Is this really how it is?

[fastdogs]

sometimes the brakes are there and sometimes they aren't??
this is a really bad thing, right? Is this a disk brake thing? I don't have disk brakes, but if I upgrade I'd probably be looking at them. But, are they reliable? mine may be noisy and not grab as good when really muddy, but at least they still work to at least slow me down. I'd hate to suddenly be without brakes!!!
vickie

[sundial]

Get a bomb proof rim like Mavic Crossmax SLRs. They are kinda pricey but will hold up well.

[Irulan]

with mtn biking, you might as well resign yourself to things breaking. The important part of this is when it happens ON THE TRAIL ( and it will) what are you going to do about it?

I've seen
-broken seat post
-derailleurs broken off
-broken chains
-chains sucked so hard that you can't get them out
-brake levers snapped off ( try riding 5 miles downhill with just a front brake sometime, this one was me)

It helps to ride with someone that has McGuyver like tendencies.

[Aggie_Ama]

Sundial- Hmmm I just stole the Mavics he had on his hardtail but I think they are the Crossland, who knows I just see they are better than my stock Scott wheels. I know they do disc and tubeless, don't know much else except the do ride better.

Tahoe- Maybe I will just go over to the shop tomorrow and check on the lube. They are next door to my work. We think the RnR is good for it but maybe they have a different suggestion. It has been so dry this summer that we are riding in dust bowls. I don't think we need to break down bikes in the winter, in Texas there is no riding season. We have rain 30 days a year and only hit 40 in the winter, it is ride time anytime. But since the bike only has 300 miles at this point I think just a solid tune up again for spring race season will be in order.

Irulan- I am trying but dang I thought dropping almost his entire bonus on the bike would mean a little less problems. I am used to road riding where I might spend $100-200 a year on parts and labor including paying for a tune up. I am learning a lot over on the dirty side.

[Irulan]

I am going to have to look into that Juicy 7 thing, had not heard of any issues.

[Irulan]

oh, and wait until the medical bills start coming in.

We've had a rough summer here. DH broke his pelvis and collarbone and I blew up my shoulder. I will know in a few weeks if it will require surgical repair or not.

[limewave]

oh, and wait until the medical bills start coming in.

We've had a rough summer here. DH broke his pelvis and collarbone and I blew up my shoulder. I will know in a few weeks if it will require surgical repair or not.

Oh no! Take care of yourselves. Injuries are no fun.

I think I read in an earlier post about a "creaking" fork. My front suspension creaked for the longest time. It was so loud and embarrassing, everyone could hear me coming or going. I had the LBS look into it, experienced mtb buddies, and no one could figure it out. Then finally . . . it just went away.

I think the change had something to do with use. Normally I mtb just 5-6 times a year. This season I've made it a point to mtb at least once a week. All this to say the creaking may not be anything important.

[stephanie1129]

Working at a bike shop, I would have to say that the repair work sounds pretty typical of someone doing regular riding for six months. You should be lucky that that was all that was needed, pretty soon he'll probably need new brake pads, and suspension overhaul, and pretty soon after that he'll need a rebuild kit for his suspension which usually runs at leas $100 plus more for labor.

[fastdogs]

it sounds kind of like buying a used mountain bike might be risky, no? If these things are common after only 6 months of riding, probably you would have to plan on making all these repairs to any used bike you might buy?
vickie

[TahoeDirtGirl]

sometimes the brakes are there and sometimes they aren't??
this is a really bad thing, right? Is this a disk brake thing? I don't have disk brakes, but if I upgrade I'd probably be looking at them. But, are they reliable? mine may be noisy and not grab as good when really muddy, but at least they still work to at least slow me down. I'd hate to suddenly be without brakes!!!
vickie

It's something with the Juicy 7s. I thought I had a bubble in the fluid somewhere, as that is what happened with the old style car brakes when you would have a bubble or air trapped in your brake line. Apparently this is something they have seen out here (on the east) and just to be a stickler, I called my LBS out west and they said the same thing.

I shouldn't have said it like that, you still have a little braking power but not much. Enough to slow you down but not to stop. I'm having all of my lines replaced to make sure there isn't a microleak in the lines, which was my idea. Sometimes you just have to take over....It does get better after pumping them, which makes me think air. Thus the line replacement. They are disk brakes and thus the point that the better the equipment, sometimes it requires a little more preventive maintenance as well as repair.