1. If you’re installing a used brake, make sure to clean your brakes and mounts before putting it on. Dirt = big no no.
2. Sand down your pads a little to make them grip better and get the dirt off. (This should be done every once in a while if you want them to keep functioning well) Put the pads on the arms but just hand tightend so they don’t fall off but you can still move them if needed.
3. Put some grease on the mounts and on the inside of the brake where the mounts go in. Don’t put too much because most will be pushed out again. Put the brakes over the mounts starting with right arm. Then put the springs on. Be very careful when putting them on because there are 2 different ones. If you put them on the wrong side you will mess up the springs.
This one goes on the left.
4. Start screwing in the bolt and spring adjusters. Don’t screw them in hard. You should still be able to move the adjusters.
5. Now it’s time to take the cable out of the housing and put it somewhere aside. Somewhere clean.
6. Put the cable housing on the lever and put it through your steerer tube. Make it so you don’t have too much cable out. You will only get caught in it. Some people like to use a flexie here. This enables you to have the cable closer to your bars and less likely to get caught on. The flexie just replaces a part of the housing.
7. The housing now comes out of the steerer tube. Most forks have a special slot for better cable routing. If your forks don’t… bad luck sucka. Don’t put it too tight because it will create friction but also not too loose as this will just increase the chances of getting caught on it. Now mark it where you want to cut. Again some people like to use a flexie here. Very handy to make a tight bend.
8. Take the housing out again and cut it on the mark. Remember that cutting a piece off is simple but putting a piece back on is impossible. So don’t cut too short. You can go back to the previous step and check if the length is ok or if you want to cut more.
9. When the housing is cut to the required length it’s time to put the cable back in. First I push it through so it opens the inside of the housing. Then I take the cable out again and stick in the smallest allen key I have to make sure the cable will go through well.
10. Add the little metal piece that comes with the cable. This prevents the housing from getting crushed. Now grease up the inner cable and slide it in the housing. Don’t use wd-40 type stuff. That is only good for cleaning and getting parts off.
11. Slide the brake bullet over the cable and tighten it slightly. Just so it stays in place.
12. What I do now is put my allen key ready in the brake bullet and grip the wire. I pull it to the max and tighten it some more but still not fully. The brakepads are now touching the rim. Then softly squeeze the brake so the cable slides back through the bullet a little (can’t ride with the pads against your rims). Now pull the brake arms equally away from the rim and check if there is space between the rim and pads. Just a little is fine, but there has to be space for the wheel to spin without touching the pads. If you think it’s ok, tighten the bullet completely.
13. Here comes the delicate part. Now you want to move your wrench up so there is tension on the springs and the pad goes away from rim and tighten it with the allen key. Be very carefull to not overtighten the springs (with your wrench). Just a little bit of tension is more than enough. Do this on both sides equally so the pads have the same distance between them and the rim. Pull the brake lever between every adjustment. If you have to put a lot of tension on the springs, you are doing something wrong. Go back if needed.
14. If the springtension is ok and everything is tight, it’s time to set the pads. I just pull the lever, set the pads so they are in the middle of the rim and flat against your rim and tighten again. Some brakes will squeak like hell if the pads hit the rims flat on. What you need to do than is toe-in the pads. Set them so the front part of the pad hits the rim first. Guess you could use a credit card or a piece of paper to do this.
15. Your brakes should be pretty good by now. If needed you could still use the barrel adjusters to add some more tension on the cable. This makes your cable housing a bit longer, making the cable feel shorter. If you have to use the barrel adjusters to much, go back to 12.
2 examples of flexie use. 1 at the fork and 1 at the bars.