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Bicycle Parts

There are many bicycle parts that wear out and need to be replaced over time. A good biker will get a lot more mileage out of their bike if they can do simple repairs themselves. Brakes are an excellent example. There are more things to wear out on a bike brake system than almost anywhere else on the bike.

For starters you have the calipers or discs. Most bikes still use calipers, but high end bicycles have followed the car and moved towards disc brakes. Regardless of which type your bike has, these babies see more friction and wear than anything else. Sure your tires see the ground incessantly, but any individual portion of the tire sees the ground once per revolution. The entirety of your brake is used every time you slow down. The ability to swap out your own calipers will save you a lot in bike shop fees over the lifetime of your bike. And that’s just of the bicycle parts in your break system.

Brake lines also wear out. Some bikes use pneumatic brakes, which utilize pressure to clamp the brakes down.  This saves on wear and minimizes moving parts. However, many bikes still use a cable brake system.  These systems run a cable between the brake levers and the calipers or discs. These cables will stretch over time, becoming less effective. They can be tightened, but only to a certain extent. At some point you’ll need to get some new bicycle parts and swap out the cables for new ones. It takes a few simple tools and can be done in less than an hour.

 

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