- Location
- Glasgow
You tube is your pal in all bike mechanics matters!
Example:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8dkU5NhCVY
Example:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8dkU5NhCVY
I must confess... (ignorance)
- Thread starter sbeqs
- Start date
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HelsBells Cambs
Active Member
- Location
- Cambridgeshire
Sounds like they might need adjusting? I've just had to do mine on my Hybrid (OK, so I may have had help....). Brake pads had taken a proper hammering on a completely mental cycling surface round Rutland Water and I had to adjust the brake cable so that the brakes kicked in without having to bring the lever back to the handlebar. Now, I'm not going to try and tell you how to do it as "undo the thingy and pull the wotsit through" is NOT helpful......but others on here can talk you through it!!
Ganymede
Veteran
- Location
- Rural Kent
Me neither!
summerdays
Cycling in the sun
- Location
- Bristol
Before you adjust the cable, check to see the blocks aren't really worn down, as if you have to replace them then you have to readjust the cables all over again. The actual brake blocks have some metal in them so they aren't as deep as the rubber looks.
Profpointy
Legendary Member
ignorance is simply not knowing how to do something and where we all start. Stupidity is then not asking
snorri
Legendary Member
- Location
- East coast, up a bit.
Perhaps CycleChat is exposing you to aspects of cycling which are not really applicable to your particular interest within the wide field of Cycling.
It is possible to block parts of the forum which are of little or no interest to you letting you concentrate on the rest.
Click on your User Name (near top right)
A window opens, click on Ignore Nodes
New page appears listing all of the sections in the forum.
Select the ones which you may wish to Ignore.
winjim
Smash the cistern
Brake blocks will usually have grooves in them. These help to get rid of water, but also act as a wear indicator. When the grooves have disappeared, it's time for new blocks. Replacing them can be a bit of a faff as you need to make sure they are correctly positioned, but come back here and ask if you need help.
And don't forget when you replace the blocks to wind the adjuster back in.
earlestownflya
Well-Known Member
- Location
- earlestown.merseyside
hi,sbeqs..your brake cable is probably to slack..or your pads are worn right down.i dont know what bike you have or how much you paid for it.all my bikes i built myself from frame up so i know exactly how everything works..up to about 5 years ago i knew very little about how they were put together.The best way to gain knowledge is to start as i did...buy a bike from the flea market for about £20=£30..try to strip it down to the bare frame and reassemble it,you will learn so much about the mechanics and tools required to do certain jobs, obviously you need a passion for tinkering,but i believe all cyclists should know how their machine works.the pleasure you get from riding a bike you maintain yourself and the confidence it gives you that it won't let you down is second-to-none.......but be warned!..".bike fever"...is an illness...i got it bad...iv'e got bikes and parts all over my house.
summerdays
Cycling in the sun
- Location
- Bristol
Yes that's what I meant but I remember not realising the first time the bike shop told me I needed new brake blocks and they showed me one they had just taken off someone else's bike with the metal showing. It was just one of those things I remember not realising at the beginning.Brake blocks will usually have grooves in them. These help to get rid of water, but also act as a wear indicator. When the grooves have disappeared, it's time for new blocks. Replacing them can be a bit of a faff as you need to make sure they are correctly positioned, but come back here and ask if you need help.
And don't forget when you replace the blocks to wind the adjuster back in.
OP
OP
sbeqs
Active Member
I'm not a tinkerer, I'm a tinker-avoider.
winjim
Smash the cistern
Imagine what it was doing to their rims. Sounds expensive.
oldroadman
Veteran
- Location
- Ubique
Reading this through, I thought that many years ago, we were all in a similar position. Everyone has to start somewhere. Think about joining a club, where plenty of grizzled old blokes (like me!) will be around to help you master the basics. For a local one, check the British Cycling website club finder.
Love the BSO thing - this refers to rubbish sold "as low as 69.99!" by certain supermarkets, usually wrongly assembled, poorly adjusted if at all, and made for a very cheap price. I've seen one or two on display in certain shops which may or may not begin and end with an A, where the forks had been fitted wrong way round....
Love the BSO thing - this refers to rubbish sold "as low as 69.99!" by certain supermarkets, usually wrongly assembled, poorly adjusted if at all, and made for a very cheap price. I've seen one or two on display in certain shops which may or may not begin and end with an A, where the forks had been fitted wrong way round....
steveindenmark
Legendary Member
If your questions are about bike mechanics. Youtube is your friend.
summerdays
Cycling in the sun
- Location
- Bristol
It can be good to watch, but asking questions if you are unsure can help to give you the confidence to try, knowing you can come back and ask further questions. Well that's how I do it, rather than understanding in one go, I'm not mechanically minded but I can do a range of the basic stuff now more thanks to here than videos.
