Help! I need a new bike - now!
For the second time this month, despite having taken it in to have it fixed a couple of weeks ago, my rear brake has frozen in place - the first time I couldn't brake, this time I can't "un"brake. I suppose I can just have it fixed a second time and then take my time choosing a new bike, but I worry about having this happen when I'm so far from home that I end up stuck in the middle of nowhere. I don't want to buy a beater - this bike is a beater and that seems to be the source of my problems.
Urbane's is closed for the holiday season. I checked out both Urbane's website and Sweet Pete's but am a bit overwhelmed by all the choices. I don't want something heavy, and I don't like to sit upright when riding. I don't need a ton of gears. A chainguard would be nice, but isn't a dealbreaker (is it possible to add a chainguard to an existing bike?). I'd love to have good brakes for a change. Gears that don't go clickety clack when changed would be nice too, but I tend to use only one speed (we've had this discussion before) so it's not as high a priority.
Does something jump out as a good option at either Urbane's or Sweet Pete's, or should I just try to get the brake fixed again and wait until the spring to get a new bike?
Annie
I would probably get it fixed, if I were you. Actually, I would probably learn what's going wrong, and how to fix it, so that if it happened again in the middle of nowhere, you could get it working again yourself. ;)
(It sounds like something was tightened a little too much when you got it fixed the first time, or maybe it needs some oil. Either way, I wouldn't expect the fix to be too complicated. On the other hand, I'm not a bike mechanic, so I could be very wrong.)
Later,
Blake.
howdy
i would recommend you look at a bike that has some form of hub brakes - discs, drum, coaster, whatever. you will find that the wintery weather does not affect braking. look at the brodie lineup for some good options or jamis too - they have quite a few models with IGHs and hub brakes of some kind. also, why not go talk to the fellas at Curbside?
cheers.
Hey I have a 1 old bike you can buy. Its an orangeish iron horse http://www.ironhorsebikes.com/bikes/warrior/warrior3.php with disc brakes and I installed a basket and rack on the back. Its a 17" though so its good for shorter people. Let me know if you are interested.
i love my 3 speed internal gear hub thingy. nothing to get gunked up. it is so worry free, it's awesome. you can also shift while at a dead stop.
did you see anything of the repair?
my gut instinct is the mechanic sprayed wd40 in the cable housing which released the cable - temporarily. DON'T take it back to the same yahoo.
Either remove and grease the cable - with grease and not a solvent like wd40 OR get a teflon cable. wd40 destroys the lubricants in the cable & housing increasing the internal rust problem.
http://icebike.com/Equipment/maintenance.htm
http://www.icebike.org/Articles/Ottawa.htm
IF it is just simple rim brakes the problem is the cables - just buy a new set any shop can do this if you're uncomfortable with adjusting your brakes. I suspect though you're using some coaster-style pedal brake?
The problem could be icing inside the coaster-brake if water has penetrated into the hub. Servicing hub brakes is a bit more complicated than rim-brakes but not rocket science unless you're got more than 3 speeds.
Braking to Coasting
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Anyways, I doubt you need a new bicycle(new problems) let us know which brake style you have - Act in haste repent at leisure.
When you took the brake in the first time, where did you take it, and in how much detail did you describe your problem? Even at a decent shop, I could easily see the following happen:
Before any service, your cables and housings aren't properly lubed, so they can frost up when the bike gets too cold. (This is usually most noticeable in rear brakes and rear derailleurs, since they've got the longest cable runs to get iced up).
Since your rear brake isn't working, you take the bike into the shop, and tell them that your rear brake doesn't work. The mechanic is busy, so your bike gets a chance to thaw before the brakes get looked at.
It turns out that (although this isn't the problem you were actually experiencing), your brakes have gone so long without being serviced that the mechanic thinks that when you said your rear brakes didn't work, you meant the general unresponsiveness coming from your unlubed pivots, worn down brake pads, etc., and sets about fixing this.
You pay for your repair, take your bike out into the cold weather (still with unlubed cables) and now the rest of the brake system is so smooth and responsive that applying the amount of force that you used to use just to overcome the lack of maintenance, you have enough power to basically tear the frost in the cable housing as as you drag the cable through it. Unfortunately the spring in your brakes isn't anywhere near this strong (or you wouldn't have been able to apply your brakes, even in warm weather) and fails to apply enough opening force to tear the frost on the way back (so now your brakes are jammed the other way).
If this sounds like what might have happened, then I'd suggest going back to the mechanic who helped you earlier, and explaining your problem in more detail. This way, they get a nice implicit reminder that since they're the experts, they need to ask enough questions to properly diagnose the problem even if they think that they can see what's wrong. (Don't bother flat out telling them that they should have asked, or chastising them, if they're any good, then their sense of competence will already feel a little wounded). Doing this will help them be better mechanics so that fewer people have problems like yours in the future.
Of course, if your brake system stinks of WD-40, then you should probably ignore what I just wrote and look to have someone else fix your bike instead.
Also, I don't know what you're riding now, but unless it's a "canadian tire special", it's been in an accident, or the frame has been abused badly enough for long enough that it's rusting through or cracked, then the bike is probably worth fixing up. Now if you were already hankering to replace it with something lighter, more comfortable, or more stylish, I have to ask if you really want to go wrecking your fancy new ride by subjecting it to all our lovely road salt before you ever get a chance to enjoy it on a lovely summer evening.
By all means, if you have the ability to store a second bike (or the shop is willing to sit on it for a few months for you), buy the new bike now, and fix your old one up for the winter (folks in bike shops get bored over the winter, so there's a decent chance that the salesperson will give you a lot of extra help picking out the right bike, and the mechanic will pay a lot more attention to detail when assembling it, both for the simple reason that there isn't a whole hell of a lot competing for their time).
Your description of the problem is bang on (my husband took my bike in so I don't know how clear he was when he described the problem), and you even caught onto my secret "hankering to replace it with something lighter" - not bad for a horned melon.
I sated my primordial urge to purchase bikey things with the purchase of a genormous and beautiful saddle bag (waterproof, shoulder strap, small outer pockets) and a honkin' kryptonite U-lock (amazing I never got my bike stolen with my antique lock). Indoor storage addressed the frost problem for now, and my brake was working fine last night and this morning. Still nervous about a repeat performance, but I'll put off getting a new bike - for now. If I find myself surfing the online bike shopping pages again in January or February, I'll just have to count on you guys to knock some sense into me. April maybe?
I think it's a direct-pull cantilever brake. But don't quote me on that. I speak bikemech with a very heavy accent.
Here is a brief tutorial. If you have v-brakes they're also covered on that site.