Rear hub brake repair

[techpro]

My wife has a Chinese made folding bicycle that was bought new last
year from an eBay trader. The rear brakes, instead of being the usual
cantilever type operating on the rim of the wheel, is a kind of drum
brake. When you pull the lever, it tightens a steel ring that presses
a circular brake pad against a drum.

Today, while going down hill, it appears that a piece of the brake pad
material broke and fell out, so that there is not enough material
inside the drum to grip and cause the brakes to work.

I have never come across such brakes before and have no idea if it is
possible to obtain spares. Has anyone come across them before and know
of a source of parts in the UK?

 

[MJP]

On 8 Jun, 19:03, techpro <[email protected]> wrote:
> My wife has a Chinese made folding bicycle that was bought new last
> year from an eBay trader. The rear brakes, instead of being the usual
> cantilever type operating on the rim of the wheel, is a kind of drum
> brake.

> Today, while going down hill, it appears that a piece of the brake pad
> material broke and fell out, I have never come across such brakes before and have no idea if it is
> possible to obtain spares.

I suspect that sourcing replacement parts may be quite difficult if
not impossible.

You may try to obtain something like TUFNOL Vulcanised Fibre Sheet and
make your own.

MJP

 

[Naqerj]

techpro wrote:
> My wife has a Chinese made folding bicycle that was bought new last
> year from an eBay trader. The rear brakes, instead of being the usual
> cantilever type operating on the rim of the wheel, is a kind of drum
> brake. When you pull the lever, it tightens a steel ring that presses
> a circular brake pad against a drum.
>
> Today, while going down hill, it appears that a piece of the brake pad
> material broke and fell out, so that there is not enough material
> inside the drum to grip and cause the brakes to work.
>
> I have never come across such brakes before and have no idea if it is
> possible to obtain spares. Has anyone come across them before and know
> of a source of parts in the UK?

If it's friction material bonded to a steel shoe, then it may be
possible to get it relined. Saf-tek will reline conventional cycle drum
brakes, maybe they can do these too.

--
Andrew

 

[Martin]

GoogleUser techpro wrote:
> My wife has a Chinese made folding bicycle that was bought new last
> year from an eBay trader. The rear brakes, instead of being the usual
> cantilever type operating on the rim of the wheel, is a kind of drum
> brake. When you pull the lever, it tightens a steel ring that presses
> a circular brake pad against a drum.
>
> Today, while going down hill, it appears that a piece of the brake pad
> material broke and fell out, so that there is not enough material
> inside the drum to grip and cause the brakes to work.
>
> I have never come across such brakes before and have no idea if it is
> possible to obtain spares. Has anyone come across them before and know
> of a source of parts in the UK?

Have you got a picture of the wheel?

It might be possible to replace the wheel/hub with one with a different
hub brake, but given that it is a Chinese bike from ebay, probably not
worth the money.

Martin.

 

[David Lloyd]

"MJP" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:e5ed559b-25c5-4b3a-b502-fb83f8193df7@f63g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
> On 8 Jun, 19:03, techpro <[email protected]> wrote:
>> My wife has a Chinese made folding bicycle that was bought new last
>> year from an eBay trader. The rear brakes, instead of being the usual
>> cantilever type operating on the rim of the wheel, is a kind of drum
>> brake.
>
>> Today, while going down hill, it appears that a piece of the brake pad
>> material broke and fell out, I have never come across such brakes before
>> and have no idea if it is
>> possible to obtain spares.
>
> I suspect that sourcing replacement parts may be quite difficult if
> not impossible.
>
> You may try to obtain something like TUFNOL Vulcanised Fibre Sheet and
> make your own.
>
> MJP

I would get in touch with the people you bought it from. eBay trader or not,
they are still bound by the Sale of Goods Act, which states that goods being
sold should be fit for purpose and or reasonable quality. To me, vital
components breaking after only a year does not say 'reasonable quality'.

David Lloyd
Time flys when you're having fun.
Your luggage flys only after you've left Terminal 5.

 

[techpro]

On Jun 8, 8:30 pm, Martin <[email protected]> wrote:

> Have you got a picture of the wheel?
>
> It might be possible to replace the wheel/hub with one with a different
> hub brake, but given that it is a Chinese bike from ebay, probably not
> worth the money.

I could probably make one but I don't know how to post it to a
newsgroup.

I have been looking at bike parts and I think you are probably right
that the cost of replacement would not be worth it. The basic quality
of the bike is pretty poor. The Chinese derailleur gears don't work
very well. The problem is what to do with it. Without a working back
brake we can't even give it to a charity shop.

 

[techpro]

On Jun 8, 8:34 pm, "David Lloyd" <[email protected]> wrote:

> I would get in touch with the people you bought it from. eBay trader or not,
> they are still bound by the Sale of Goods Act, which states that goods being
> sold should be fit for purpose and or reasonable quality. To me, vital
> components breaking after only a year does not say 'reasonable quality'.

