves in reasonable shape? (A cracker caliper could do this. I’ve never heard of that, but I’m not a bike mechanic, so… Maybe?)

    Last time: brakes are the most important thing - if they don’t work, go get them fixed by a pro before you ride.

    Look up mechanical brake adjustment on Park Tools YouTube for videos.

    Good luck, keep the rubber side down.