Avid Juicy 3 brake 'problem'?

swelsbyuk
swelsbyuk Posts: 421
edited October 2010 in MTB beginners
A colleague has just bought the Specialized Rockhopper SL Comp 2010 on the bike2work scheme. He previously had a very old Kona.

He loves the bike but is concerned that the brakes seem very 'spongy'. In his words, he hoped that when he braked they would 'throw him over the handlebars' but instead he just slows to a halt. He says the 'v' brakes on his 10-year-old Kona are better!

He also has to pull the brake lever quite near to the grips in order to get benefit of the Avid Juicy 3s. I have suggested bedding the brakes in with a number of fast stops etc but he is still incredibly disappointed with them. He cannot stop on a sixpence.

Are they meant to be like this or is there some tweaking needed?

Comments

  • Mickey Eye
    Mickey Eye Posts: 590
    Sounds like they need bleeding. If they came that bad from the shop I'd have a word with them. See if he can't get the work done for free. I have Juicy 7 and they can bite like hell if you want them to.
  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,594
    Yes the brakes will need a good amount of bedding in,

    But also you should not be getting that much level pull, So i would agree they need a good bleed, Which if you got a cup of tea and a bit of patience takes about an hour and half i found on avids.
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    swelsbyuk wrote:
    A colleague has just bought the Specialized Rockhopper SL Comp 2010 on the bike2work scheme. He previously had a very old Kona.

    He loves the bike but is concerned that the brakes seem very 'spongy'. In his words, he hoped that when he braked they would 'throw him over the handlebars' but instead he just slows to a halt. He says the 'v' brakes on his 10-year-old Kona are better!

    He also has to pull the brake lever quite near to the grips in order to get benefit of the Avid Juicy 3s. I have suggested bedding the brakes in with a number of fast stops etc but he is still incredibly disappointed with them. He cannot stop on a sixpence.

    Are they meant to be like this or is there some tweaking needed?

    check that the rotor is not being moved by the pads. if yes get the calipers adjusted

    adjust the lever reach to suit.

    if this does not help then back to the shop for a bled. a bled id the LAST option.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • rudedog
    rudedog Posts: 523
    As has been said, they probably just needed bedded in - my avid juicy 3's are really powerfull. He needs to find a big hill, go as fast as he can down it and the brake to a stop as quickly as possible - do this 3 or 4 times and that should do.

    regarding the lever travel, if he takes off the wheels and squeezes the lever a bit, it will push the pads in slightly so the lever won't need to travel as much before the pads make contact with the rotor. You don't want to do this too much so that the pads rub on the rotors though.

    If neither of these work then it looks like they will need bled.
  • Mickey Eye
    Mickey Eye Posts: 590
    I don't think I've ever felt that my unbedded pads were spongy. Just not... stop-ey. But yes, bleeding should probably be a last resort.
  • Daz555
    Daz555 Posts: 3,976
    New brakes being weak sounds like bedding in. New brakes being spongy sounds like they need a bleed.

    Worth reseting the calipers first as nicklouse said. The juicy 3 manual tells you how - simple 2 min job.
    You only need two tools: WD40 and Duck Tape.
    If it doesn't move and should, use the WD40.
    If it shouldn't move and does, use the tape.
  • El zilcho
    El zilcho Posts: 73
    Also, if you look under the lever on Juicys there is a small hex screw to adjust the lever reach. Adjusting this might help and is certainly something you should try before doing a bleed.

    There's also another hex screw that screws the lever off altogether - don't get it mixed up with that one.

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