Help with brakes

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richo

New Member
Hi all
I have a Carrera Hellcat 29 Mens Mountain Bike and the brake handles are not tight and i need help to tighten it and also tighten disc brakes as its not braking right. Any help please
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
Hello richo and :welcome: .

Do you mean the brake levers are loose on the handlebars? If so a 4 or 5mm Allen key should sort it.

Are the brakes not working well? 'Tightening' is not the answer and could be due to any manner of things, worn or contaminated pads, hydraulic leak or other issues.
Not wishing to be rude but you don't seem to have a grasp of mechanical issues so your best option may be to return it to Halfords and let them sort it, especially if the bike is near new as it'll be covered by a warranty.
 
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richo

New Member
Thats why ive adked for help because i am a beginner . The brakes are not working well and i need to tighten them but these disc brakes ive not tightened before
 

sevenfourate

Devotee of OCD
.....that's why IMHO it's better to let Halfords tackle it.

Your compassion, interest and concern was going so well until this point :laugh:

Some are good of course. Personally; i would take the bike to a Cycle shop where they only carry out cycle repairs and might (?) be slightly more expensive; but i think overall you're much more likely to achieve a successful repair first time.....
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Thats why ive adked for help because i am a beginner . The brakes are not working well and i need to tighten them but these disc brakes ive not tightened before

Is the bike new or well used? When were the brakes last adjusted or serviced or had new pads do you know?
 
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Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
Your compassion, interest and concern was going so well until this point :laugh:

Some are good of course. Personally; i would take the bike to a Cycle shop where they only carry out cycle repairs and might (?) be slightly more expensive; but i think overall you're much more likely to achieve a successful repair first time.....
I was only recommending Halfords as the OP may have recently purchased it there and might still be under warranty.
 

sevenfourate

Devotee of OCD
I was only recommending Halfords as the OP may have recently purchased it there and might still be under warranty.

Right ! I omitted to see that. Good point :biggrin:
 

Jody

Stubborn git
Hydraulic brakes so there is little you can do as I don't think the lower models have bite point adjustment (which I assume is what you are wanting to "tighten" or have less lever travel)

Brakes not working well can be anything from pad contamination, air having entered the system, pads getting towards wear limit, bent disc forcing the pistons back...

You need to be more specific about "not braking right" and "tightening". Are the levers spongy, long in travel, pulling on full but not having much effect etc

I'd agree with Cyclops in this instance that if you don't fully understand them, take it to someone who does.
 

Alex321

Veteran
Location
South Wales
Thats why ive adked for help because i am a beginner . The brakes are not working well and i need to tighten them but these disc brakes ive not tightened before

You don't need to tighten them. That is not a thing with disc brakes, certainly not with hydraulic. They are self-adjusting until the point where the pads are worn out.

Whatever the issue with the brakes, that is not it.

If the bike is quite new, then the most likely issue would be air in the hydraulic lines, or contamination of the pads/rotors. If they feel spongy, the former is more likely. If they feel firm but just don't work, or squeal badly even in the dry, then the latter is more likely.

If the bike is older, then worn pads is also a likely reason for them not working well.

If the issue is that the pull is too long before they bite, then that bike has Clark Clout brakes, and there should be an adjustment screw to adjust the reach, found on the inside of the lever.
 

Jody

Stubborn git
If the issue is that the pull is too long before they bite, then that bike has Clark Clout brakes, and there should be an adjustment screw to adjust the reach, found on the inside of the lever.

Reach isn't the same as bite point adjustment. Lever travel will be the same regardless of it's start point
 
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