Bicycle Mechanics - Why won't my brakes work!!

So I bought this new bike from bikesdirect, mostly assembled. Just had to put in the front wheel, seat post, etc.

I've tightened the brake cables and everything necessary for that(I think) but for some reason whenever I pull on the brake levers the cables barely even move!

I've included some pictures. Forgive me for the quality, I'm using my cell phone.

There should be cable-housing, and a ferrule (I think), going into the brake body from above.

Post pictures of everything between the brake-lever and the brake-caliper.

here's pictures of the housings and the nipple.

Take it to a bike-shop and have them install and adjust everything correctly. You are a dark stain on the tarmac waiting to happen.

Start over. Look at pictures of the brakes on other people's bicycles. This is a beaut!

<EDIT> As Danno said! To the bike-shop! WALK it there.

well what should I look at specifically? I don't know what I am doing wrong at all. I have been looking at pictures of the bike to see differences. Watched a few videos etc.

EDIT: I talked to my LBS and they said to bring it in for them to take a look at. Won't I have to pay extra?(forgot to ask)

Brakes are the most important safety item on a bike. So much so, that a lot of bike-shops have build-sheets for every bike that comes into the shop and assembled. Each and every nut & bolt relating to the brake are tightened to the manufacturer's specifications with a torque-wrench and the actual torque is recorded on the build-sheet. The manager then inspects the bike & signs off on build-sheet before the bike leaves the building.

Do you have?

1. manufacturer's torque specs for all the brake parts?
2. a torque-wrench?
3. know how to use the above?

The problem is, you are so far away from having the understanding of brakes to work on your own bike, that this is a serious safety issue. Yes, it's life & DEATH and you have no idea how close to DYING you are!!! If you are skydiving or working on your own brakes, try-try-again does NOT apply!!!

cable housing.

in order for the cable to tighten, it needs to push against something. that is the housing.

AEO: ok. Can you see something wrong with the way I have it set up?

Danno: take it easy man I'm not gonna ride it if the brakes don't work!

The cable housing on your front brake needs to extend all the way to the adjuster on the front brake, so that when you pull the lever, the cable housing pushes against the pull of the cable, thus tightening your brake.

Please, take your bike to a bike shop. Pay the 50-100 bucks to have it assembled correctly.

there is a lot that is inherently wrong with the bike.

go to a shop, when you have time, watch them do the work on your bike.

yea well I can't move the housing on the front cable without removing the tape. Sounds like the manufacturer's fault.

And this is why I urge people to not order a bicycle from online venues such as BikesDirect - unless they are, or have, a skilled bicycle-mechanic. Bicycles should never be built-up by people who have never learned and done this before. Preferably many times over.

I'm linking this thread in a future article on what NOT to do.

You don't need to disturb the bar tape. Just gotta pull the extra cable through the cable clamp and snip it off. The rear brake housing needs to be put in the cable stops and might have excess cable as well.

You REALLY should take it to a shop. Otherwise, on your first ride, your bars will snap off. That can frequently be a little uglier than riding with no brakes.

And I just sold a bike for $100 too.

yea well I can't move the housing on the front cable without removing the tape. Sounds like the manufacturer's fault.

No... Loosen the nut on the brake caliper that holds the cable. Now pull that cable down many, many inches until the black cable housing is in its spot at the brake caliper. Now get someone to squeeze your brakes a little bit to the position you'd like them to be at "rest" (i.e. pads barely off the rim surface) and pull the cable tight and then tighten its nut. Your front brake will then work. Your rear brake is set up all wrong too, but we'd need better pictures to see what's going on there...

Disclaimer: this is how it is done but if you don't do it correctly, you can get hurt. You sound just clueless enough to mess up even this easy job so going to a bike shop or buying a repair book is a good idea.

Disclaimer: this is how it is done but if you don't do it correctly, you can get hurt. You sound just clueless enough to mess up even this easy job so going to a bike shop or buying a repair book is a good idea.

Good idea?? I'd say it's mandatory to take it to a good shop. If not - I hope someone steals it before you get hurt or killed.

AEO: ok. Can you see something wrong with the way I have it set up?

