TOOLS NEEDED:

• 5mm Hex (Allen) key

Optional:

• Pliers - for helping pull taught brake cable
• Rotor trueing tool or flat, non-marring adjustable wrench
• White piece of paper - gives user a visual assistance when adjusting caliper

 

 

WARNING: Avoid contact with your brake rotor. Oils and other contaminates will quickly degrade the stopping performance of your brakes.
If rotors become contaminated, clean with 70%+ Isopropyl Alcohol and a blue lint-free sterile disposable paper towel.

Note: Do not use ANY brake cleaner on you eBike. Automotive brake cleaner, none-chlorinated or otherwise, is not properly formulated for eBike operating parameters and will still leave a contaminating residue.

If your brakes are not providing adequate stopping power or feel soft they may be in need of adjustment. Follow these steps to improve their performance.

TESTING BRAKES:

• Ensure the wheel is all the way in the dropouts and tightened properly
• Squeeze the brake lever. If the lever reaches all the way the grip then the brake will need adjustment

 

ADJUSTING BRAKES:

• Turn the barrel adjuster at the brake lever and separately the brake caliper (clockwise), fully threading the barrel adjusters into their respective pieces

• Reset cable at pinch/clamp bolt, gently actuating the lever while holding cable loose from caliper to work out if there is any binding, then releasing the lever and pulling slack out of the cable by pulling taught

 

• Secure cable (clockwise) with pinch/clamp bolt
• Test lever action, cable should immediately engage, brake may still need other adjustments. You may need to set the acuating arm to a higher spot by loosening the pinch bolt again, pulling more cable through, then tightening again. 

ORIENTING PADS / BRAKE CALIPER:

• Ensure brake cable is secured in pinch/clamp bolt, and is taught with immediate engagement
• Loosen caliper bolts

 

 

• Adjust inner(fixed) side of caliper while testing lever pull in relation to handlebars. Brake lever should stop when parallel to handlebar (about two fingers spacing between the lever and the bar. The following photos will show the inner pad adjusted properly (good pad spacing) and improper adjustment (pad spacing either too far apart or too tight).

 

 

• Squeeze brake lever gently while rotating the wheel to "center" the caliper over the rotor.
• Hold brake lever down while lightly tightening the caliper bolts. Do not fully re-torque until later.
• Place a white sheet of paper on the floor below the caliper so the gaps between the brake rotor and pads is highlighted by the bright background.

 

 

• Spin the wheel and sight the gap between rotor and pads. As the wheel spins look and listen for rotor contact with the pads.

 

 

Adjust caliper position as necessary to eliminate rotor rub,
Loosen/tighten one caliper bolt at a time, so that the adjustment is not reset fully.

Lightly tighten caliper bolts

Squeeze brake lever to reset pad position, and spin wheel / check for noise

Repeat as necessary

Once caliper position is set, tighten the caliper bolts.
Alternate between the two, watching for unwanted caliper movement.

Spin wheel, listen for any rotor contact noise

Tighten each caliper bolt to 12-14Nm, watching for unwanted caliper movement.

Spin wheel, listen for any noise from contact.

If rubbing persists, check these next items:

The Rotor: It is very common for the brake rotor to be imperfect.  The brake rotor can be 
easily straightened with a rotor truing tool or a non-marring adjustable wrench.
Counter bending the rotor to get it to run true is the best method for a great performing brake.

Squeeze brake lever between adjustments to ensure pads are not "stuck" in wrong position,
this will allow the pads to reset and rest properly on the caliper piston

Bolt spacing to caliper position, bolts should be spaced equally in caliper side to side adjustment slot
Adjustment

Is the caliper twisting and tightening at an angle to the rotor?
try tightening each caliper bolt individually, watching for the twist in the caliper