John F

7100 miles. Rear brake never had a noise problem

I've sorted out my noisy brake problem. Thanks for the advice. I took the caliper off, removed the pads then, after some effort with a large tyre lever, managed to wiggle the pistons out enouth to clean the edges with a cotton bud and disc cleaner. After applying some hydraulic fluid to the edges of the pistons I attempted to push back and push out several times hoping the fluid would ease the movement of the pistons (It was the outside one which seemed for seized up than the inner one) Although I was still apprehensive, because the pistons were still not moving at the same rate as each other, the noise has virtually vanished I'm pleased to say. Which leaves me with a question. Is it a good idea to lubricate the pistons at regular intervals to prevent seizing up and if so what's the best way?

How many miles is reasonable before they are bedded in would you say?

THanks for all this. One further question: Can the pistons become stuck and if so what's the answer? I ask this because when I used a screwdriver to push back the pistons prior to replacing the pads, they did seem very stiff?

I've always used the original pads as replcement, but I note your suggestion. I'll try your second point again thanks. There is only a very slight catching between pads and rotor with no brake applied

1. I ensured cleanliness so don't think that's the problem 2. When assembling the 2 pads and the spring retainer clip prior to insertion I noticed (I think) that the pad surfaces were parallel pushed together, but when they were NOT pushed within the clip ready for insertion they were NOT PARALLEL i.e. after fixing the wheel back they would still not be parallel and would not contact the rotor with 100% pad area?? Am I missing something?

I have an issue with my front Tectro hydraulic disc brake. On applying thw brake it works smoothly until slow speeds when it it makes a loud and sort of vibrating noise. It does pull the bike up perfectly though, but that noise! This is despite renewing both the rotor and pads with original parts. After taking the wheel off to investigate, both the pads and the rotor seem perfect. The rotor is tightened down correctly to the correct torque whilst turning it in a clockwise direction. I thought it might be loose fork bearings causing a shudder, but I can't see any movement when I have it up on the stand. The brake lever works as usual with no sponginess or other symtons which might indicate fluid problems. Any ideas anyone?

This looks identical to my cheapo Amazon job. The problem is not the weight of an ebike (just take the battery off) The steel tubes lock together with plastic moldings with tightening clamps as above. Unfortuanetly, after no time at all, all the joints stop been completely lockable resulting in the bike been easly moved (though still safe to work on) Some of the gaps which should tighten up end up been completly closed meaning you can't fully tighten it up. I tried filing down the plastic to make the gap bigger but it wasn't really the answer. My advice would be to look for a stand with metal joints as I think all the very cheap ones might have this fundamentle plastic problem.

Looking for advive for a modestly priced flashing front light. My current one has a quick flashing mode rather than the slower flashing strobe light type which seem to be popular Anyone any views on the pros and cons on the different flashing modes?

I would not consider doing this because if you are going to stick ear buds in, then that would reduce your awareness of traffic sounds, which increases your vulnerability. Im a pensioner and I ride with a similar group. Those who like to constantly chat seem to me to be less aware of their situation than the silent riders.

But the cross sectional area of two bolts, which is greater than one, must be better at resisting the tensile force caused by my weight acting on the rear of the saddle (which is as far back as it can go because of my height)? Another depressing story for everyones deliberations from today. After cleaning the bike I decided after the saddle saga to give all the fastenings the once over. I was alarmed to see one of the disc rotor bolts had come loose. Considering these are supposed to be fixed with the aid of thread lock (at least they are when you come to replace it), Just had a look at a couple seat post bolts. They are fixed with hex keys so are not normal hex headed bolts. Nor do they show any markings. THey seem to be of different design also. So what to do?! one wonders whether this is yet another bad example of sub standard quality control by the manufacturer with potentially dangerous repercussions??

Just invested in a torque wrench. Sticker on new post says 10n/m so at least I should get that right! Next action check out the bolt strength!

Just tested on a 17 mile ride, and the little screw has unscrewed about 2 mm on the back brake, but not at all on the front brake, so you were correct!

Looks interesting, will check this out thanks.

I have mine right back. Puts more of a strain on the bolt

I like to think I have a bit of a "feel" when tightening bolts thanks to rebuilding a Vincent and Norton many years ago. But of course you could be right, I didn't use a torque wrench. My new seat post as referred to earlier has arrived, and I must say I'm not overwhelmed by the quality. It does howver have 2 bolts, though they are smaller diameter than the broken single one.. I do have my seat as far back as is allowed as I'm tall, which would indeed put greater stress on the fixing bolt(s) as mentioned previously. The saddle is the cheap Lidl one, and looking at it closely the seat rails are not exactly in a straight line, i.e. where they start to bend is roughly where the extremity of the safety markings are, so something else to consider and worry over!

The CNC Suspension Seat post (Amazon) has 2 bolts and looks like a more reassuring option0.

I also like to check my components, but hard to tell whether that single bolt is made of super strong steel or not. Your Brooks story isnt helping my optimism either!

Yes that might make sense. I'll monitor the situation.

The lever feels and performs just like it always did. It doesn't feel spongy either so unlikely air is present. What is DOT 4 or 5? It just says mineral fluid

The single bolt attaching my suspension seat post has just broken during a ride, resulting in the saddle coming away and crashing on to the road. How I avoided a nasty accident I'll never know. The saddle was fixed correctly and I would guess to the correct torque (though not with a torque spanner) Conclusion is that the bolt was not up to the task. The stresses imposed on that single fixing must be considerable. Worringly most of the posts that I have seen for sale also have only one bolt. How can I trust any one of these now? There are however a couple that I have seen that have the saddle fixed with TWO bolts. This tells me that some manufactures have decided that a single bolt fixing is potentially dangerous and that two bolts are preferable. Has anyone had this frightening experience? What are peoples thoughts?

My brakes have a tiny screw which is used to adjust the brake lever to a sensible hand position. Whilst my fairly recently replaced (original Tektro) disc pads are not wearing away rapidly as far as I can tell, why do I have to screw in this screw after almost every ride? The fluid has not been replaced since new (4000 miles ago) and it shows no sign of leaking at all. The brakes work perfectly in fact. Am I missing soming?

Only one break and one loose spoke so far, and that was a while ago. I do the ping test weekly and apart from still thinking they could perhaps benefit from being a bit tighter (as my home laced wheels were years ago) they seem ok. Never thought of trying to replace the broken one without wheel removal so good tip!