Ping: Any bicycle mechanics here?
 

I have a problem that has been bugging me with my mountain bike.

I recently bought a new fork and frame, and moved all of my components over to it. I also switched from the classic style cantilever brakes to cable actuated disc brakes.

It's the front brakes that are giving me a problem. When the bike is idle, there is no load on the suspension fork, and the cable length is at it's longest. When I get on the bike to start riding, it creates slack in the cable, and the front brake is basically useless. What is the trick to keeping the cable length constant on the front brake with a suspension fork? Or is there some other secret way of getting it to work? I've tried Googling and searching mountain bike message boards, but haven't gotten anywhere. Any info is appreciated. Thanks!

teprkristin or damnmikebrown should be able to help you out with this... I don't know if they call themselves bike mechanics, but I know they're bike enthusiasts...

FM

Just grease your chain and you'll be all set.

I must confess, that though I wrenched for a few years, I know nothing about disc brakes (my wrenching was when they were just coming out, and I rarely if ever got to work on them). Hell even on my my bike (mountain bike) I have Shimano XTR V-brakes from a few years ago.

Not knowing what type of disc brakes you have (other than mechanical, not fluid), there are a lot of possibilities. It's usually best to consult the owner's manual on that specific brake style. Some quick poking around google got: http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/fix/diskmech.htm

I also highly recommend the pages at www.mtbr.com (the forums there are really helpful, http://forums.mtbr.com/ )
If all else fails, go to your local bookstore and take a look at the book, "Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance" by Leonard Zinn (published by VeloPress). Zinn's books are the best mechanic books out there if you don't want to pay the $115ish for Barnett's Manual (http://www.bbinstitute.com/manual.htm ). If you don't feel like buying Zinn, at least you can get a look at what he recommends, though of course, I recommend buying Zinn.

Of course, you could always take it to your local shop....

/tk

Thanks for the info. I do have the Zinn book, as well as they Haynes, but they just briefly touch on disc brakes, and more on the maintenance side than installation. They are Shimano disc brakes, but there was nothing noted in installation sheet about compensating for suspension fork travel.

I also went to the MBR forums, and did a search, but nothing too much came up. I did see a mention of another device that you can add that is like a spool for the cable that automatically removes slack, but I didn't see anything else about it.

If I don't find anything, I probably will go to the bike shop. But living out in the boonies, the closest one is 20 miles away. And I am a typical stubborn guy, so it is tough to admit in person you don't know what you are doing... :)

I mention the Zinn book again because a new one was *JUST* released that might have more info.

Also, if you haven't posted to the MTBR forums, I recommend you do that. There can be some super-helpful people there. If worse comes to worst, there's a user over there by the name of Ricky DeLeyos. Send him a private message or whatever through their forums. :D He's a wiz with the wrench (I think I may have his email address floating around here, too, if you can't find him, I may be able to ask him--he's a friend of mine from undergrad).

I understand the stubborn part. The only people I like to work on my bike are me and Ricky. :D And Ricky only if I don't have the right tool. ;)

Good luck!
/tk