hedaboy2008

HI all,

I'm a newbie to this whole biking thing. I've got a Mongoose Tyax Super with Promax DSK905 hydraulic disc brakes.

I've been having a bit of an issue with my front brake pads rubbing on the rotor, so in my infinite wisdom, I removed the front wheel and put a blunt knife in between the brake pads and wiggled it to space them out a little more.

Great, I thought, as now I've put the wheel back on and the brake is totally soft and the pads don't move at all. I've now got cold sweats. Have I screwed up my brakes?! Do they need bleeding now?

I've had a look on the net for a service manual, but I can't find anything about how to remove the pads. Do these piston things need pushing back or something? Please can anyone help as I fear that I might have screwed my bike up!!!

If anyone can point me towards an illustrated guide of what I need to do to sort it, I'd be most grateful!! Thanks!

never

Pump your brake lever a bunch of times.

hedaboy2008

I've pumped the brakes 40 times or so and still no improvement. What is this thing that I have seen on the net about tying your brake lever up overnight and that tightening them up?

Would that work here?

ed 

Sure...pray a voodoo curse over it and throw some dirt over your left shoulder. That works too.

You may have toasted your seals or cylinders.

Take it to a shop...or take both sides apart to see what's different about it and try to remember how it all fits together.

mtnbiker66

I think it's best left to the LBS.

hedaboy2008

I took it to my LBS this morning - apparently there was no fluid in the brake at all and no sign of a leak.

Was told that normally pumping the brakes a few times should pop the pads back onto the rotor (thanks Poster #2). After their repair, the front brake works like a charm. Wallet is £25 lighter.

My thanks then also go to Evans Cycles for completely screwing up the repair they were supposed to have done. I took it in to them a couple of weeks ago as the brake was soft 2 weeks after receiving the bike. They 'fixed it' although before i separated the pads it was already getting softer again. Now this. Not happy!

W&SOS

Sounds like you might have a leak some where in the caliper side of the brakes. I would check the hose connection or the seal around the pistons. It most likely just lets in a tiny bit of air every so often making the lever soft over time.

ed 

You're welcome.

hedaboy2008

Sorry Chelboed!! Thanks to you too!!

In fact, thanks to all posters! The advice is much appreciated!

ed 

No, no...I don't need credit. Just the satisfaction that you've gotten it fixed makes me all warm and fuzzy.

-_RebelRidin'_-

and this is why i stay with mech. brakes.
no discreet sneaky leaks to deal with

kenhill3

Leaks in hydros are not as common as most folks (who own DON'T own hydros) are led to believe. Unless, of course, you or a clueless LBS has ignorantly tried to 'service' them.

ed 

I've never had a leak in my hydraulic brakes.

hedaboy2008

An update:

I called Evans Cycles and told them that the brake must be broken and must have been sold to me broken as I've tried to fix it twice (once by them and once by my LBS) and no dice. They told me that as I took my bike to a different shop, my warranty is now invalid and they won't touch it. They sweetly advised me that I'd have to replace my whole brake system at my own cost - £100+ for hydraulics.

I don't see why if they've sold me a defective bike (which they were supposed to have (a) put together properly (b) repaired again once) they can wash their hands of the whole saga just because i got someone else to bleed the brakes. Says a lot for their customer service.

Moral of the story:
- I should have realised this before, but always take a faulty bike back to the shop you bought it from to get them to work on it. Don't admit you've done ANYTHING with it if you want to make a warranty claim and don't admit you've taken it anywhere else, even if they just looked at it.
- Evans Cycles are F///s. A quick search of the internet throws up quite a few complaints from other people too. Do your net research on Evans first before you go there. I got my bike for a good price initially, but have spent almost half the cost of the bike again in fixing what was broken in the first place, what Evans didn't set up properly and on wasted time/petrol.
- Stay away from cheap hydraulic brakes and don't be suckered in like I was. A set of Avid mechanicals is the way forward if you're on a budget... At least you can adjust the things yourself.

-_RebelRidin'_-

Bb7 ftw!