All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

Question for the bike mechanics (DIY or pro) in here. The rear brake on my bike (Shimano Deore) is squeezing all the way in. It still grabs, and I can lock up the wheel if I squeeze it all the way, at least on pavement, without any momentum. I'm not sure if the pads just need to be replaced, or if there's some other issue(s). Do you guys have any ideas I could test at home before taking it to the shop and spending money on it?

 

Could either be air in the lines, or a worn out pad. Need more info...When was the last time pads were replaced, when was the last time they were bled?

A picture would help too

 

pads are cheap and easy! might be brake bleed tho

 

It could even be as simple as even pushing out the pistons to shorten the dead space between the pad and rotor

 

I would bleed your brakes if you got that much play unless you tuned it to be like that. When I first bled my shimano brakes after two years it took about two full bleeds to just get the dirty fluid out of which instantly fixed the grabbing of the brakes. As others said though...get another set of pads if you can tell they are low on material. Deore pads are like 12 bucks I think, but it never hurts to learn how to bleed your stuff.

 

Thanks for the advice gentlemen! Was only considering new because if you buy new from The Bike Lane in Reston you get free maintenance for life. I’m not opposed to used, but to be honest I don’t know enough to know what to look for. I loved biking in high school back in the day and my moms friend gave me his 3rd or 4th spare bike he built.

 

speaking of.. i really neeed the cane creek eewings to match the titanium in my leg

 

Thanks for the ideas. I'll definitely change the pads myself, and then take it in for a bleed. I'd love to bleed them myself, but I live in an apt and don't have the space to work on my own bike

I'll probably just do both front and rear, just because I haven't done either in a long time.

 

The Marlin maxes out with a Rockshox spring shock. I think the only real difference between the X-Cal and the Roscoe is that the Ros is a fattie. Same geometry on the frames. So you can basically get the same bike in a 29” wheel and 2.20 tires by getting the X-Cal.

I was pitting the Marlin vs X-Cal and wound up just going with the X-Cal 8. I steer far and wide away from anything with a Suntour shock. I took the X-Cal because air springs feel WAAAY better than spring shocks. Also the X-Cal wheels are “tubeless ready” (still need rim tape, goop, valve, and tire to convert) whereas I don’t think the Marlins come with TLR (TubeLess Ready) wheels.

Overall I am happy with the bike. But some faults are the brakes (small rotors with minimal heat dissipation and cheap metallic pads). Brakes fade on almost every downhill I’ve been on. Also the Bontrager tires aren’t really too spectacular. I converted to Maxxis Minion DHF for less than $100

 

Well the GF Mullet build was a bust for me. Bought a large 19” frame, combined some new and parts I had. I never made it out of the driveway since the geometry was way too small for me, and my knees were in my chest.


So take two, find a larger frame and swap over. Enter the xl Santa Cruz Superlight. