Tektro IO mech problems

luxor5

hey all i have a problem with my rear mech disk calliper TEKTRO IO 160 i just cannot get any power to the rear i feel like my hand is going to snap i have to pull the leaver that hard. the front is perfect very well set up (which i did) the rear was factory set and it was ok but no where near as pokey as the front so thinking it would be as easy as the front was i began unscrewing at work. ( level of mtb knowledge ..low) and now they are very poor i have tried pulling the cable tight on the *arm is it? and letting the screw on the handle bars out then adjusting as appropriate .. no good. so i tighten the allen screw on the centre of the brake calliper... (its on like a blue pad thing sorry...) and they rub very bad so i let out some cable on the arm thing sorry... and the pads dont touch at all and i try fiddling for an hour or so till home time and ride home with no rear and a over powerd front , accident waiting to happen any one got any help for this a trick of the trade or a proper site for adjusting mechs because my wife binned all the paperwork that came with my bike with the box ..... thank her very much

thanks...

chilledsandwich

PDF for the Tektro IO Disc Brakes
http://www.tektro.com/04support/pdf/IO-English.pdf

They are quite simple to set up and reasonably user friendly. The PDF has a simple step by step guide and plenty of instructions for every eventuality.

One thing though, you havn't ever sprayed anything like WD-40 or oil onto the discs have you? Or could they possibly have got a bit of a soaking with the chain? If they have, the pads may be contaminated which can dramatically reduce the effectiveness of your brakes. The only sure way to sort this is to replace the pads unfortunately, but your LBS should be easily able to get some for you if they have none in stock, expect to pay about £15.

Other than that, just make sure that the pad that moves is not in contact with the disc and the side that doesn't move is just slightly rubbing. I have played with these brakes plenty of times and if the manual doesn't help, let us know what you have tried and we can then give recommendations/more detailed step-by-step guides on how to get it sorted.

Also, did you get the bike from a shop or by mail order? If you got it from a shop, most offer a free 6-week service and should be more than happy to have a quick look and give it a tweak. To the trained person it is literally a 5 minute job.

Good luck with it all though!!!

dav1

there is a fixed pad on the calliper itself i believe. You need to get down there with a 5mm Allen key to adjust it. Read how in the manual then get your tools out.

trail jacker

got to agree with you here luxor 5.
i found that no matter how well you finetune the calipers, they seem to revert back to old habits after about 3hrs riding.
i think it would be more effective to just grab the damn rear disc with your hand sometimes :evil: !!!

supersonic

There is a knack to these, and other cable discs - they can be a bugger! The cable is the most important I feel, has to be claen and smooth - upgrading to compressionless stuff increases the feel.

The way I set them up is to wind out the inner pad slightly, loosen caliper bolts, press caliper and pad against rotor and tighten bolts. Then wind out the pad until it just clears and rub stops when spinning. (when pads are allready worn, check that winding them back in doesnt make them disapear! Or the rotor may rub on the caliper). Then set the actuator arm up as normal. Leave to bed in. Check rotor isnt bent. Slight rub is acceptable (free runnin drag).

luxor5

OK guys i want to say im really hyped about this community its so responsive and polite and non flaming even though i can't spell to save my life and know little or nothing about mtb's you all answer genuinely thanks. I went to work today without my laptop and began disassembling the rear calliper bad mistake. My lbs is about 20 yrds away so i went to ask for help they told me exactly what i got from the previous posts especialy about the cable being the problem and the one thing i wish i had known about the allan on the back of the calliper. Cuting an already long story short i figured my messing was pointless i had made the problem worse and riding home with it all set up rubbish stretched the cable it was obvious when i stripped it of the fram it just would not move in the plastic casing (tube) . so i have no rear brake cable now hopefully the nice guys down the road from my shop at the lbs will do me a quick fix

does anyone know how much this cable will cost me or howmuch they will charge me just to whip it all on there for me set up correct.. they seem nice enough but always a lill busy

thanks.

chilledsandwich

Depends what they need to use, a new inner is about £2, outer £2 per metre and labour I'm guessing for adjusting just one cable brake would be no more than £5.

If you can, when you pick the bike up, ask what the prob was and how they fixed it, hopefully they will give you a brief explanation so next time you will feel a bit more confident trying yourself. It is the way forward!!