Quick answer: To change a brake on a Drive Nitro rollator, remove the old brake first — clip the crimp fitting, loosen the cable fastener with a 4mm Allen wrench, free the cable from the adjuster, spring, and guides, then take off the hand grip, brake handle, and handle bar housing. Route the new brake's cable down through the frame (either by pulling it with a taped-on cord or fishing it out with needle-nose pliers), reassemble the housing, handle, and grip, then run the cable through the guides, adjuster, and spring. Set the cable fastener so the brake blade sits about 1/8" from the wheel, tighten, and fine-tune with the cable adjuster.

The brake on a Nitro is a little more involved than the one on a basic rollator, because the cable runs down inside the frame instead of along the outside. That's the part that makes people nervous — getting the new cable back through the frame. Good news: there are two proven ways to do it, and once the cable's routed, the rest is just screws and a final adjustment.

Drive documents two methods. Pick based on what's in your toolbox:

  • Method 1 (cord-pull) — the most foolproof. You tape a length of cord to the old cable before you remove it, so the cord gets left behind following the exact path through the frame. Then you tie the cord to the new cable and pull it back through. Nothing to guess at.
  • Method 2 (needle-nose) — faster if you have a long pair of needle-nose pliers. You push the new cable down through the frame and grab it through the access hole. Fewer steps, but you're fishing a little.

What You'll Need

  • A 4mm Allen wrench
  • A Phillips head screwdriver
  • Method 1 also needs: duct or electrical tape and about 5 feet of cord
  • Method 2 also needs: a long pair of needle-nose pliers
  • Your replacement Nitro brake

Method 1: The Cord-Pull Method

Removing the old brake

  1. Remove the crimp fitting at the end of the brake cable.
    Crimp fitting at the end of the Nitro brake cable
  2. Loosen the cable fastener with the 4mm Allen wrench and remove it.
    Loosening the cable fastener with a 4mm Allen wrench
  3. Remove the brake cable from the cable adjuster and spring.
    Removing the brake cable from the cable adjuster and spring
  4. Remove the cable from the cable guides.
    Removing the brake cable from the cable guides
  5. Tape a 5-foot length of cord to as much of the brake cable as possible. Don't tape the cord to the cable housing, and don't make the taped section any wider than the housing — it has to fit through the frame.
    Cord taped to the brake cable to act as a pull line
  6. Grasp the hand grip and twist it back and forth to work it off.
    Twisting the hand grip off the Nitro handle bar
  7. Remove the screw holding the brake handle to the handle bar with the Phillips screwdriver, then remove the brake handle.
    Removing the screw holding the brake handle to the handle bar
  8. Remove the three screws holding the handle bar housing to the frame. Separate the two halves of the housing to take them off the handle bar.
    The three screws holding the handle bar housing to the frame
  9. Pull up on the cable and guide it through the hole in the lower frame, pulling until it's all the way out. Make sure the cord stays attached and does not get pulled into the frame — that cord is now your guide line.
    Pulling the old brake cable up and out through the lower frame

Installing the new brake

  1. Untape the cord from the old brake and tape it to the cable of the new brake (same rules: not on the housing, not wider than the housing).
    Taping the guide cord to the new brake cable
  2. Pull the cord until the new brake cable comes through the bottom of the frame.
    Pulling the cord to route the new cable through the bottom of the frame
  3. Attach the handle bar housing back onto the frame. The largest of the three screws goes into the center hole.
    Reattaching the handle bar housing, largest screw in the center hole
  4. Slide the brake handle onto the housing. As you slide it forward, pull on the brake cable coming out of the lower frame to take up slack, then screw the handle in place.
    Sliding and screwing the new brake handle onto the housing
  5. Slide the hand grip back onto the handle bar.
    Sliding the hand grip back onto the handle bar
  6. Run the brake cable through the two lower cable guides.
    Routing the brake cable through the two lower cable guides
  7. Run the cable through the cable adjuster and spring.
    Running the cable through the cable adjuster and spring
  8. Slide the cable fastener onto the cable until the brake blade sits about 1/8" from the wheel, then tighten the fastener.
    Setting the brake blade about 1/8 inch from the wheel and tightening the fastener
  9. Push any excess brake cable into the hole in the lower frame.
    Pushing excess brake cable into the hole in the lower frame
  10. Use the cable adjuster to fine-tune the brake. If you can't get it to engage the wheel with the adjuster alone, loosen the cable fastener and reposition it, then re-tighten.
    Using the cable adjuster to fine-tune the brake

