J
jolyon
Guest
Hi Everybody,
I am a total novice to mountain biking, so your patience with me on my questions would be appreciated.
On advice from a friend I bought a Kona Hoss last year. The brakes are hydraulic, Hayes, although which model I am not sure, looking at pictures on Hayes' site makes me believe they are HFX Mag.
Various pressures (new baby) meant that it pretty much spent the last year unridden. I took it out a couple of weeks ago and immediately encountered two problems:
1. Squeezing the back brake lever caused all the hydraulic fluid to spurt out onto the floor. The master-cylinder seemed to be missing a black plastic plug which was present on the front brake.
2. The front brake was working fine, but the cable seemed to be damaged (amazing what my kids can destroy with plastic garden tools!)
I took the bike to the local shop, who frankly charged me lots of cash and I still have an unridable bike. I have lost faith in them and so would like to fix the problems myself instead of being beholden to them. The back brake seems to be fixed fine. The front brake is in a sorry state. The shop had it twice for longer than two weeks but failed to fix it, their original remit was simply to replace the front hose. The hose has been replaced, but I believe it is leaking near the master cylinder. There is hardly any braking power. I took the front wheel off, and under closer examination it looks like the post which goes into the cylinder/piston on the caliper has been broken off. I'm not sure if I have done this putting the wheel back on in the dark or the shop is responsible. Either way I want to rectify the problems myself. The current problem list is:
1. Front brake wont stop the bike although it will push the pads in a bit, which grip the disc slightly.
2. One of the posts in the caliper is broken off, I have the post.
3. There seems to be a leak near the "plug" on the master cylinder. Perhaps this explains the poor braking power?
I have downloaded all the PDF's from Hayes website to help me. I have no bike specific tools, so I am guessing I am going to need to invest in some kit. My questions are:
1. What tool sets should I buy to allow me to remove the hose, bleed etc.
2. Do I need a replacement piston on the front caliper or is it OK to use without the post (I guess this just helps keep the pad seated properly?)
3. I am in the UK, which is the best online place to source the kit I will need?
4. What other equipment, spares (olives?) should I have on-hand so that I can complete the job?
Thanks for your help,
Jo
I am a total novice to mountain biking, so your patience with me on my questions would be appreciated.
On advice from a friend I bought a Kona Hoss last year. The brakes are hydraulic, Hayes, although which model I am not sure, looking at pictures on Hayes' site makes me believe they are HFX Mag.
Various pressures (new baby) meant that it pretty much spent the last year unridden. I took it out a couple of weeks ago and immediately encountered two problems:
1. Squeezing the back brake lever caused all the hydraulic fluid to spurt out onto the floor. The master-cylinder seemed to be missing a black plastic plug which was present on the front brake.
2. The front brake was working fine, but the cable seemed to be damaged (amazing what my kids can destroy with plastic garden tools!)
I took the bike to the local shop, who frankly charged me lots of cash and I still have an unridable bike. I have lost faith in them and so would like to fix the problems myself instead of being beholden to them. The back brake seems to be fixed fine. The front brake is in a sorry state. The shop had it twice for longer than two weeks but failed to fix it, their original remit was simply to replace the front hose. The hose has been replaced, but I believe it is leaking near the master cylinder. There is hardly any braking power. I took the front wheel off, and under closer examination it looks like the post which goes into the cylinder/piston on the caliper has been broken off. I'm not sure if I have done this putting the wheel back on in the dark or the shop is responsible. Either way I want to rectify the problems myself. The current problem list is:
1. Front brake wont stop the bike although it will push the pads in a bit, which grip the disc slightly.
2. One of the posts in the caliper is broken off, I have the post.
3. There seems to be a leak near the "plug" on the master cylinder. Perhaps this explains the poor braking power?
I have downloaded all the PDF's from Hayes website to help me. I have no bike specific tools, so I am guessing I am going to need to invest in some kit. My questions are:
1. What tool sets should I buy to allow me to remove the hose, bleed etc.
2. Do I need a replacement piston on the front caliper or is it OK to use without the post (I guess this just helps keep the pad seated properly?)
3. I am in the UK, which is the best online place to source the kit I will need?
4. What other equipment, spares (olives?) should I have on-hand so that I can complete the job?
Thanks for your help,
Jo