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The Cycling Chat Thread

Leafster said:
I have hydraulic disc brakes on my e-bike. When I went out for a ride yesterday, I noticed at the start that I needed to pull the lever for the rear brake further for it to actually work. I initially thought that, as the e-bike is heavy, the pads had worn down. I had a quick look and although they are worn, there's still (I think) some life in them. Further along on my ride, I noticed that the travel on the lever got even further before it worked. Eventually, there was no stopping power at all. I checked for leaks on the hydraulic lines but couldn't see anything. If I pumped the lever a few times, it worked. The rest of my ride was a little tentative as I had to remember to pump the brake before I actually needed it - not much fun on my bit of the North Downs.

So, as a newbie to this sort of problem, does that mean I have air in the lines? Do I need to buy a bleed kit, if that's what they're called? If I do, is there anything I should consider when buying one? My bike is a fairly cheapo e-bike and it has Star-Union hydraulic brakes, if that makes a difference.

Any advice, gratefully received!
Click to expand...

Yes, you need to bleed the brakes. You'll need a bleed kit, some mineral oil and brake cleaner to do it with. I haven't bled those particular ones before but from this video



...they appear to bleed just like Shimano ones do so if you buy a bleed kit that says it does Shimano MTB brakes then it should work.

Don't get mineral oil anywhere near your disc rotors or pads and clean the calipers etc vigorously with brake cleaner before you put the pads and wheels back in.
 
weepiper said:
Yes, you need to bleed the brakes. You'll need a bleed kit, some mineral oil and brake cleaner to do it with. I haven't bled those particular ones before but from this video



...they appear to bleed just like Shimano ones do so if you buy a bleed kit that says it does Shimano MTB brakes then it should work.

Don't get mineral oil anywhere near your disc rotors or pads and clean the calipers etc vigorously with brake cleaner before you put the pads and wheels back in.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much! I'll get ordering and hopefully everything will have arrived by next weekend.
 
Final reminder for this! Happening on Sunday, loads of music and good Sunday vibes. Urbanites welcome! Come celebrate the end of the old regime, or the team reaching the final, or just ride for the fun of it.

Bring a lock, earplugs, water, and good vibes!

@bikerave.london on Instagram for the updates!
 

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Whagwan said:
Test pack and shakedown ride for my bikepacking trip last night, 45km around lanes and byways of Bristol and everything seems very secure so I'm ready for Dartmoor and Exmoor...

View attachment 433874
Click to expand...
Intriguing setup. Is that the tent on the front? The rear is some roll bags attached a rack yes?
Always good to do a test ride. I did a half test ride for my big trip but on the start day with all my stuff it didn't quite fit in.:oops:
 
Yep - the ride itself was great - mild night, lovely tail wind, beautiful sunrise, great atmosphere amongst the huge crowd and good legs too :). It was utter magic....

But post-ride it swiftly became torture.

Had to join an hour-long queue to sort out bus tickets immediately on arrival.
Then queue for another 45 mins to get bike loaded on to lorry.
Then queue to get breakfast.
Then had about half an hour to chill before coach left.
The drop off point was at Millwall Football club - but Blackwall Tunnel was closed so coach diverted through Central London and got stuck in epic traffic.
Once coach arrived at Millwall there was another wait for the lorry with the bikes - and then unloading the bikes took 90 minutes and my bike was last off.
I then had to get two trains home.

I rode back to London once and I honestly think it was easier.

I'll not be doing it again unless I can sort out being picked up or stay down there a day or two.
 
Cycle sounds great. Wanted to do it this year but was away - definitely next year. Would definitely stay down in Suffolk afterwards and get someone to pick me up.
 
Just waved off the lad and wife, who got jealous after I started planning my bikepack so are going on a mini-tour. Train to Barnstaple, 10km on the Tarka trial path to a campsite and we have a friend in Bideford just another 10km or so on.

1721904582128.jpeg

I'm technically working until 1300 but mainly just wandering around the house wondering if I've forgotten anything and poking my bike.
 
