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rear mechanical brake, sloppy sluggish lever action

Philz0rPhilz0r Posts: 56
edited November 2010 in MTB workshop & tech
hey peeps, my rear brake has been very sluggish and sloppy when i releash the brake, the leaver sticks abit before it pops back into place, not smooth atall. i needed to replace my rear mech anyways and with the new one on i thought it wouldn't be sloppy but it is.

could changing the brake cable work and sharpen up the response time?.

for the sake of a couple of quid for a cable im willing to try it anyways. any feedback would be welcome.
t00t

Posts

  • joshtpjoshtp Posts: 3,966
    Yep, cables are the answer. could always try lubing up all the pivots on the lever and (carefully) the calliper.
    I like bikes and stuff
  • The RookieThe Rookie Posts: 27,804
    Almost certainly the cable, get a new one!

    Cheap and cheerful= Wilkinsons supermarket - £1.04
    Decent=Clarkes teflon coated = Halfords (labelled as bikehut) for £8

    Simon
    Current steed - Whyte T129, 2013 frame, mongrel Revelations, Giant dropper, Stans S1 wheelset. 12, Magura Trail Sport brakes, 1x11. 12.8Kg
  • Philz0rPhilz0r Posts: 56
    cheers guys, i got a new cable and outer cover for £3. feels alot nicer now i've swapped them over.
    t00t
  • Philz0rPhilz0r Posts: 56
    Unbelivable!. i was out testing the new brake on the back. and as i was slowing down my front brake caliper poped. thought i just needed to tighten my pads up. just had a look at it now and the caliper around the pad has shatterd -.- .

    i havent even touched the front brake since i got it back from halfords service which was about 3 weeks ago (havent really done much riding)

    last time i ever buy a bike from there xD
    t00t
  • The RookieThe Rookie Posts: 27,804
    I can't see that Halfords could service it such that a calliper shattered, sounds coincidence to me!

    Simon
    Current steed - Whyte T129, 2013 frame, mongrel Revelations, Giant dropper, Stans S1 wheelset. 12, Magura Trail Sport brakes, 1x11. 12.8Kg
  • cooldadcooldad Posts: 32,599
    The Beginner wrote:
    I can't see that Halfords could service it such that a calliper shattered, sounds coincidence to me!

    Simon

    What he said. What were they?
    I don't do smileys.

    There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda

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    Parktools
  • Philz0rPhilz0r Posts: 56
    im not blaming halfords service haha, i blaming the rubbish caliper xD. still havent got around to replacing it yet. i normally take my bike to work but they've been doing road works in the street and need all the cars cleared so i've been taking that to work so havent had the need to fix it yet.

    http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=47544

    is what i replaced the rear with. i'll do the same with the front.

    the original ones were also clarks but looked like a really basic model. the ones i've linked above seem alot better with the aid to being able to adjust the pads without an alnkey and the 185 disks look SHWWEEET!
    t00t
  • The RookieThe Rookie Posts: 27,804
    Clarkes are usually pretty good (my commuter is on CMD 9's as was the daughters old one) but soem of the cheaper 'Clarke' ones are rebranded cheaper ones (there is one calliper you can buy with about 6 'makers' names on it) so maybe you had one of them.

    Did the metal actually crack or did a through bolt come undone?

    Simon
    Current steed - Whyte T129, 2013 frame, mongrel Revelations, Giant dropper, Stans S1 wheelset. 12, Magura Trail Sport brakes, 1x11. 12.8Kg
  • Philz0rPhilz0r Posts: 56
    the one on the right is the rear one which i replaced earlier. the left one u can see the metal cracked away

    1000764k.th.jpg

    Uploaded with ImageShack.us
    t00t
  • Philz0rPhilz0r Posts: 56
    heres the new CMD-6 i put on

    1000766d.th.jpg


    abit dark but u can still see the quality looks alot nicer then the previous ones.
    t00t
  • The RookieThe Rookie Posts: 27,804
    Ok not the best angle but they look very similar to the Promax on my younger daughters 'cheap n cheerful' I've seen that same calliper with at least 3 different names on it, in fact one of the ones on my daughters I swapped the lever on so both are the same Promax branded (just to look a little neater!) can't recall what brand name was on the lever I took off it!

    Simon
    Current steed - Whyte T129, 2013 frame, mongrel Revelations, Giant dropper, Stans S1 wheelset. 12, Magura Trail Sport brakes, 1x11. 12.8Kg
  • The RookieThe Rookie Posts: 27,804
    Was in a store last night and they had a Raleigh in with those calipers, branded Clarkes and yes identical to the Promax on my daughters bike....I suspect they are cheap (promax) callipers rebranded as Clarkes for cheaper OEM usage.

    Simon
    Current steed - Whyte T129, 2013 frame, mongrel Revelations, Giant dropper, Stans S1 wheelset. 12, Magura Trail Sport brakes, 1x11. 12.8Kg
  • Delta5Delta5 Posts: 264
    Philz0r wrote:

    http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=47544

    is what i replaced the rear with. i'll do the same with the front.


    Hi Phil - I know its a bit late for the rear brakes, and no idea what your budget is, but have you considered upgrading to hydraulics? Far better performance and much less maintenance needed.
    My abundant supply of MTFU is reserved for use in dry, sunny conditions.
  • Philz0rPhilz0r Posts: 56
    Hi Phil - I know its a bit late for the rear brakes, and no idea what your budget is, but have you considered upgrading to hydraulics? Far better performance and much less maintenance needed

    yea i considered it but decided to just go with a £25 clarks cmd-6 caliper and rotor upgrade.

    sometime in the future i might upgrade to hydro, but i dont think my current bike is worth it haha.

    know of any good hydrolic brake deals going about? front and back?
    t00t
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