What's wrong with my brakes?
Discussion
I have a Boardman HT Pro with Avid Elixir R brakes. A few months ago, I fitted some new front pads and bled the brakes. I've never bled brakes on a bike before, so I bought the Avid bleed kit and took my time to make damn sure there were no bubbles of air left in the system.
Once I'd finished, I went for a spin to bed in the new pads and everything seemed fine. A few weeks later I went out again and after 30 mins or so, I noticed the brakes starting to get spongier, until it got to the point where I could pull the lever all the way to the handlebars and the bike would still roll. I checked the bike thoroughly for any signs of a fluid leak, but everything seemed fine.
Disheartened and wanted a working bike again, I gave in and booked it into the bike shop to be looked at. They bled the brakes again and returned the bike and everything seemed fine. I went out for a couple of hours ride and all was good. I've just got the bike out to check it over prior to a ride tomorrow with a group of mates and the same thing has happened again - you can pull the brake all the way to the handlebar and still turn the wheel. Once again, there is no sign of a fluid leak.
Really annoyed that I'm now going to miss my ride tomorrow and don't know what to do next to fix the problem as bleeding and re-bleeding doesn't seem to be helping....
Once I'd finished, I went for a spin to bed in the new pads and everything seemed fine. A few weeks later I went out again and after 30 mins or so, I noticed the brakes starting to get spongier, until it got to the point where I could pull the lever all the way to the handlebars and the bike would still roll. I checked the bike thoroughly for any signs of a fluid leak, but everything seemed fine.
Disheartened and wanted a working bike again, I gave in and booked it into the bike shop to be looked at. They bled the brakes again and returned the bike and everything seemed fine. I went out for a couple of hours ride and all was good. I've just got the bike out to check it over prior to a ride tomorrow with a group of mates and the same thing has happened again - you can pull the brake all the way to the handlebar and still turn the wheel. Once again, there is no sign of a fluid leak.
Really annoyed that I'm now going to miss my ride tomorrow and don't know what to do next to fix the problem as bleeding and re-bleeding doesn't seem to be helping....
Avids: there's your problem.
If there's no sign of leakage, and the bleed valves etc. are fully closed, then chances are they're not being bled properly. It's an art with Avids (one of the reasons why I hate them with a passion).
Saying that, do they work if you "pump" them a few times? If so, a duff seal at the lever end?
Get them bled, stick 'em on eBay and source some "old"-style Shimano SLXs whilst you still can.
EDIT: £130.
http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/mtb-parts/br...
Bosh.
Best brakes in the business. Easy to bleed, use mineral oil rather than DOT-Horrible, powerful enough for Alps/DH shenanigans, and ultra-reliable to boot. Don't touch mine year-to-year between Alps trips, yet just keep.on.going.
If there's no sign of leakage, and the bleed valves etc. are fully closed, then chances are they're not being bled properly. It's an art with Avids (one of the reasons why I hate them with a passion).
Saying that, do they work if you "pump" them a few times? If so, a duff seal at the lever end?
Get them bled, stick 'em on eBay and source some "old"-style Shimano SLXs whilst you still can.
EDIT: £130.
http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/mtb-parts/br...
Bosh.
Best brakes in the business. Easy to bleed, use mineral oil rather than DOT-Horrible, powerful enough for Alps/DH shenanigans, and ultra-reliable to boot. Don't touch mine year-to-year between Alps trips, yet just keep.on.going.
Edited by Jimbo. on Saturday 12th May 16:48
Edited by Jimbo. on Saturday 12th May 16:48
Cheers fellas. Managed to get the bike back to the shop before they shut and they found a slight fluid leak where the cable meets the lever. They're going to take a look at it on Monday, but if that doesn't cure it, I'll probably take Jimbo's advice and get some new brakes.
In the meantime I managed to find somewhere locally that hires bikes, so I managed to bag myself a Trek of laughably low spec that weighs a tonne and has clearly had a hard life. Oh and it has fetching orange reflectors on the wheels.
So I'll be slumming it tomorrow but at least I won't miss out altogether!
In the meantime I managed to find somewhere locally that hires bikes, so I managed to bag myself a Trek of laughably low spec that weighs a tonne and has clearly had a hard life. Oh and it has fetching orange reflectors on the wheels.
So I'll be slumming it tomorrow but at least I won't miss out altogether!
Quick update - the guy from the bike shop called this morning and he reckons the seal has gone at the lever end, so it's pushing air past the seal. But he says it'll be covered under warranty, although he'll need to send the lever off to be replaced or rebuild which will take about a week.
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