2 questions, brakes and suspension?

Mckevstah

So i just bought a bike form my friend becausae i need something to cycle around, nothing special.
However the bike he gave me is actually pretty good and it has Ceramic brakes on the front and back, and suspension in the middle (So when you sit or go over a bump it doesnt break your back)

So my question anyway is that the brakes are useless. I have tried a few tweaks but they still arent properly working. Any suggestions on how to tighten them?

Also how do i tighten the middle suspension because when i sit down its really slack and it basically goes all the way down.

Thank you in advance

nicklouse

The brakes are?
The bike is a?

danlikesbikes

Take it the brakes are disc & you are talking about the pads being ceramic? If so you just need to find out which make/model they are as they all operate slightly differently when it comes to adjustments.

As for the rear shock as per the brakes will depend, if its an air shock you will need a shock pump & have an idea of the the correct pressure for your body weight. You might find a sticker on the frame noting the correct pressure just depends on the make, or you might need to google it.

if you post back what the make/models or post a pic I'm sure we will be able to help you out.

Mckevstah

Thank you for replying and sorry about the lack of information., i am a bike noob

It is a "Flare 7005 aluminum. Saracen"

i am uploading pictures now

cooldad

Nothing you can do about the shock The ring preloads it, but looks like it's pretty much at the extreme of it's adjustment.
Looks like the brakes are cable discs (doubt there's anything 'ceramic' in there).
Adjust the cables, replace the pads, clean the rotors. Any or all.

Mckevstah

Okay i'll leave that be
And ah right, yeah sorry i don't really know the difference :P But i have tried shortening the cables, so i guess i need to replace the heads? how much will that cost?

cooldad

Not a lot probably, but without knowing what the brakes are...

bikaholic

That's a very low end bike - just narrowly misses out on not being a BSO.

As regards to the suspension - add some washers inbetween the coil spring and the preload adjuster ring. The hard way would be to dissemble the rear shock in order to install the washers. The easy way would be to back off the adjuster and insert cut washers into place (like how you would join a necklace comprising of metal links). The washers can be purchased from builder's merchants or you can make them yourself; they also don't have to be made out of metal (they just need to be tough enough to "pad" out the shock preload).

The brakes are very cheap ones, but they can be made to function reasonably well. They are operated by v-brake levers.

The calipers have a pad adjuster inboard with an Allen key fitting. There are usually two coil sprung Allen bolts (you can see that one of them is connected to a red knob) - these work in a similar way to the Avid CPS stack washers in that it allows you to adjust the alignment of the caliper slot relative to the rotor.

Tweaking them and rebedding the brakes in is simple enough. I will leave it to other members to help you out on that.

Mckevstah

I know it's not the best bike, but for me, it's all i am looking for, i don't really have £1000's to spend on a bike

I have adjusted the middle shocker to what i wanted, that issue is sorted.

I have spent a good hour or two this morning taking the wheels and brakes to pieces, cleaning then, and re oiling where needed and then tightening the brakes. Still they do not work properly, so should i buy some nears pads?

Also i do not know the make of the brakes, sorry

The Rookie

Promax callipers, the daughter has them on her MTB, the static pad is adjusted by turning the silver section on the back of the calliper (using an allen key) that you can see in the bottom pic, if that's off a long way you'll never get enough adjustment on the moving pad.

The red knob rotates the caliper (only one, not two) to align with the disc.

If the pads have material and aren't contaminated they should work OK (they are never great), they may be (oil/grease/lube/ contaminated) which can sometimes be improved by washing in solvent (petrol works) baking in the oven and or sanding lightly, we did all three on ones that were clearly contaminated and they currently work fine.

Simon

WeFixAnyBike

As above, if in doubt replace pads and allow time for them to bed in.