Danno: take it easy man I'm not gonna ride it if the brakes don't work!Sorry, I've just seen way too many people get mangled, disfigured, maimed and dismembered from improperly adjusted brakes. Then they try to sue the bike-shop and/or bike-manufacturer for the improper installation that they did themselves. In this case, it's a bigger-picture issue than just "getting the brakes to work". There are years and years of experience and practice needed to get you from where you are now, to where you can install and adjust those brakes correctly. I would suggest taking it to someone who've already put in the time and practice to get those brakes working... safely.

When it comes to bike-adjustments and mechanicals, you should not fear the "what it takes" to get something to work. Because frequently, it's a performance, durability or safety issue that will be prevalent. If you have to remove the bar tape, remove the bars, remove the stem, remove the fork, both wheels, the chain, the crank, all the gears and unlace half the spokes to get the brakes working, then that's what you need to do. Cutting corners will always come back and bite you in the ass! ;)

I believe an old adage is in order here:

"Pride goeth before a fall."

Looks like the front cable was left extremely loose to get the handlebars off the steerer tube for packaging. Undo the bolt on the brake just bellow the adjuster that holds the cable in place, pull in all the extra slack and adjust from there.

There's Umpteen guides on google for adjusting brakes, start there. The rear cable housing needs slid into the braze on (slot) on your top tube, then adjusted if they don't stop well enough.

LBS's take care of this stuff for free on bikes you get from them.
I vote you do the work yourself, only one way to learn. Don't go at it without research first or you'll likely break/damage something. When done though, go to a LBS and have them check torques and make sure everything is safe. Not getting pre-loads on bearings correct can cause some serious damage.

. . . and you thought you were saving $$$!

I'd say he paid a fine so as not to get a pesky warranty.

None of the housing are in any of the cable stops. Un-bolt the wire from the brakes and pull it through until all of the housing is snugly inserted into the stops. But please, go to a shop and ask them to make sure your bike is isn't going to kill you.

BD scares me.

They make me wonder if those that would complain the most don't because they're dead.

BD scares me.

They make me wonder if those that would complain the most don't because they're dead.

Sounds like a good business-plan. If you went to the Hitler Institute of Economics. :eek:

OP. I know you may think everyone is coming down hard on you, or not being nice and fair and just telling you what you need to know, but seriously, you apparently haven't even the most basic knowledge of how a brake system should function or even look. ( So much so that I originally suspected a troll ). Anyway it's not really fair to expect a detailed explanation in a forum post when, as has been said, there's literally volumes of printed guides and online sources for info on how to set-up brakes. I would recommend research and education before trying the actual task at hand.

Yeah +1,000 on LBS. Buy from an LBS, your bike will be properly assembled, you'll get at least a free tune-up, if not free service for 6 months discount on everything for 6 months, and you'll be supporting cool people in your community. Unless you live in a lame town with no (cool) bike shops......then yeah, get a book. I learned a lot from this one

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bicycle-Maintenance-Repair-Todd-Downs/dp/1579548830

Not directing this at you, JinDogan, just at people in general, but it's also obnoxious and a little offensive to bring internet stuff to a shop for us to work on but we will gladly take your money to fix their mistakes, and do the job right. I can't speak for other shops but at mine (and my last one) the bike gets built and adjusted ready-to-ride, double-checked before every test ride, more thoroughly checked before it goes home, then you get a free tune up and free labor for 6 months. That alone makes up for the higher price.

Funkytown - thank you for your opinion from a bike-mechanic (guessing) at an above-ground shop. This adds perspective from the other side of the proverbial counter. And it sounds like a good shop you are at - honest in saying such as 'obnoxious' and 'offensive' to describe an encounter with those who fell for the glossy adds and collection of noble names being used to pitch a danger to the roadways.

I'll simply add that you - OP - will be lucky to find a shop that will do a right, good job. I know one here that will take your money, assume you don't know jack about bicycles, and do a lousy job - fixing one thing while breaking another to ensure repeat business. Or just general incompetence.

Well, now that he has the bike, hes not going to return it and just buy another one from a LBS. In light of this, if you still haven't decided on bringing the bike to a bike shop and having them fix it for you, here's where you can get started on reading about the brakes/cables and how they work....

