# Hand brake for a 16" Hotrock



## heppcat (Sep 21, 2010)

My son is going to be moving from his Strider to a 16" Hotrock and he is very excited about having pedals. That being said, he kept drifting over to the 20" models because they had hand brakes. Does anyone have suggestions on what brake/lever combo to setup on the 16" Hotrock for a 4 year old? I've seen the disk brake mods and I don't think I need to go that route just yet.


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## mtnbiker72 (Jan 22, 2007)

Standard BMX Caliper brakes work on the Hotrock, got on on my Son's. It's a Tektro that came with Caliper, Lever, Cable, and Housing. I have the reach adjustment dialed in so he can reach it fine with his hands on the grips.


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## IAmHolland (Jul 8, 2010)

+1

The only thing I would as is that you really need to adjust is the spring tension. You need to weaken it. Squeeze the spring together so it doesn't pop out as much. You need some tension to pull the pads apart, but not as much as if it were a teen or adult using the lever.

You'll also need to check if your kid is strong enough to actually stop with just the hand brake, before you disable the coaster brake.

I don't really see the point of a disc brake on a 16" bike, or a 20" bike.


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## Cinq (Jan 2, 2003)

My son has a Hot Rock 16 from 2010 and it has a hand brake on the front. It's a Tektro. I checked the Specialized site and see that the current model doesn't have a hand brake anymore.

After reading this post, I am thinking of putting a hand brake on for the rear too. With the coaster brake, it's too easy to skid (on purpose) and this uses the rear tire way too fast 

Kind regards,

Clemens


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## heppcat (Sep 21, 2010)

Thanks for the info everyone! It looks like there are plenty of cheap options out there :thumbsup:. I don't think I'll be disabling the coaster brake anytime soon, he is used to pressing down on the Strider brake so the coaster brake should be a pretty natural step for him. Right now he just wants them because daddy's bike has them.


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## chrisjmcqueen (Oct 19, 2010)

I'm planning on doing this with my sons 16", might just leave the coaster, although it seems to be causing resistance


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## chrisjmcqueen (Oct 19, 2010)

What all brakes are you guys choosing for this mod? Tektro seems to be popular


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## Tainight1985 (Jan 3, 2019)

chrisjmcqueen said:


> What all brakes are you guys choosing for this mod? Tektro seems to be popular


I know, a revival of a terribly old thread, but what brake do I buy?

I don't mind paying for a quality brake, and would prefer not to get a brandless chinese one.

Anyone able to help? Or anyone in Europe with a factory installed front brake able to tell me what model it is?

Thank you


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## askulte (Apr 15, 2012)

Tainight1985 said:


> I know, a revival of a terribly old thread, but what brake do I buy?
> 
> I don't mind paying for a quality brake, and would prefer not to get a brandless chinese one.
> 
> ...


Our 4 y.o.'s Islabikes Cnoc 14 had been retrofitted with a Tectro sidepull rear caliper, but it was very weak compared to the v-brakes up front, and would barely slow him down (front wheel would wash out in the dirt when braking). I put on a pair of Evolution clamp on brake bosses from Porkchop BMX and some Shimano v-brakes, and it works really well! Had to file the mounts a little for the 14" wheels, but I'd think the 16" on your Hotrock might not need it.

The lever seems to be the small Tektro's that everyone runs.

https://porkchopbmx.com/evolution-v-brake-bicycle-aluminum-mounts-clamps-adapters-pair-black/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MWHDNT4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## coppermouse (Aug 2, 2017)

Kinda pricey, but this is what I did, V brakes much better than caliper
https://porkchopbmx.com/evolution-v...m-mounts-clamps-adapters-pair-electric-green/


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