Wisper I’m a new member, get me out of here!

Versys

Just Joined
Jul 18, 2020
4
0
Good morning,

I am new on here, so expect a member to say I am on the wrong thread or section!
. My names Paul and I live near Taunton in Zummerzet. I am 69 yrs young this year, ex hants police , ex nurse, ex HGV 2 driver, ex Plessey telecom telephone technician, ex domestic repair man, that’ll do for some of my history, Ill leave Mi5 out.
I have ridden mostly mtb’s and tried a hybrid ( not impressed) and last normal bike was a Specialized Roubaix black stealth bike, weighed 10kg and went like grease off of a shovel, but I found that road bikes weren’t for me, not comfortable. Hence my selling it and investing in an early eBike to try one out before committing to a new one, more expensive one.

Now I’ve bored you solid, I have recently acquired a 2011 Wisper 905 SE Sports in excellent condition, whose battery pack is currently away being boosted from 8 amp to 17.5 .

I have had it serviced by local cycle man, who has tightened the headset bearing checked the crank, and although vocal in a small way has been checked and okay. Gear selector not getting onto the biggest cog adjusted and now works fine. Front disc pads and rear v blocks changed. This is the first query.
After the service, I took it out on the road without power, and everything was super smooth, gear changed okay , brakes worked very well. Then I noticed something odd, the front brake lever didn’t stop at the pad contact point with the disc, where there would normally be a solid feel, the lever sort of gave way and came right back to the handlebar . First time it had done that . I checked again, and the the lever activated the pads correctly, to stop the bike, but then if pressure kept on, gave way until the lever came back to the handlebar . Cable checked at the Cali per and found to be tight, the arm was swinging in its complete arc when the lever was pulled. It feels as if the cable is pulling though its tightening collar but it’s not. HELP /ADVICE PLEASE.

One more query. I know the supplied Wisper saddle is independently sprung through the seat tube, and adjustment on the end. However, I didn’t find the saddle particularly endearing to my bum, and purchased a so described comfort seat with more supportive area. No idea if it will be better but on checking to fit it, I find some odd octagonal seat tube that goes with supplied saddle . If I bought another seat tube to fit into the bikes frame, it will be too big for the standard fitment on my new saddle to slide onto. This simple task is turning into a fiasco. Do I have to then buy an adaptor to match the frame seat tube to my saddle fitment so I can actually use a saddle that I want to use on this bike ?
Thank you in anticipation of some valuable advice from anyone on the forum . ( if this is the right place to ask! )
 

Benjahmin

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2014
2,462
1,676
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West Wales
Hi Paul,
Is your front brake hydraulic? If so then what you describe is about right, you don't get the same solid feel as with cable but they work very well. There is often an adjuster on the reservoir that will alter the bite point.
As for your saddle stem woes, I think you'll probably need to put up some photo's of the relevant bits.
 

Versys

Just Joined
Jul 18, 2020
4
0
Hi Paul,
Is your front brake hydraulic? If so then what you describe is about right, you don't get the same solid feel as with cable but they work very well. There is often an adjuster on the reservoir that will alter the bite point.
As for your saddle stem woes, I think you'll probably need to put up some photo's of the relevant bits.
Hi Benjahmin

Thank you for your reply, the front disc brake is a mechanical Tektro Novela , not hydraulic. Paul
 

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
19,995
8,175
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West Sx RH
Cable brakes Ben.
All I can think is that there is play in the cable length, there is a kink in the inner wire (or freyed inner) or a compressed spot on the outer cable.
Most likely I would think it is a snag either with the outer or inner also check for any tight/sharp bends in the outer somewhere
One needs to remove the cable inner/outer to inspect it and replace the inner cable as they are cheap also check the outer for a kink or anywhere it may be compressed, if so replace as well.
For inner wire use Jagwire s/steel ones.
 
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awol

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 4, 2013
1,216
374
Hi Benjahmin

Thank you for your reply, the front disc brake is a mechanical Tektro Novela , not hydraulic. Paul
My Tektro Novela brakes did that when the pads were well worn and needed changing. I think it's a common problem with that model.
Edit: As vfr400 says, I also used to re-adjust them to get them working ok again.
 
Last edited:

vfr400

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 12, 2011
9,822
3,985
Basildon
The brake hasn’t been set up or adjusted properly. I've seen that happen before, but I can't remember the exact reason. I think it might have been that the arm was assembled in the wrong position. I remember I had to take it off completely before figuring out how to sort it.

The other thing that affects it is the amount of movement you need on the lever. Check that the gap between the pads and disc is minimal. You adjust it by loosening the caliper fixing screws so that the caliper can move sideways, then adjust the stationary pad with its adjusting screw on the back side. Sometimes the stationary pad is lockrd by a tiny grub-screw in its edge, so lok out for one of those. After adjusting, hold the brake on while you retighten the two caliper screws.
 

Versys

Just Joined
Jul 18, 2020
4
0
Cable brakes Ben.
All I can think is that there is play in the cable length, there is a kink in the inner wire (or freyed inner) or a compressed spot on the outer cable.
Most likely I would think it is a snag either with the outer or inner also check for any tight/sharp bends in the outer somewhere
One needs to remove the cable inner/outer to inspect it and replace the inner cable as they are cheap also check the outer for a kink or anywhere it may be compressed, if so replace as well.
For inner wire use Jagwire s/steel ones.
Hi Ben,
Thank you so much for your advice, I will get my chap to look at it again but also take a look myself, as it’s a learning curve for me. If the brake was hydraulic I would immediately suspect air in the system and bleed it but mechanical disc brakes are new to me! Cheers mate.
Paul
 

Versys

Just Joined
Jul 18, 2020
4
0
The brake hasn’t been set up or adjusted properly. I've seen that happen before, but I can't remember the exact reason. I think it might have been that the arm was assembled in the wrong position. I remember I had to take it off completely before figuring out how to sort it.

The other thing that affects it is the amount of movement you need on the lever. Check that the gap between the pads and disc is minimal. You adjust it by loosening the caliper fixing screws so that the caliper can move sideways, then adjust the stationary pad with its adjusting screw on the back side. Sometimes the stationary pad is lockrd by a tiny grub-screw in its edge, so lok out for one of those. After adjusting, hold the brake on while you retighten the two caliper screws.
Vfr400
and thank you for your suggestion also. Again my ‘chap’ will check it and run through your message accordingly. Very impressed with the response, thank you guys.