Fixed my brakes myself

Zombie_donkey

Whilst fitting my new pedals I had a look at the front brakes, that have not been working right.

The blocks were not aligned right and one side was not disengaging from the rim. I found that the return spring was not in place properly so one I got that sorted and re-aligned the blocks.
It all works much better.

I also noticed that the rear wheel has a very slight wobble to it. Is this likely to be a twist in the rim or could this be another Halfords set up error?

I have the bike booked in at a LBS on Tuesday. I will ask them to list any major set up errors they find and I will be writing to Halfords.

My C2W bike is coming from a different branch and I will insist that the Boardman trained staff member builds the bike.

nich

Sounds like the wheel is slightly buckled - the LBS will be able to fix this by adjusting the spoke tension (assuming they have the tool).

Got mine done last week and only cost £10.

To be honest, if the wobble is not causing the rim to rub against the brake, then you could leave it. Mine was buckled so much that the wheel wouldn't move around - had to remove the entire brake

Zombie_donkey

Hmmm I have only had the bike since April and the only time I have knocked the bike was after I noticed the wobble, went out with new SPDs fitted and fell over.

CiB

nich wrote:

Sounds like the wheel is slightly buckled - the LBS will be able to fix this by adjusting the spoke tension (assuming they have the tool).

Got mine done last week and only cost £10.

£10? This is just the sort of job that investing a fiver on a spoke tool and learning how to do it yourself is worth doing. Wheels is easy, unless they're well knacked. Usually they aren't though.

Zombie_donkey

I'm definitely going to start learning how to do these jobs myself. I trust myself to make sure the job is done properly.

nich

CiB wrote:

nich wrote:

Sounds like the wheel is slightly buckled - the LBS will be able to fix this by adjusting the spoke tension (assuming they have the tool).

Got mine done last week and only cost £10.

£10? This is just the sort of job that investing a fiver on a spoke tool and learning how to do it yourself is worth doing. Wheels is easy, unless they're well knacked. Usually they aren't though.

I think I will next time. I've got the tools and built me own bikes, just not the wheels. Not sure why they scare me!

pastryboy

The last two bikes I've bought were from Halfords and evans.

In both cases the brakes weren't set up properly. On the evans one I had damaged cables and the pads rubbing all over the place.

On the Halfords one the brakes were poorly lined up and the tension was almost non-existent.

Sorting out a buckled wheel with a spoke key isn't too difficult if you are patient and take your time to make tiny adjustments but getting the wheel 'perfect' is hard work.

Zombie_donkey

pastryboy wrote:

The last two bikes I've bought were from Halfords and evans.

In both cases the brakes weren't set up properly. On the evans one I had damaged cables and the pads rubbing all over the place.

On the Halfords one the brakes were poorly lined up and the tension was almost non-existent.

Sorting out a buckled wheel with a spoke key isn't too difficult if you are patient and take your time to make tiny adjustments but getting the wheel 'perfect' is hard work.

When I got my Hybrid I was paying cash and went to Evans in MK fully expecting to leave with a £500 bike.

The profoundly clueless member of staff made me leave sans bike.