A typical lever is made up of the blade, the pivot, the main body and the clamp that attached it to the bars.
Cables are made up of braided steel wire usually one core thread surrounded by six helically intertwined strands (1.8mm or 1.6mm diameter.) They are soldered at the end into either a barrel nipple or (as on the far left) a pear nipple.
Sometimes known as brake outer, brake cable housing consists of a steel Helix (spiral) surrounded by plastic coating. The cable housing does what it says on the tin, which is to give the brake cable a smooth and protected passage to its point of delivery. There are specific ways for cutting and preparing brake cable outer.
Ferrules are small metal casings which fit onto the end of the cable housing and help keep the cable in place at the point it is fixed into the frame boss.
An end cap is a small soft fixture which is crimped onto the end of the cable to stop fraying.
A brake caliper consists of the main body, the caliper arms which hold the brake pads, the cable stop and cable bolt and a return spring which ensures the brakes can open again once the rider has stopped applying pressure to the lever.
There are two main types of brakes pads - those that operate against a rim - and disc brake pads that operate against a rotor set into the hub of the wheel.
With some rim brake pads it is possible to take out the actual rubber pad and replace. However, in most cases you will need to replace the whole unit.
The rotor is the surface against which disc brakes apply their force in order to stop the wheel.
Brake studs thread into the fork and are the point of attachment to the frame for the caliper arms. They can be removed and serviced or replaced, or they can be fixed onto the frame.
The brake noodle is a component that acts a bit like a ferrule for the cable housing - the housing slots into it and is kept in place by it. The cable inside carried on through however. It is a type of component used on V Brakes.
The yoke or straddle is the small piece into which the brake cable is fixed. You can see from this picture that its purpose is also to hold the transvere cable.
Transverse Cable/Straddle Wire
The cable that goes into each of the caliper arms and through the straddle. It has a role in adjusting the Mechanical Advantage of the brake system on cantilever brakes.
The barrel adjuster sits on levers, brake calipers, on rear mechs or on gears. It holds the cable housing in place and also adjusts the tension in hte following way - as the barrel adjuster is turned to make the housing shorter, the cable inside becomes slacker. Or if the barrel adjuster is turned to make the housing longer, the cable inside become more tense.
Quick release comes in many forms. Here are a couple that can be found to release the brake calipers.
Does what it says on the tin! Literally a bolt that fixes a component in place - shown here fixing the cable.
The gyro is a mechanicsm that allows a break in the cable between the bars and the frame. It is used on BMX bikes where tricks are performed - i.e. the rider wants to turn the handlebars 360 degrees without twisting the cables.
Disc brake calipers will either mount to an IS (International Standard) mount or a Post Mount forks. The two are shown below:
Post Mount
IS Mount
