Hello, I have a question, I have been testing my handy hands on bike mechanics on my current mountain bike. I have no problems tightening cables for the brakes(v-brakes) and making sure I have good tension etc.

Now comes my new road bike, I thought I would try to tune my dual caliper brakes, and this is where my question lyes. I loosened the bolt so I can re-tighten the brake cable for my front brake. I try to pull as hard as I could and re-tighten the bolt, and boom, I have no tension on my front brake. I assume that what I need is a TOOL, specifically a bike cable puller? This tool should get my tension back? Why is it easier to work on V-Brakes with ONLY manual cable pulling? And how do you operate a cable puller?

Notice, I am not a handy man but I am not a complete idiot, I know about lubing and threading and un-threading and how to use some tools like screwdrivers and wrenches. Please answer my questions above.

OK, so you've loosened the cable retaining bolt so the cable is free to slide up and down. Seems like I held the brake closed (pads tight against rim) with one hand then pull cable taut and tighten retaining bolt with other hand. They make "third hand" tools for this very purpose, but you really don't need one once you get the hang of it!

The issue is not that you can't pull the cable but that you're not pulling it against the part that is making it loose. They way I tighten my caliper brakes is not to pull the cable. At least not directly. With one hand I pinch the pads against the rim. With the other that will be used with the allen key I pull the looseness out of the cable by pulling the tag end down. I then let go of the cable and while still holding the pads tight to the rim with one had I tighten the pinch screw with the other. In most cases the slight slack in the cable is just right to allow the pads to pull back just enough. If not I tweak the barrel adjuster. To allow for the rare times that this is too tight I start with the barrel adjuster on the caliper about 1 to 2 turns out from bottomed. That provides enough range to set the lever to make the pads contact where I want them.

Which is pretty much what ClarkinHawaii just typed above me now that I stop and read his reply.... DOH! ! !

Thanks Boys, You guys really gave me all I needed, I also checked out a youtube video that explained the same thing you fellas said, I also found another little trick that helped me to.

First off, loosen your bolt, then un-thread your barrel adjuster for your brakes cable.

Press and Hold your brake calipers so that the brake pads contact the rims.

Simply pull down on the Wire so that there is no slack.

Retighten the bolt and thread in the barrel adjuster for the brake cable.

Now here is the trick, if you do this method without unthreading the barrel adjuster I think your pads will be "stuck" on your rims or your rims will contact your pads and you wont have 1-2 mm gap between rim and pads.

By simply unthreading the barrel adjuster for the brake cable before you adjust the tension in the cable and after your done tightening the cable and bolt then thread the barrel adjuster in; this will give you that extra 1-2 mm gap you will need when your done tightening your cable.

I'm doing what the other two do, but wonder how you get your v-brakes adjusted without doing something similar?

On V brakes they respond very nicely to just pinching the cable firmly close to the arm then loosen the screw and lever my fingers down against the V arm to pull through more cable or let some back. I think that's what FR4NCH1SE is doing with his V brakes. But it just doesn't work on caliper brakes because of the spring being so strong and the leverage not being right.