Finally gave barrel adjusters a chance on brake cables

I always just set my brake cable tension at the caliper and left it. Thought barrel adjusters were just extra weight and something to rattle. Then I watched a guy at a group ride tune his brakes in 2 seconds while rolling. Now I use them on every bike I build and it saves me so much time on final adjustments. Has anyone else found a trick they ignored for way too long?

2 comments

2 Comments

anderson.jason15d ago

I read this one mechanic's blog where he said barrel adjusters are basically the "undo button" for brake setup mistakes, and that clicked for me. He was talking about how you can dial in that tiny bit of pad clearance without touching the cable clamp, which is huge if you've ever stripped a bolt on a cheap caliper. I tried it on my commuter with those jagwire inline adjusters and now I can tweak my rear brake without even getting off the saddle, just reach down and twist. It's dumb how long I fought with cable yokes and pliers when a $5 part does the same thing cleaner.

averywright15d ago

Those inline adjusters changed my mind too, I used to think they were just another thing to break but now I run them on all my bikes. Being able to fix pad rub mid-ride without tools is way too convenient to go back.