A quick update on my hydraulic brakes.

I tried a lazy 'top bleed' only when the kit arrived which didn't work and then it got too dark in the garage to do anything else. I didn't have another chance to try a full bleed until last Sunday and that worked!

Only managed a proper test ride today and everything is back to normal now, although, I think I'm going to need to change the pads soon.

Thanks again for the advice weepiper
 
braindancer said:
Yep - the ride itself was great - mild night, lovely tail wind, beautiful sunrise, great atmosphere amongst the huge crowd and good legs too :). It was utter magic....

But post-ride it swiftly became torture.

Had to join an hour-long queue to sort out bus tickets immediately on arrival.
Then queue for another 45 mins to get bike loaded on to lorry.
Then queue to get breakfast.
Then had about half an hour to chill before coach left.
The drop off point was at Millwall Football club - but Blackwall Tunnel was closed so coach diverted through Central London and got stuck in epic traffic.
Once coach arrived at Millwall there was another wait for the lorry with the bikes - and then unloading the bikes took 90 minutes and my bike was last off.
I then had to get two trains home.

I rode back to London once and I honestly think it was easier.

I'll not be doing it again unless I can sort out being picked up or stay down there a day or two.
Click to expand...
Have always liked the idea of it but as you confirm the return sounds like hell especially if you've been up all night and physically fatigued.
 
braindancer said:
Yep - the ride itself was great - mild night, lovely tail wind, beautiful sunrise, great atmosphere amongst the huge crowd and good legs too :). It was utter magic....

But post-ride it swiftly became torture.

Had to join an hour-long queue to sort out bus tickets immediately on arrival.
Then queue for another 45 mins to get bike loaded on to lorry.
Then queue to get breakfast.
Then had about half an hour to chill before coach left.
The drop off point was at Millwall Football club - but Blackwall Tunnel was closed so coach diverted through Central London and got stuck in epic traffic.
Once coach arrived at Millwall there was another wait for the lorry with the bikes - and then unloading the bikes took 90 minutes and my bike was last off.
I then had to get two trains home.

I rode back to London once and I honestly think it was easier.

I'll not be doing it again unless I can sort out being picked up or stay down there a day or two.
Click to expand...

Getting back always sounds like a ballache, especially as the train firms lock down the trains even more than usual to stop a horde of cyclists coming home on them.

Always wanted to do the damn thing though.
 
IMG_0108.jpg
Nice leccie bike for cutting about the countryside here. 6 motor speeds, limited to 25 km/h. But you can change the settings to up that to 40. With my weight, the best it can do on the flat is 33. Hopefully with a bit of work I can improve that! I go out just about every day and the battery lasts 40km at full power. Clocked up over 6000km now. It has a cool display built into the handlebars. Noice.
 
TopCat said:
Just pumps up the tyres after six months (shamefaced). It goes so much easier. Who would have thought it!
Click to expand...
For me it was quite a few years.
I was pumping them up as hard as I could with a small pump and it wasn't until I got a track pump that I realised I'd been under-inflating them - amplifying the problems caused by crap wheels and crap tyres...
I've almost certainly gone too far the wrong way now and just lately I've been consciously allowing them to get a bit soft (I have very slow leaks ...)
 
Someone in the Staple Hill tunnel had lost their crank bolt in the gloom...
I tried to help for a bit but gave up ...
I stopped at my turning point and rooted around in my rack bag.
I can't believe I don't carry spares - I do of pretty well everything else - so that will be remedied tomorrow ...
I certainly had the hex key ... I resisted suggesting to them that whenever they have the crank off they should be checking now and again...

1723392179536.jpeg
 
On Hollis advice reposting this here.
CNT36 said:
Talking of winter gear..
I want to get back into to commuting on bike and keep it up over the winter. I don't want to get wet or overly cold but also don't want to be soaked through from sweat. It is only six or seven miles but my preferred route can turn into a mud bath. Any ideas on suitable clothing?
Click to expand...
 
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