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Schwinn Mens Tourist 28"/700c Road Bike

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Why aren't my rear brakes working?

Before I go on I'm not familiar with bicycle repair so I apologize if I can't explain things correctly. I have a Schwinn tourist with rear brakes that won't work. The front brakes seem to work fine to me, but what it looks like to me is that the wire connecting the rear brake handle and the brakes themselves is loose. What I've tried so far is unscrewing the brakes and placing them on both the lower and higher position option there are (they were originally in between the higher and lower hole), hoping that by doing this it would somehow tighten the wire, but it still won't do. Any suggestions? Thanks for your time.

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Jon Paul you most likely have to adjust the brake cable tension. Check this video to give you an idea of what to look for.

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First I would look at the space between the brake pad and the rim.

It should be close. Maybe 1/8". Not more than 1/4".

The cable running along the frame top tube, should not be slack.

The brake hand lever needs to activate the cable within 1/4" of movement.

If any of these are not as indicated, you need to tighten the cable.

Grab a set of allen wrenches and loosen the bolt that holds the brake cable tight on the brake arm. Loosen it enough (don't remove it) to be able to pull the loose end of cable tighter. Again, look at the brake pads. Try to get them 1/4" away from the rim or closer.

Tighten the bolt to hold the cable in place.

Too close to the rim?

Adjust the micro adjuster on the brake hand lever to fine tune.

Note: make sure your rims are clean and the brake pads are clean and flat against the rim (or slightly angled so the front of the pad touches the rim before the rear of the pad does )

When in doubt, or you get crazy frustrated, talk to your local mechanic.

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Jon Paul will be eternally grateful.
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