The seller was MicGoods or MicroGoods: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/MicGoods-eShop.
They are still selling these bikes on eBay, advertised as 20"Brand New
Suspension Folding Bicycle Bike for 59.99 + 19.99 shipping, though I
can't be sure it is exactly the same model.

I have sent them an email through eBay but I will be quite surprised
if I receive a reply. It would be rare to find an eBay seller that is
interested once they have sold you the product.

 

[Fr Jack]

techpro <[email protected]> wrote:


>The problem is what to do with it. Without a working back
>brake we can't even give it to a charity shop.

Freecycle.
--

Fr. Jack

 

[Paul Boyd]

On 08/06/2008 20:57, techpro said,

> I have sent them an email through eBay but I will be quite surprised
> if I receive a reply. It would be rare to find an eBay seller that is
> interested once they have sold you the product.

Oi! You bought cheap tat from a box-shifter, so yes, I would be
surprised if you get a response, and I'm also surprised it lasted a
year. There are many sellers on eBay who provide excellent customer
service, so don't lump all sellers in the same category. Just because
they sell on eBay doesn't mean they're dodgy.

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

 

[Rob Morley]

On Sun, 8 Jun 2008 11:03:27 -0700 (PDT)
techpro <[email protected]> wrote:

> My wife has a Chinese made folding bicycle that was bought new last
> year from an eBay trader.

Oh dear.

> The rear brakes, instead of being the usual
> cantilever type operating on the rim of the wheel, is a kind of drum
> brake. When you pull the lever, it tightens a steel ring that presses
> a circular brake pad against a drum.
>
> Today, while going down hill, it appears that a piece of the brake pad
> material broke and fell out, so that there is not enough material
> inside the drum to grip and cause the brakes to work.
>
> I have never come across such brakes before and have no idea if it is
> possible to obtain spares. Has anyone come across them before and know
> of a source of parts in the UK?

Sounds like a band brake - they're normally only found on kids' bikes.
A brake and clutch specialist will probably be able to re-line it, but
I have no idea of the cost. I'd be inclined to try gluing in a bit of
thick leather to take up the slack and see how well it works.

 

[techpro]

On Jun 9, 3:29 am, Rob Morley <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Sounds like a band brake - they're normally only found on kids' bikes.
> A brake and clutch specialist will probably be able to re-line it, but
> I have no idea of the cost. I'd be inclined to try gluing in a bit of
> thick leather to take up the slack and see how well it works.

You are probably right.

Well, the seller has replied that they can supply a replacement hub
brake for £5 + £3 postage. Probably they get a lot of requests.

Yep, it turned out to be "cheap tat". I thought that as bikes were
such a popular form of transport in China, they must make millions of
them and though I did not expect frills or a fancy finish, I did think
it would be solid and reliable. You live and learn.

 

[Rob Morley]

On Mon, 9 Jun 2008 00:50:10 -0700 (PDT)
techpro <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Jun 9, 3:29 am, Rob Morley <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > Sounds like a band brake - they're normally only found on kids'
> > bikes. A brake and clutch specialist will probably be able to
> > re-line it, but I have no idea of the cost. I'd be inclined to try
> > gluing in a bit of thick leather to take up the slack and see how
> > well it works.
>
> You are probably right.
>
> Well, the seller has replied that they can supply a replacement hub
> brake for £5 + £3 postage. Probably they get a lot of requests.
>
That seems pretty reasonable, and it's good that he manages to get the
bits and bothers to stock them.

> Yep, it turned out to be "cheap tat". I thought that as bikes were
> such a popular form of transport in China, they must make millions of
> them and though I did not expect frills or a fancy finish, I did think
> it would be solid and reliable. You live and learn.

If that's the only fault (and it doesn't happen again too soon) it
might not be such a bad deal for a basic utility bike, but on the
whole you do get what you pay for.

 

[techpro]

On Jun 9, 11:46 am, Rob Morley <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Mon, 9 Jun 2008 00:50:10 -0700 (PDT)
>
> techpro <[email protected]> wrote:
> > On Jun 9, 3:29 am, Rob Morley <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > Sounds like a band brake - they're normally only found on kids'
> > > bikes. A brake and clutch specialist will probably be able to
> > > re-line it, but I have no idea of the cost. I'd be inclined to try
> > > gluing in a bit of thick leather to take up the slack and see how
> > > well it works.
>
> > You are probably right.
>
> > Well, the seller has replied that they can supply a replacement hub
> > brake for £5 + £3 postage. Probably they get a lot of requests.
>
> That seems pretty reasonable, and it's good that he manages to get the
> bits and bothers to stock them.
>
> > Yep, it turned out to be "cheap tat". I thought that as bikes were
> > such a popular form of transport in China, they must make millions of
> > them and though I did not expect frills or a fancy finish, I did think
> > it would be solid and reliable. You live and learn.
>
> If that's the only fault (and it doesn't happen again too soon) it
> might not be such a bad deal for a basic utility bike, but on the
> whole you do get what you pay for.

