If you find you have to pull hard on the brake lever to slow down, or it squeezes right into the handlebar, it's likely your brake cable needs adjusting.

There are two main points of adjustment for your cable-based disc brakes. One is at the caliper and the other is the barrel adjuster. The caliper is the claw-looking device at the disk in the centre of your wheel. The barrel adjuster is the metal cuff on the brake cable at your brake lever.

Pull the brake lever to check the tightness of your brakes

The clearest giveaway that something is wrong with your brakes is if the brake lever is too tight or too loose.

If the lever touches the handlebars, the brake cable is too loose. If you can barely squeeze it at all, the cable is too tight. Ideally, the brake lever should squeeze 1 to 1.5 inches before becoming difficult.

Tighten or loosen the barrel adjuster accordingly

After diagnosing whether your brake cable is too tight or too loose, you can make minor adjustments using the barrel adjuster. Tighten or loosen the barrel adjuster by turning it clockwise or anti-clockwise. This will increase or decrease tension in the cable.

Once you've tightened or loosened the barrel adjuster accordingly, give the brake lever another squeeze to see if it's fixed the issue.

Top tip: Tightening or loosening the barrel adjuster is a quick and easy way to address braking issues if you're out on a ride. Even if it doesn't solve the problem, it might improve the situation long enough for you to get home safely and fix it properly.

Loosen the bolt on the brake caliper to readjust

If the brake lever is still too tight or loose after correcting the barrel adjuster, the cable may be too tight or loose on the brake caliper.

Take your Allen key and loosen the cable from the caliper by turning it anticlockwise, taking care not to entirely unbolt it as you'll find yourself having to reassemble the brake.

Pull or release the brake cable through the caliper

Once the caliper bolt is loose enough, it should spring back away from the wheel and cable. From here, you should pull the cable outward to tighten the brake, or allow the cable to retract inwards to loosen it.

The cable threads through a lever on the caliper that moves when you apply the brakes. When you tighten the cable, make sure the lever still has enough room to move and can't reach back so far as to hit the caliper. If it does, your braking will be obstructed and the pads won't reach the rotor. Skip to 1:11 in the below video for a demonstration of this.

Tighten the caliper bolt back up

When you've found the spot your brake pads sit comfortably over the rim and the cable is tight, screw the caliper bolt back up and give your brakes a squeeze. If they're still not quite right, it's worth revisiting the barrel adjuster to make final tweaks to loosen or tighten the brakes.

Stay safe while cycling

Knowing how to adjust your bike brakes will help you safeguard your bike in the long run. Please always make sure your brakes are working properly before riding, and always wear a helmet.

A warped rotor on disc brakes can cause loud noises while braking and squeaking while riding. Warping can happen from normal use, abuse, or simply by it getting too hot. A bent rotor is often the result of a direct impact when parking or storing the bike. If a rotor is badly bent, it's best to replace it.

It can be hard to determine if your rotor is repairable. If your rotor doesn't show any signs of improving after several minutes of working, then it's probably time to get a new rotor. When a rotor gets too worn it will not be possible to make it straight again. Use caution when working on rotors as their edges can be sharp.

Noise from the brake is often a sign that the rotor needs to be straightened

Before you start, check wheel alignment and play in the bearings. If the wheel isn't seating properly or the bearing allows the wheel to rock, then this is probably your issue, not the rotor.

Other issues that can cause rotor rubbing are:

• Misaligned brake calipers — see How To Adjust Brake Cables.
• Brake mounts on the frame may need to be adjusted / refaced. You will need a special tool for this, or high end bike shops will have it.
• Loose rotor mounting bolts or a loose lockring.

Straightening Your Brake Rotor (Truing)

Straightening the rotor can often be done while keeping the wheel on the bike by watching the rotor move through the brake caliper.

Set the bike upside down on the ground in order to get the wheel spinning freely.

Watch for wobble at the caliper between pads. Look for the opening and closing of the gap. Find a section of the rotor that needs truing, and note which way it needs to be bent to correct the runout. Use a flashlight if you need more light.

Rotate this section of the rotor out of the caliper.

Use a rotor truing fork tool to flex the rotor in the appropriate direction in order to improve the bend. Always begin with a small amount of effort on the tool, and then apply more effort if no improvement is seen.

Spin the wheel and sight the rotor again. Repeat as necessary. When the rotor is not rubbing the pads as it spins, it is adequately straight.