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cables.html

If you have made the smart choice to bring it in to a shop, you should watch them do it so you learn how it all works, or generally how its supposed to look. Additionally you'll know that the mechanic there isn't doing anything he isn't supposed to be doing, and breaking more stuff which will later make you come back and give them more of your money.

Here is a photo of side-pull brakes - quite similar to the ones on the OP's bike. Please compare to your attempt. Then go to the bike-shop - or write a will:

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp323/nagognog/Green.jpg

OP - the reason so many people are being hard on you instead of helping you is that it's obvious that
a) you don't know what you're doing (no offense, just stating a fact)
b) you haven't attempted to learn what you SHOULD be doing, e.g. looking at another bike, google, Park Tools website, etc.

The purpose of this forum is to help folks by pointing out the one or two things that they need to correct or modify, or point them to a resource. In your case, you need to first learn how to properly install brake cables (see b above), then start over and follow the directions. THEN if you have issues, come on back and we'll see if we can help.

I realize that this is off topic, but I'm surprised by the Made in China sticker on the headtube. I thought Mike at BD sells only bikes made in Taiwan.

If I'm looking at your pictures right, they just haven't been installed properly. I am surprised the brakes close at all like that.... Check the illustration - that did come with a manual right?

I realize that this is off topic, but I'm surprised by the Made in China sticker on the headtube. I thought Mike at BD sells only bikes made in Taiwan.

China and Taiwan each claim they are the "real" China. Neither recognizes the government of the other.

Technically their titles are: People's Republic of China (mainland China), and the Republic of China (Taiwan/Formosa). Taiwan was removed from the United Nations when it was decided that there could not be two China's in the roll-call. Such is politics.

Now back to the show!

you have got to be kidding me.....

you have got to be kidding me.....

How much money are you willing to los...er...bet me on this?

JinDogan, yes, you'll have to pay the bike shop. You can't get out of this. We might be able to walk you through the procedure, and you might get it fixed right. But that's only "might" and that's not good enough. Clearly, you don't have much experience with fixing bikes, and that's no sin, but it would be a sin for you to try to do this at this point. The risk is too great, and the stakes are too high. You saved money on the bike, so now it's time to spend some of that savings to get the bike set up right. The bike is just not as inexpensive as you thought it was, but now you know.

You might want to pay them a little extra to show you how they do it while they do it.

I also recommend you pay them to make sure the rest of the bike is set up right. I'll bet you they'll be able to find other things wrong, and it's worth fixing all of them.

Once that's done, it's a fine time to start learning how to do this stuff yourself.

But before it's done is a BAD time to start learning.

You are not a dark stain on anything (and I love you DannoXYZ), but we are admonishing you to take this path for a good reason. We speak from experience.

How much money are you willing to los...er...bet me on this?
Oh, I can't believe this tread has a reason to exist....

The more I think about this, the more I think this is a troll. And he's loving every minute of this...

Here comes the paranoia! :wtf: :rolleyes:

Jesus, Panthers, save some housing for the rest of us.

You want that hideous Celeste-green housing from Bianchi? It doesn't have a liner. It binds. And it makes people nauseous. I'm through with it. I'll trade it for some fake vomit from a joke-shop.

Troll?

You want that hideous Celeste-green housing from Bianchi? It doesn't have a liner. It binds. And it makes people nauseous. I'm through with it. I'll trade it for some fake vomit from a joke-shop.

Why would you trade it for fake vomit? You could simply put it on your bike, hang out at the local shop, and get the real stuff for free from all the people who look at it.

Why would you trade it for fake vomit? You could simply put it on your bike, hang out at the local shop, and get the real stuff for free from all the people who look at it.

:lol:

Hey not to hijack the troll thread, but is WD40 good for my chain lubrication, whaddayathink?

No dude - that's for brushing your teeth with and it makes a dandy laxative.

...is WD40 good for my chain lubrication, whaddayathink?

Well, it's better than trail dust and mud, that's for sure. Whether it's better than spit or crushed slugs is still open to debate....

Troll alert! I can't read the headtube badge, but it doesn't look like any of BD's current offerings, FWIW.

Looks like a Windsor badge, not sure what model/year that thing is, tho.