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?
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.
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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.
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.
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.
"MJP" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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techpro said:
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.
Quoted message said:
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.
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.
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.
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.
My wife has a Chinese made folding bicycle that was bought new last year from an eBay trader.
Oh dear.
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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.
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.
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.
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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. :-)
On Jun 9, 3:29 am, Rob Morley <[email hidden]> wrote:
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Quoted message said:
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.
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You are probably right.
Quoted message said:
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.
Quoted message said:
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...
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 ;-)
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 hidden] :: http://patter.mine.nu/ GPG: B416F0DE :: Jabber: [email hidden] "Don't be silly, Minnie. Who'd be walking round these cliffs with a gas oven?"
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.
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.
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.
