Originally Posted by
Iride01
You'll have to ignore those that are going to rage against a cheap bike. They'll always be among us. They make a good case, but their view is clouded by their ability and willingness to pay more for the points they make in their view. I don't really disagree with them. As I am willing to pay more. But as you mentioned, you'd like to fix what you have at the moment. And you should be able to.
It doesn't appear that the cable has been deformed much at all by the pinch bolt. So that probably means the cable is slipping in the pinch bolt. You need to loosen it and then get the cable positioned at the proper place before you tighten that pinch bolt. How tight? Enough to keep the cable from slipping but not so tight that you break the bolt or strip it's threads. The part of the cable under the pinch bolt will be somewhat flattened. However be careful. On the low cost bikes, those bolts and screws might not have the strength to endure a lot of torque. Some do, some don't.
There appears to be a barrel adjuster just above where the black cable housing goes in and the bare cable comes out. That gives you finer adjustment after the cable has been set at the rough position in the pinch bolt. Depending on what procedure you use to position everything, the barrel adjuster might should be all the way in, all but a couple threads out or in the middle, before clamping the cable in the pinch bolt.
However there might be other things you should do first. Even with a $10,000 bike, I'd still check for proper installation before such adjustments. I think one person mentioned you should check to see if the brake body and pads are set parallel to the rotor.
Here is a video that might help you some.....
https://www.parktool.com/en-us/blog/...rake-alignment
You should probably ignore the above post. And any other suggesting you fix this disaster yourself.
When you replied about not wanting to spend much money on a bike, my immediate reaction was, "What's your life worth?"
Because that's EXACTLY what's at stake here. YOUR LIFE. Or your well-being. Do you have children? Do you provide for them? Do they love you? Do you have a partner? Will these people suffer if you die or are disabled as a result of your bicycle's problem(s)? I can only assume the answer is a resounding "yes!" For this reason, place more value on your life than a $59.98 bicycle!
The reply I quoted obviously comes from someone trying to help. Trying to NOT be the stereotypical "bike snob." That's nice and all, but misguided. Problem is, they're rather ignorant of several things. First, they appear to have little or no idea exactly how bad big box (WalMart) bicycles are. Everyone here has offered all sorts of good advice. Problem is, this is a BIG BOX BIKE! It's a mine field of problems just waiting to pop up. It was poorly manufactured with very low grade parts. Then it was "assembled" by an idiot, moron or buffoon. Big box provides little to no resources for their bike assembly. It's an annoying cost center that they just wish would go away. This explains why they outsource most of their work. This outsourced work is paid by volume. Speed is the only thing that makes bike assembly worth the effort for the person providing the service. Go fast so you can get a paycheck that might just pay for the day's gas in the car! So you follow this advice and fix the rear brake, but what about the REST of the bike? (Brake failure is a big deal. Delivering a bike to a customer with this problem screams POORLY-ASSEMBLED BICYCLE!)
Second, your bike most certainly has other serious problems with it. It's simply a matter of averages; big box bikes suck. If you aren't trained to evaluate the condition of a bicycle, spot issues, identify major problems and fix them, then stop before you go any further. You're wasting your time fixing the brake caliper when so much else is most certainly wrong with the bike.
Third, I find it funny how many people have jumped in to expound on brake repair and advising you on what to do. Sorry, but this advice is ill-advised. Why? Because bicycle repair isn't as "easy" as many assume. I've seen STEM Phd's flummoxed by simple flat tires. I've seen very experienced cyclists (training, racing, going to regionals & nationals) who are now STEM professors make mistakes that could have been fatal. If you don't fully understand the fundamentals of how a brake does and should function, then you probably don't want to trust your life to brakes you try to fix. And then there are the million other potential issues the bike has.
I've seen the actual dreck people purchased at big box. I've seen it for 40 years. (Firenze!!!) I'm really good at fixing bikes and I simply walk away from these. (Did it a few months ago actually. A friend picked up a true POS from the Salvation Army for $60 that's really only good for the crusher.) Many bike shops simply refuse to work on these bikes. And for very good reason. The liability is through the roof! Fix a flat on a bike with non-functioning brakes? No thanks. Fraught with all sorts of problems. Refusing to service them creates two good outcomes: no lawsuits for the shop, and people aren't riding dangerous junk.
Additionally, people need to understand that cheap bikes are NOT like cheap cars. Cheap bikes won't ride the equivalent of 140,000 car miles. Bikes simply don't meet the same durability or safety standards cars do. Most big box bikes brakes hardly function in the rain. Does a Toyota Corolla not stop in the rain? Hell no! People don't understand that daily, utilitarian bike usage is WAY MORE THAN A WALLY WORLD BIKE can withstand. They're simply not designed for daily commuting. And unfortunately, that's often their intended use. Many low-wage workers use them to get to work. This a real shame. A daily commuter simply needs a better bike than Cheapo World can provide.
Oh what a shame for you to spend all this time perusing the replies, following links, getting advice, following instructions, and then try to fix a brake caliper when several OTHER problems with the bike lie elsewhere. I'd venture that the rest of the brake system has issues, probably several critical problems. Oh and then you hop on your bike with functioning brakes and a pedal falls off, sending you into the path of a truck, killing you. I give it a 50/50 chance the pedals on YOUR BIKE are not properly tight. Go check them, please! And if you push on the rear derailleur by hand, there's a really good chance it goes into the rear wheel's spokes. I would expect no less from a big box bike like this.
Your life's worth more than a junk big box bike.
Take the valuable advice given to return that POS to big box and purchase a bicycle manufactured, assembled, adjusted and sold with care. A bike from a bike shop. And with free follow-up service to boot! (Given the sad state of the bike biz, bike deals are everywhere. Good for you.)
No bicycle should ever be sold to a customer with failing brakes.
Your life's worth it.
PS While I may be seen like a "bike snob," I'm really someone who totally appreciates the utilitarian aspect of bicycles. I'm riding 20, 30 and almost 40 year old bikes. I LOVE keeping bikes running and performing. I just lovingly rebuilt a 1984 Nishiki mixte city bike. Put WAY too much time and effort into it, but it was worth it to me. To see this bicycle perform better than it ever did new brings me a lot of joy. Knowing that this bike, if cared for, could provide trouble-free service for another 40 years - easily - fills me with joy. So please do not misinterpret my intent; I feel you should understand that a bike like yours is likely a danger to anyone who rides it.