Brakes Don't Work Anymore

[FliesAKite]

Hi everyone. I've had a schwin bmx hanging up in my garage for the past 5-6 years. It has hardly had much use but upon taking it down the breaks are completely out. I don't know much about bikes, I've tried tighting up the nozzles and what not but to no avail-- Can anyone guess the problem?

Also, I may just want to take this down to Erik's or some shop to have it fixed. Anyone know what I can expect to be charged?

[fuzzbox]

Take it to the shop. It shouldn't be that much maybe 7$ if they charge you.

[toofastgt]

These forums are here to help you fix stuff like this yourself not a way to tell people take it to the LBS.
Replacing cables is relatively easy and you could try to lube it up first. Pull the cable end out of the lever
and you should have the cable and a little barrel looking thing as well as the adjuster, Take some thick
paper or even better a platic cup and cut it so you can make a funnel, tape the funnel around the housing
and then use a light oil and fill it up so the lube will drain down the housing along the cable, Move the cable
from the brake end until you see the lube coming out from the housing on the bottom. I prefer to use silicone
for cable lube it is super thin and slick but it does have to be reapplied more often, but walmart has it for like
$1.50 for a big spray can. I would do a complete regrease of the bike since it has hardened up while sitting
and especially the crank bearings will need it bad and they can take more energy to turn if not lubed up good.
Don't take it to the LBS post on here or in the bike mechanics section and we can help you learn how to fix
it yourself. A bike takes a minimal amount of tools to fix the basic stuff and buying them will save you money
over running to the bike shop for every little problem.

[StephenH]

Sounds like a cable problem- see the above. Also, the pads can dry out and have less friction. How the brakes are adjusted also affects braking a good bit. If they worked great when you stopped riding, that's probably not the problem, but after you fool with the brakes, you may need to tinker with that.

[PRIMO22]

These forums are here to help you fix stuff like this yourself not a way to tell people take it to the LBS.
Replacing cables is relatively easy and you could try to lube it up first. Pull the cable end out of the lever
and you should have the cable and a little barrel looking thing as well as the adjuster, Take some thick
paper or even better a platic cup and cut it so you can make a funnel, tape the funnel around the housing
and then use a light oil and fill it up so the lube will drain down the housing along the cable, Move the cable
from the brake end until you see the lube coming out from the housing on the bottom. I prefer to use silicone
for cable lube it is super thin and slick but it does have to be reapplied more often, but walmart has it for like
$1.50 for a big spray can. I would do a complete regrease of the bike since it has hardened up while sitting
and especially the crank bearings will need it bad and they can take more energy to turn if not lubed up good.
Don't take it to the LBS post on here or in the bike mechanics section and we can help you learn how to fix
it yourself. A bike takes a minimal amount of tools to fix the basic stuff and buying them will save you money
over running to the bike shop for every little problem.
Nope that's called the Bicycle Mechanics forum.

[toofastgt]

So the BMX forum is just for saying my ride is cool and better then yours or I can do this trick and I can't
do that trick, but I can do all tricks better then you! Check out his join date he is new to the forums and
it is a bmx bike so maybe he wanted advice from someone with more experience in that so it makes sense
to ask here. If you read what I posted I said that's what these forums are for, I didn't say that is what this
exact forum is for(ie bmx) So maybe instead of just posting a rebuke of my post you could have said to the op
that they could try to post this in the bike mechanics forum because I am just a tool and don't own any and I
take my bike to the shop and bend over when they ask!! Don't worry though I see your a noob too!!

[Street rider]

dude. exactly. hes new. thats why fuzzbox suggested the shop. that way a qualified mechanic can fix it and maybe tell him how to do it himself. best way to learn is from someone who actually knows what theyre doing. its actually a really good suggestion.

[ascend]

So the BMX forum is just for saying my ride is cool and better then yours or I can do this trick and I can't

dude stop pressing enter all the time

[minichamp31]

And just chillax. But I agree wit SR, if they would take it to a shop, I'm sure the mechanic would be glad to show them how to do it for the next time.

[Sekine]

If you do want to do this yourself, at least do it the right way, none of this spray can wal mart grade lube into a makeshift funnel business.

Let's get some questions answered so we can help you:
1) Do the brake pads move when you pull the leavers?
2) If yes: Do they touch the rim?
3) If they touch the rim: Do they feel like they're squeezing fairly hard or does the leaver not provide much resistance before it hits the handlebar.

If you answer those questions I can tell you what kind of problem you're looking at and help you fix it.

If you do want to lube cable housing, take the cable out of the housing, and drip a good low viscosity bike lube right into the top end of the empty cable. Much neater, and you should use a higher quality lubricant than just silicone in a can.

[FliesAKite]

Sekine, I've taken the bike to two shops by now. The pads grab the rim and respond to the levers, how tightly they grab I can't say-- but the two shops seemed to think that the brakes are just of no quality, though they weren't positive. It sounds odd to me that they would just stop working however.

They want to charge more than I want to pay to replace the brakes. Is this something a novice can do on his own? I can probably find a better deal online for brakes than in a store. I'm thinking about selling this bike, so I don't want to rake up a bill for nothing.

[JosephPaul86]

Is this something a novice can do on his own? I can probably find a better deal online for brakes than in a store. I'm thinking about selling this bike, so I don't want to rake up a bill for nothing.
Yeah, you can do it yourself. If you have a camera then snap a pic or two of the brakes and we might be able to kinda assist you through it.


Now if you want to save money, then I would consider pricing out the brakes you want to buy, add in shipping which will be $6-9 in my experience. And you'll have to wait for them to arrive.


If you end up having the local bike shop repair/replace them then ask if you can watch so you'll know how to do the repair next time.

[FuzzyRyder]

use a teflon lube on the cable, or taking the cable out of the housing and rubbing it on candle wax works really well too. Make sure your rim is clean, as well as the brake pads. You should remove them and sand them down, or rub them on the sidewalk untilll they apear clean and make sure they are properly aligned when you re-install them. also re tension your brake springs.

[FliesAKite]

Thanks for the assistance. I don't know the first thing about brake quality, how are these?

http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Mx1000-Alloy-Bicycle-Brake/dp/B000AO5J9S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1216840659&sr=1-1

Any other value retailers I should look at? Basically I just want this bike to stop, but yet I don't want to have to replace the brakes every year.

[FuzzyRyder]

^^ that is a caliper brake. It's a piece of junk and wont work on your u-brake mounts.

[FliesAKite]

Anyone care to offer a recommendation, or a brand?

[FuzzyRyder]

Odyssey.

[FliesAKite]

Oh yeah? How about these?

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/BR308G01-Odyssey+1999+Brakelever+Set+For+Bmx.aspx

The price is certainly right.

[Street rider]

dude thats another caliper brake. you need to look for u-brakes.
http://www.danscomp.com/480016.php?cat=PARTS
cheap, decent.

[FuzzyRyder]

no your looking at calipers you need to find a u-brake, aka 990 brake.
http://www.danscomp.com/480010.php?cat=PARTS