How do I prevent frozen brake cables on my cargo bike?
Due to the rainy climate, moisture can get into the brake cables of your cargo bike. Of course, this can also happen with the cargo bike. Not a problem in itself because your cargo bike will not be worse to ride but with frost this becomes annoying. The result is that your brake cables freeze, making your cargo bike a lot heavier or it will not brake properly. That is why we asked mechanic Jan how you can solve this problem.
According to Jan, lubricant offers the solution. Jan: "Right. Take a little WD40 or other lubricant and lubricate the inner cable with it. Don't use grease because it will be too thick! I like to use the Cyclon Lubricant Spray". Of course, you can't just reach the inner cable. That is why our mechanic is also happy to explain how you can best approach this.
Jan: "To get good access to the cables of the front brake, it is easiest to first tilt the cargo bike forward. Make sure that the weight of the cargo bike is resting on the front panel. It is important to put a rug or rubber mat on the floor before you start. This prevents scratches or other damage. As soon as you have put the cargo bike down like this, disconnect the brake cables at the wheels and the box." Also take a look at the example below. "It is not a difficult job, but it is important that this job is completed properly".
Frozen brake cables: the solution
Disconnect the brake cables at the wheels and at the body of the cargo bike. You can see exactly where you do this in the example below. Remember that the cables will also have to be reattached later. So, pay close attention to how and where you disconnect the brake cables. That way you won't come across any surprises later on.
Disconnect the brake cables
As indicated, we are going to lubricate the cables. Take some lubricant in your hand and lubricate the cable with it. You can use WD40 for this. Babboe's mechanics generally use Cyclon Lubricant Spray. Slide the outer casing sections to one side to free up a section of inner casing for lubrication. Then apply a little ball bearing grease to the ends of the outer cables and reconnect all the cables. You can treat the rear brake cable in the same way and adjust the brakes again if necessary.
Just lubricate it!
Does lubrication not help?
If the lubrication does not work and your cargo bike is still heavy to pedal, it may be that the brake shoe has frozen solid in the drum. The only solution we have for this is to thaw everything with a hair dryer and not use the parking brake for the rest of the winter. Do you want to lubricate, but you don't have the right lubricant at home? Order it from our webshop.
