Bicycle Brake Pad Help

Question

Hello. I bought a new bicycle today and when I came home I noticed there was something wrong with the brakes on both wheels. 2/4 brake pads don't move. Only 1 moves on the front wheel and only 1 moves on the back wheel. How do I arrange the metal pieces the brake pads are on so that both the metal pieces move the brake pads towards the rims? Thank - you. By the way they aren't disk pads. This is what I have. I'm not sure but I think they're called bike clamps.

Answer 1

You probably bought a cheap bike with cantilever brakes.  That's the fundamental problem with cantilevers, and there's not much to be done about it.  If you've got a local bike club, stop by and pick up some better brakes.

Better bikes use V-brakes, which are two vertical arms with the cable running accross between them, which works much better.  Still better braking can be had with disc brakes, but unless you're doing aggressive trails or steep downhills, V-brakes should be adequate.

Answer 2

There is a spring adjustment on the brake arms.  On the arms that move, turn the philips s***w in about 1/2 turn and on the arm that doesn't move, turn the s***w out 1/2 turn.  Then squeeze the brakes and let them go, the break pads should be an equal distance away from the wheel on both sides.  Turning in the s***w will move the arm away and turning it out will let it move toward the wheel.  Adj so both sides are even.