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| *Vultures Knob>>>Mountain Bike |
Is something wrong with my mountain bike? |
On downhills when I brake the handlebars & fork vibrate. I have 185mm front disc brakes and 160mm rear disc. I weigh about 225lbs. I have a XC MTB. Could it be that my front brakes are too powerful for my bike? Please help!! Check your headset and handlebars to make sure the bolts are tights. It sounds like something is loose rather than something wrong with your brakes. Stand with the front wheel between your legs while looking at your bike. Support the tire and try to see if there is any play when you try moving the handlebars. Also make sure to see that your wheel is set completely in the fork drop-outs. There is a chance that something may be wrong with your fork as well. If you can't determine if anything is loose, take it into a bike shop, explain what is happening and they should be able to fix it for you.maybe your brakes need to be tightened. I don't think so. I had a motorcycle that went into a death shake at certain speed or when hard braking. It was after a crash where I had to replace the forks. (this bike weighed 570# dry and I was another 200#) Even with the new tubes, the alignment was slightly off and that caused the issue. With a bike being so much lighter, the effect is worse. I had similar issues with my bicycle I had custom built (about $4000) Turns out it had a lot to do with proper weight distribution and stem length and angle. After several hundred dollars in 4 new stems and three "fittings" it is FINALLY set up right. before it was unstable at 41 mph, or when braking. After the final fitting three years after it was built, I hit 51 MPH and it was rock solid and felt like a train on rails. Also make sure all your brake surfaces are clean and not oily at all. Make sure the calipers both move freely and that one side isn't siezed up. Make sure the rotor isn't bent or warped. Am interested to know what you find. yes Try wiping down the rotors (the silver round things) with a towel to remove the brake dust. Also, make sure not to touch the rotors with your fingers because it tranfers your finger oils to it and messes it up. I also have this problem with my disc brakes, but wiping them down seems to help for a couple rides. Just because a Brake Pad has meat still left on it, it doesn't mean they are good... A worn pad will start to be unable to get rid of heat build up and thus starts to screem and chatter. Also... Most of my customers bennefit from ORGANIC pads up front - They're softer and have better modulation at high speeds. Most brakes out of the box are Metalic, so check with your local bike shop and get the to get you some in. If they don't know what you are talking about when you ask for ORGANIC then they need to get up on the times - I would not do business with them! P.S. I run disc on all of my bikes too... even my crossmuter! |
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