Hopefully when it arrives I can work out how to fit the thing, but
once we get it back into a roadworthy state I still think that we'll
replace it. I'm not an expert like most of the people in this NG
(judging by the price of some of the bikes being discussed), but I am
extremely impressed with the Explorer Plus I got from AS Bikes for my
own use, and I would have got another.

The problem was my wife said she did not want a bike, but if I didn't
get her one I didn't even have the possibility of persuading her to
see if she liked cycling as a change from hiking. So there was a good
chance that the bike would not have been used at all, hence my desire
to get something as cheap as possible. I just didn't expect it to
break before she had made up her mind about it...

 

[Paul Boyd]

techpro said the following on 10/06/2008 11:00:

> The problem was my wife said she did not want a bike, but if I didn't
> get her one I didn't even have the possibility of persuading her to
> see if she liked cycling as a change from hiking. So there was a good
> chance that the bike would not have been used at all, hence my desire
> to get something as cheap as possible. I just didn't expect it to
> break before she had made up her mind about it...

That can be counter-productive (buying a cheap bike that is, not
persuading your wife to ride one!) A lot of people buy cheap, heavy,
unreliable bikes (I'm thinking Sterling House here) to see if they will
enjoy cycling. The bike they end up buying pretty much ensures they
won't enjoy cycling... Spend a bit more, not much more, and they could
have got a bike that would have been far more enjoyable to ride. Then
they get to know what to look for, and buy a more expensive bike.
Before they know it, they are a Cyclist with a capital 'C' and have
£4000 carbon fibre jobbies in the kitchen ;-)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

 

[Patter]

On Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:53:45 +0100, Paul Boyd wrote:
> That can be counter-productive (buying a cheap bike that is, not
> persuading your wife to ride one!) A lot of people buy cheap, heavy,
> unreliable bikes (I'm thinking Sterling House here) to see if they will
> enjoy cycling. The bike they end up buying pretty much ensures they
> won't enjoy cycling... Spend a bit more, not much more, and they could
> have got a bike that would have been far more enjoyable to ride. Then
> they get to know what to look for, and buy a more expensive bike.
> Before they know it, they are a Cyclist with a capital 'C' and have
> £4000 carbon fibre jobbies in the kitchen ;-)

Or if you must go cheap, look for a 2nd-hand road bike on ebay. I picked
up an old Peugeot for £25 at the weekend and it runs so well Only
needed a new rear tyre though it could probably do with a transmission
rebuild before winter.

--
Stephen Patterson :: [email protected] :: http://patter.mine.nu/
GPG: B416F0DE :: Jabber: [email protected]
"Don't be silly, Minnie. Who'd be walking round these cliffs with a gas oven?"

 

[Rob Morley]

On Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:53:45 +0100
Paul Boyd <[email protected]> wrote:

> techpro said the following on 10/06/2008 11:00:
>
> > The problem was my wife said she did not want a bike, but if I
> > didn't get her one I didn't even have the possibility of persuading
> > her to see if she liked cycling as a change from hiking. So there
> > was a good chance that the bike would not have been used at all,
> > hence my desire to get something as cheap as possible. I just
> > didn't expect it to break before she had made up her mind about
> > it...
>
> That can be counter-productive (buying a cheap bike that is, not
> persuading your wife to ride one!) A lot of people buy cheap, heavy,
> unreliable bikes (I'm thinking Sterling House here) to see if they
> will enjoy cycling. The bike they end up buying pretty much ensures
> they won't enjoy cycling... Spend a bit more, not much more, and
> they could have got a bike that would have been far more enjoyable to
> ride.

But will they listen? We used to stock nice little
ball-bearing-throughout bikes for kids, and cheap-n-nasty ones with
plastic bushes. The cheap ones had loads more friction making them
hard for little kids to ride, and wouldn't last anywhere near as long,
but people would still go down the "we'll get a cheap one to see if
they like it" route.

 

[Philip Taylor]

Patter wrote:

> Or if you must go cheap, look for a 2nd-hand road bike on ebay. I picked
> up an old Peugeot for £25 at the weekend and it runs so well Only
> needed a new rear tyre though it could probably do with a transmission
> rebuild before winter.

Or (if you live in Kent/Surrey), try the 1st Oxted Scouts bike sale.

http://www.1stoxtedscouts.com/bikesaleresults.htm

On the first occasion I went there, there were over 200 bikes
for sale at prices ranging from about a fiver to several hundred
GBP. I bought an aluminium framed, Suntour Sprint equipped,
Sakae Ringyo for just over GBP 200, and I still ride that bike today.