Nuffy

I have an old Hope M4 brake that I'm using on the front of my bike. It's quite a monster, but I'm not happy with the lever movement. I have to pull the lever a long way before it bites (which it does quite nicely). I tried making some spacers to put between the pads and the pistons, and this seemed to help (although the material I used was not ideal, so made it a bit mushy). After a while it was back to it's original state, so I put in some bigger spacers, thinking it was just pad wear. Again, the material I was using (emery paper or something) made it mushy. I haven't managed to get some thin enough steel or something to use instead. Having looked at the website and owner's manual, however, I have established that the open system should automatically compensate for pad wear. So is this why it returned to its original state? I have removed all the spacers now in the hope that it will readjust itself, but nothing yet (i.e. still way too much lever movement). I have bled it several times, so I'm confident that it's not due to air in the system. Do I just need to use the brake a bit more for it to come right? Apart from the spacer method, is there any way of adjusting the bite point? It would seem not. Any help would be appreciated.

Yeah, just checked, there's a short little bit in the August/September issue of Bicycling, page 35, of the guys unicycling on Table Mountain.

Craziness. I can't imagine it's nearly as much fun, without pump and flow. Maybe he pumps and flows in different ways. I heard that there are some guys who do this on Table Mountain, below the cable station. I think I saw it in a magazine, so will see if I can find it.

Exactly. That's what I'm talkin' about. I don't think I've ever taken my bike to a shop to be serviced, and as a result I know all about every little part and make shift fix on my bike, and know how to fix it and where to find the causes of problems. Riding a custom setup like mine (singlespeed, etc.), there are often things that the bike shops simply can't help with, so it pays to be creative. Thanks for the info.

Howzit Bush Wacker I've just joined up and am a dirt jumper/downhiller/freerider too. I'm from Zimbabwe, but am studying in Cape Town. I also ride a hardtail (singlespeed DMR Trailstar). I've visited a friend who lives in Howick, and it looks like you guys have some awesome riding in that area. I can't wait to come back with my bike. Here it is (I have since upgraded to hydraulic discs - what a difference!): And these are some of my jumps from back home: It's great to see other riders doing DH on hardtails. I did the Action Cycling Urban Assault recently, and there weren't very many of us. Still, it was great to be able to beat some full sus guys and do jumps and lines that many of them weren't. So good luck, and enjoy yourself!

Thanks very much for your help, Mauritzvw. I did spend a while on the Magura forum when I first got the brakes, but as you said, they discourage taking the lever apart at all. It seemed that my only option then would be to get a new lever, and at R850 I decided against that. Having taken them apart, they look simple enough, and I'll see if I can do as you suggest and try one of those places. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this 'non serviceable' thing is a bit silly. I'd far rather fix it myself (or at least learn about it in the process) for next to nothing than pay someone a load of money that I don't have to replace something with a small simple problem. Thanks again. I'll let you know when I've had a chance to try one of these places, but it might not be for a while.

Awesome. Do you know if there are any wallrides like this in the Western Cape? I'm keen to learn, but there seems to be a general lack of this sort of thing around here. Hopefully that'll change, though, with this new bike park in Paarl: http://www.mountainbike-lifestyle.com/ Speaking of which, what are the other bike parks in SA like? The only other one I know of is the Giba Gorge one in KZN (http://www.gibagorge.co.za/). And does anyone know of any dual/BMX/4X tracks in the Western Cape? And it's Friday now, so where are your pictures, Bush Wacker?! I was looking forward to seeing them. Nuffy2007-10-12 11:48:00

Hello! I have a pair of old Magura Louise hydraulic discs. They both seem to be leaking - the front one enough to make it useless. I took the lever of the back one apart (apparently it's non-serviceable, but I had nothing to lose), checked out the seals etc., and it's working fine now, with a small leak. I'd like to replace the seals of the master cylinder, as I think this is where the problem is (and a new lever would cost R850). Any ideas of where I may be able to find the seals I need (in Cape Town)? They are not simple O-rings. I have another front disc now, so if anyone would like to buy the Magura one I'll consider any offers. I got a new Alligator hose and fittings for it which came to R380, so I'd like to recover as much of that cost as possible. Any advice would be appreciated. Or, if anyone has a properly working back disc they're willing to sell... Nuffy2007-10-12 11:27:13