Newbie saying hi. Also Small issue with breaks.

Fully-sprung · February 2011

First of all I'd like to say hello to everyone here on the forum, so hello everyone.
Secondly my story so far goes like this: I bought a mountain bike for an absolute give-away price, almost brand new at £50! I took it to the shop to get it checked over, fix the gears and upgrade the mechanical rear disk to a hydraulic one(total cost of breaks, gears, new rear derailiour(as I fell and bent it into the spokes

)and front and rear mudguards came to about £150). I've had the bike for a while and use it to get to school every day. Here is a picture of the bike in question:

Excellent bike so far. And at a total cost of just over £200, I think it was a real bargain.
So:
The problem started after I cleaned my bike. Now the breaks are the next thing to useless. I think some of the dirt must have got on the disks, my question is what can I use to clean the disks? Can I use traffic film remover? Would washing up liquid work? If not is there anything you would recommend? :?: And What do you think of my bike? Sorry about the bar in the way, Just a quick photo I took at school a while ago.

supersonic · February 2011

What did you clean them with? Any oil based product must be kept away from the brakes.

Fully-sprung · February 2011

I cleaned the bike with ordinary washing up liquid from the kitchen. Can't think that would be the problem.

desweller · February 2011

Detergent is a pretty good lubricant. Think how slippy your hands are when you do the washing up.

Thoroughly clean the pad and disc surfaces with very hot water, should do the trick.

Fully-sprung · February 2011

OK, thanks, I'll give it a go, and I'll get a better picture of the bike for you.

WierdBeard · February 2011

This is about the third forum ive read about brakes or breaks or is it brakes, could be breaks who knows.

isopropyl alcohol is good for cleaning brake pads. Ive heard burning the pads helps to get oil off.

Miggins · February 2011

WierdBeard wrote:

brakes or breaks or is it brakes, could be breaks who knows.

With you on that, WeirdBeard - it's a common one. Brakes make you stop. Breaks is what happens to something if you can't stop, like what would happen if your brakes break.

I think we need a sticky on this.

Miggins · February 2011

Anyway, back on the subject - maybe take 'em out and rub 'em with some fine sand-paper? My pads mysteriously developed a complete lack of stopping power a while ago. I hadn't been using/applying anything oily anywhere near them, but I took them out and sanded them. Worked a treat. Never did discover what the problem was, although I had talced up my inner-tubes so I wonder if that had got in and made the pads glaze up (??)

Rockhopper · February 2011

Glad you are enjoying your bike and of course it is your bike so you can do what you like to it but I'd be careful about spending too much more money on upgrading it.

Fully-sprung · February 2011

Rockhopper wrote:

Glad you are enjoying your bike and of course it is your bike so you can do what you like to it but I'd be careful about spending too much more money on upgrading it.

Don't worry, all I wanted was working gears, good brakes, and something to keep the mud off my school uniform, I have that now (well, I did

) So I won't be spending any money on it unless something goes wrong, touch wood.
The back brakes seam to have sorted them selves ut after a bit of heavy use but I have yet to do the trick with th water as I wanted to do it before the rain came down and stoped me testing so I will have to do it tomrrow. And thanks for the correction guys, I'm also a member of a slot car forum and I know how much hassle people get over a soimple spelling mistake.

Newbie saying hi. Also Small issue with breaks.

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