Brake adjusting device for bicycles

Claim 1

In a brake system for a bicycle comprising brake means including brake shoes movable into or out of contact with the rim of a wheel to brake the wheel, and a bowden cable including an inner element and an outer element interconnecting the brake means and a brake operating lever to transmit a grasping force on the lever in a direction to actuate the brake means, a brake adjusting device comprising adjusting means provided at least at one end of the bowden cable, the adjusting means including a gauge member having a bore for passing the inner element therethrough and a non-circular hole, including side portions, formed at one end of the bored portion and having a depth equal to a proper brake clearance, a nut having a portion shaped to fit in the hole of the gauge member only when aligned therewith and to positively engage the side portions thereof to prevent any rotation of the nut relative to the guage member, and an adjusting screw member screwed in the nut and connected to the outer element, wherein the adjusting screw member is movable on the nut, in screw-thread engagement therewith, until the ends of the brake shoes come into contact with the rim while the nut is not aligned with the hole of the gauge member, and the nut is fittable into the hole of the gauge member after the shoes contact the rim to thereby provide the proper brake clearance.