Riding without brakes is arguably harder than riding without a chain – at least with no chain it’s the getting going that’s hard, not the stopping.
V-Brakes rubbing Apart from wasting power, gritty brake pads can wear through a rim very quickly, so fix them! |
Pads wear out on a ride Ensure that the most-used brake has the best pads by choosing from all four and swapping them around as necessary. |
Brake lever breaks Many crash situations can end up with bent or broken levers. |
Brake cable snaps Cables tend to snap at the attachment points. If it’s broken at the brake end, you may be in luck. |
Disk rotor bent Just dropping the bike on its side can bend the rotor. Crashing it can bend it severely. Make sure you take your time to get it straight again. |
Hydraulic brake hose broken It’s surprisingly easy to rip out a hose by catching it on branches. It’s often possible to put it back together again afterwards. |
Disk brake pads contaminated with oil Contaminated pads typically won’t slow the bike down very well. They may also squeak wildly. |