Disk brakes.. how good should they be

[Moreymach]

Cant help feeling that my brakes have 'gone off' a bit lately. Should I be able to stand the bike on its front wheel ?

I only got back into cycling a few months ago and finally have confidence to start arsing about. Went out last night and was playing at stoppies and well .. I couldnt ..

Does front sus make it harder than a solid frame?

[anniesdad]

Erm.....good....very good.

Endo's are no problem whatsoever on my bike - just gotta "pop" the back end up and get your arse over the back. Do a couple of hops for extra style points. Lowering the seat helps.

I carried the technique over from riding freestyle BMX back in the day. I guess it's just like....erm.....riding a bike!

Edited by anniesdad on Wednesday 3rd October 15:58

[snotrag]

anniesdad said:

Erm.....good....very good.

Edited by anniesdad on Wednesday 3rd October 15:58

Yup.. You should be able to stoppie very. very easy...

I can pull a big rolling nose wheelie from about 30mph using only the one finger hwne my brakes are working.

They should be good enough so that a non-mountainbiker could quite easily get on the bike and go over the bars at their first grab of the brakes.


Sounds like time for a service to me, take the brake off the bike, take the pads out, clean the rotor with alcohol, clean the calipers with mild degreaser/soapy water, dry em all off, and if they are beginnging to feel spongy get them re-bled up with fresh fluid.

[anniesdad]

Moreymach said:

Cant help feeling that my brakes have 'gone off' a bit lately. Should I be able to stand the bike on its front wheel ?

I only got back into cycling a few months ago and finally have confidence to start arsing about. Went out last night and was playing at stoppies and well .. I couldnt ..

Does front sus make it harder than a solid frame?

It's not your technique that's a little off maybe? A couple of MTB friends of mine that have been riding for 10+ years easily can't do endo's for toffee. They just can't seem to "pop" the bike up onto its front wheel.

[Moreymach]

anniesdad said:

It's not your technique that's a little off maybe?

My um... tech-wot ?? lol.. Im sure I am a bit rusty but I remember on my old v brake bike doing it all the time. I was never really any good at proper stoppies but if stopping from any speed would like to do it with the rear wheel in the air to some degree. But that was a decade ago !

I think Snotrag is right and a service is in order. The brakes (hope minis) were only fitted back in July-ish but I do wonder if I've got lube on them at some point as a couple of times Ive felt them to be really lacking untill they've got trail muck on them and ground down a bit. They stop me and the bike fine with maybe 50% lever pressure but squeezing harder has very little effect.

[Tim.s]

Surly endo's have very little practical use anyway!!! Maybe your brakes just need bleeding or the oil needs changing if its been out of use for a while, on tarmac my bike stops from full pelt in just a few metres. Get a bleed kit and do it yourself to save a few quid.

[anniesdad]

Tim.s said:

Surly endo's have very little practical use anyway!!!

But, but....they're fun!

[edx]

anniesdad said:

Tim.s said:

Surly endo's have very little practical use anyway!!!

But, but....they're fun!

Yep much fun and endo turns can be very helpful on tight singletrack turns too.

Oh, and re:the original brake question, you haven't got lube on the rotors or pads by accident have you?

Edited by edx on Friday 5th October 11:21

[JWB]

See the topic on brake bedding.

Follow my instructions and let us know the result!

[catso]

I have no problem stoppie-ing (sp?) on my Avid Juicy 5 (185mm disc) equipped bike, using just 2 or even 1 finger on the lever even at a 'little' over 15 stone.

[GHW]

catso said:

I have no problem stoppie-ing (sp?) on my Avid Juicy 5 (185mm disc) equipped bike, using just 2 or even 1 finger on the lever even at a 'little' over 15 stone.

And with 203mm Juicy 5s you'd be sensible to buy a full-face lid...

[Gizmo535]

snotrag said:

They should be good enough so that a non-mountainbiker could quite easily get on the bike and go over the bars at their first grab of the brakes.

:snort:
I remember a mate of mine doing that once on my old Raleigh Max when I were a sprog; he took it for a quick spin shortly after I got it, but long enough for me to have 'tweaked' it

Mind, he did get his own back by letting me ride his for a bit, whereupon I promptly ended up in a hedge because his brakes didn't seem to work at all!

/nostalgia