Method 2: The Needle-Nose Method

Removing the old brake

  1. Remove the crimp fitting at the end of the brake cable.
    Crimp fitting at the end of the Nitro brake cable
  2. Loosen the cable fastener with the 4mm Allen wrench and remove it.
    Loosening the cable fastener with a 4mm Allen wrench
  3. Remove the brake cable from the cable adjuster and spring.
    Removing the brake cable from the cable adjuster and spring
  4. Remove the cable from the cable guides.
    Removing the brake cable from the cable guides
  5. Grasp the hand grip and twist it back and forth to work it off.
    Twisting the hand grip off the Nitro handle bar
  6. Remove the screw holding the brake handle to the handle bar with the Phillips screwdriver, then remove the brake handle.
    Removing the screw holding the brake handle to the handle bar
  7. Remove the three screws holding the handle bar housing to the frame. Separate the two halves of the housing to take them off the handle bar.
    The three screws holding the handle bar housing to the frame
  8. Pull up on the cable and guide it through the hole in the lower frame until it's all the way out.
    Pulling the old brake cable up and out through the lower frame

Installing the new brake

  1. Push the new brake cable down through the frame until you can see it in the cable hole at the bottom of the frame.
    Pushing the new brake cable down through the Nitro frame
  2. Using the long needle-nose pliers, grasp the cable through the cable hole and pull it out of the frame.
    Using needle-nose pliers to pull the new brake cable out of the frame

From here, the reassembly is identical to Method 1 — refer to the photos in Method 1 above:

  1. Attach the handle bar housing back onto the frame (largest screw in the center hole).
  2. Slide the brake handle onto the housing, pulling the cable taut as you go, and screw it in place.
  3. Slide the hand grip back on.
  4. Run the cable through the two lower cable guides.
  5. Run the cable through the cable adjuster and spring.
  6. Slide the cable fastener on until the brake blade sits about 1/8" from the wheel, then tighten.
  7. Push any excess cable into the hole in the lower frame.
  8. Use the cable adjuster to fine-tune, repositioning the cable fastener if needed.

Real talk: that "1/8" from the wheel" gap is the whole ballgame. Too far and the brake feels mushy and won't hold; too close and it drags when you're trying to roll. Set the fastener to get you close, then let the cable adjuster do the fine work. Squeeze-test it before you call it done.

Frequently Asked Questions

What tools do I need to change a Nitro rollator brake?

Both methods need a 4mm Allen wrench and a Phillips screwdriver. Method 1 also needs about 5 feet of cord and some tape; Method 2 needs a long pair of needle-nose pliers instead.

Which method is easier?

The cord-pull method (Method 1) is the most foolproof because the cord follows the exact cable path through the frame, so there's no fishing. The needle-nose method (Method 2) is quicker if you have long pliers and don't mind grabbing the cable through the access hole.

How close should the brake blade be to the wheel?

About 1/8 inch. Set the cable fastener to get roughly that gap, then use the cable adjuster to fine-tune until the brake engages firmly without dragging.

My new brake won't engage the wheel. What do I do?

If the cable adjuster alone can't bring the brake into contact, loosen the cable fastener, reposition it closer, and re-tighten so the brake blade sits about 1/8" from the wheel again.

Wrapping Up

Two methods, same result: a Nitro brake that grabs when you squeeze it. Whichever route you take, the cable routing is the only tricky part — and the cord trick makes even that foolproof. If you need the part, we stock replacement Nitro brakes and the rest of the Nitro parts catalog at HME Medical Shop.

— The HME Parts Team

Original instructions and photos courtesy of Drive Medical.