Topic: Disc Brakes. Q's about parts & adjustment

[4x4TampaTaco]

  Hey guys, Sorry for so many posts and Q's... I'm thirting for MTB tech, and you guys are a watering hole of good info.  Here is my deal.  On my Giant Rincon it's got discs F&R. Last night I played around with them and clenaed the pads with brake parts cleaner, adjusted the cable and such. While there I noticed two things. 1- the lever arm has a very very small allen set screw that was kinda lose on the F&R. So I snugged that up. 2- the larger outside allen that looks to hold the lever arm on was lose also F&R. so I snugged these both up on the F&R. I can't believe how much better my brakes are. I've been complaining about the brakes on this bike since new. The rear brake would never lock the tire up which I found odd. But after making thos adjustments feels like I put a set of Bremebo's on it!! 10x's better. can't believe it. But I also noticed on the back side of the calipers there is one larger allen deal.  Seems to adjust the inside brake pad or something. You can't tighten it up bc it locks up the pad. How/what is this adjustment? 

[catman]

Sounds like you have some low end shimanos or hayes? I've only had Avid mechanicals so can't really speak for the others. My buddy has low end hayes mechanicals and they just suck. Keep an eye out for Avid BB7's and go ahead and upgrade. Better yet, hydraulics often come up for sale pretty cheap on here. I recently got a set of hydos for $25 thanks to drb81 and they made a big difference over my BB7's.

[Gregg]

Sounds like you have some low end shimanos or hayes? I've only had Avid mechanicals so can't really speak for the others. My buddy has low end hayes mechanicals and they just suck. Keep an eye out for Avid BB7's and go ahead and upgrade. Better yet, hydraulics often come up for sale pretty cheap on here. I recently got a set of hydos for $25 thanks to drb81 and they made a big difference over my BB7's.

 
The spec sheet says Tektro mechanicals.

[catman]

Oh dear god, toss those things in the trash right this minute.

[4x4TampaTaco]

Gregg-  99% sure you're correct. Tektro or whatever.  What the heck is the inside allen adjustment for??? Is there a way to get a manufacture's adjustment/mechanics literature on them? and what exactly makes these brakes bad??? I mean realistically.

 My next item to attack is the gear system. I've got it semi-tuned. I can tell it's not perfect, but I'm not sure how to adjust them perfectly. Amazing how badly adjusted these bikes come from the shop new.

[catman]

Cable housings seat in the frame after the first few rides and that is why bike shops offer a free tune up after 30 days.

[Gregg]

Cable housings seat in the frame after the first few rides and that is why bike shops offer a free tune up after 30 days.

 
Cables stretch too.

[catman]

Good cables are prestretched so stretching should be very minimal. Main issue is ferrules seat on housings and also seat in frame. Take care to pre-seat these items and you'll not need to do as many barrel adjuster turns.

[Gregg]

Good cables are prestretched so stretching should be very minimal. Main issue is ferrules seat on housings and also seat in frame. Take care to pre-seat these items and you'll not need to do as many barrel adjuster turns.

What about sun spots?

[4x4TampaTaco]

yea... cables stretches or something. but that should be good now. Just need to know what the allen bolt is on the backside of the caliper. when i tighten it the inner brake pad tightens up against the rotor. Is there tech video or tutorial on adjusting the gear system?

[ProEdgeBiker.com]

yea... cables stretches or something. but that should be good now. Just need to know what the allen bolt is on the backside of the caliper. when i tighten it the inner brake pad tightens up against the rotor. Is there tech video or tutorial on adjusting the gear system?

YouTube

[Alan]

Check out tektro's website. Most companies have downloadable service manuals.

On mechanical disks the pads need to be adjusted as they wear down. This is why you have those pad adjusters on each side of the caliper.  Adjustment is easy.  I adjust by feel...making sure the pads are spaced out far enough from the rotor so they do not rub, yet close enough to the rotor so the brakes have the right amount of lever travel for optimal modulation. 

Good thing about hydraulic brakes is, like automotive brakes, the pads normally self adjust as they wear...so you set them up once and pretty much forget about them.  Certainly something to think about when the time comes to upgrade.

[catman]

yea... cables stretches or something. but that should be good now. Just need to know what the allen bolt is on the backside of the caliper. when i tighten it the inner brake pad tightens up against the rotor. Is there tech video or tutorial on adjusting the gear system?

bicycletutor.com

[4x4TampaTaco]

thanks for help guys. I'll check these sites out tonight.