Brakes acting up yet again.

Gubbins

Esteemed Pedelecer
Could it be that you've lost a load of fluid at some point in time and have a big airlock in the tubing?
Like in a car with the same problem, first pump on the brake pedal - no braking just pressuring the air, moments later they work when a bit of fluid gets to the pads pistons.
You may have fluid at either end of the tubing with air in the middle?
As already suggested, give it a good bleed first.
Mobile mechanic coming Friday to bleed it.
 
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Fat Rat

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 7, 2018
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726
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The charge is £15 per brake with no callout charge.
T'would be rude not to...
Bloody hell
I’m in the wrong job
5 minutes an end for £30
He must be traveling a long way
Hope it fixes your problem
 

Gubbins

Esteemed Pedelecer
Bloody hell
I’m in the wrong job
5 minutes an end for £30
He must be traveling a long way
Hope it fixes your problem
Well.. he came from Bradford so 15 to 18 miles round trip and charged me £15 to bleed the brake which is a job I can't do. I think that is good value..
 
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Gubbins

Esteemed Pedelecer
As I am on the outer edge of his area the first question I asked was.. What is your call out charge? he doesn't have one and as the job was £15, not £30, and I thought I needed a complete new brake I thought it was worth a shot. Turned out to be more than a 5 minute job and in his opinion there was some swarf or other debris in the line probably left over from when they were fitted which may explain my sometimes working/not working issues I have had from new. Anyway, job done and seems ok so I asked about other jobs and he is willing to come out and service/fit parts bought by the customer, unlike any bike shop I know who generally only fit and/or charge premium parts/prices.
To put this into perspective I recently had an issue with my home alarm with random activations even when not set so called out the local firm that fitted it and it needed a new door sensor, and as its over 5 years old it needed a new backup battery. They only came 2 miles and the call out charge was £100 +Vat and with the new sensor and battery the bill was £170, so I feel really happy that I have found this guy!
 
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Fat Rat

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 7, 2018
1,903
726
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Well.. he came from Bradford so 15 to 18 miles round trip and charged me £15 to bleed the brake which is a job I can't do. I think that is good value..
You could so do it yourself it’s a doddle
Google shimano brake bleed and have a look
As long as your happy and more importantly it worked
All is good
 

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
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30 odd mile round trip for £15 is fantastic value for a mobile bike mechanic to do that job. If they are Shimano then the mineral itself isn't cheap.
Keep him in your pocket Gubbins for the future.
Even worth a mention of his name and contact on here as others in the area would most likely use his services.
 
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Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
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Bloody hell
I’m in the wrong job
5 minutes an end for £30
He must be traveling a long way
Hope it fixes your problem
A very simplistic view and reply when in reality most peeps won't have fluid, syringe and tubing to start with.
 

Fat Rat

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 7, 2018
1,903
726
UK
A very simplistic view and reply when in reality most peeps won't have fluid, syringe and tubing to start with.
Not really
A syringe is pence and so is a little tube
Also you can use the shimano mineral oil or LHM which they use in central hydraulic systems on cars (it’s the same weight oil) and it’s cheap enough and readily available
The job its self is so easy anyone could do it as basic bike maintenance
Brakes need bleeding on bikes now and then so you would soon get your small outlay back
Fix it yourself and straight away without the need for anyone else
Job satisfaction
 

Gubbins

Esteemed Pedelecer
Not really
A syringe is pence and so is a little tube
Also you can use the shimano mineral oil or LHM which they use in central hydraulic systems on cars (it’s the same weight oil) and it’s cheap enough
And is readily available
The job its self is so easy anyone could do it as basic maintenance
Brakes need bleeding on bikes now and then so you would soon get your small outlay back
Fix it yourself and straight away without the need for anyone else
Job satisfaction
What if you prefer to not get your hands dirty so to speak? And please dont say buy some gloves..
 
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soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
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soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
16,899
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tbh i have never had to bleed my brakes tho i got the stuff to do it :D
 

Gubbins

Esteemed Pedelecer
Just important as getting brakes sorted was discovery of a good affordable bike mechanic on call.
This is more important than you might think!
In my younger life I had a keen interest in all things mechanical and also the will to want to understand how things worked and have done things with cars that even I find hard to believe, and whilst my interest is still as keen I no longer have the will or the time to be bothered.
The rear brake now works as it should and I feel much happier with the bike which is a bit of a bonus, and referring to another post that some of you have contributed to, he said my big ring on the Giant doesn't need changing..
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
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i can fix and build pc systems but when it comes to apple crap its not worth the headache.

sis has a 2012 imac and wants cpu mem and ssd upgrade sure i could have a go and probably do but i could also fook it up as well.

if its not broke then dont fix it ;)
 

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