Question by youknowregular106: How come the hand brake lever is unresponsive on my new bicycle?
The hand brake lever for the V-brake of the front tire doesn’t work. I looked at youtube videos to see how to adjust the brakes like aligning the brake pads and adjusting cable tension and all that, and it still doesn’t work.

When I hold down the brake lever, there is some movement in the cable, but it just doesn’t activate the brake pads to move.

Best answer:

Answer by johnm
Take the V-brake pads off, then check that the V-brake arms are free to move. Note there are springs on each arm and usually spring adjustment screws near the pivot point. Look for binding, squeaking etc. and correct. Wipe any excess oil off the pivot. Reattach the noodle’s flange (on the metal J shaped tube) to the hook on the opposite arm, so when you squeeze the brake lever, the 2 arms come together easily. Reinstall the brake pads and center the arms with the spring adjusting screws (so the brake shoes won’t drag). If in doubt, look at the setup of v-brakes on a bike in a bike shop for reference. They can show you how the noodle detaches when removing the wheel.

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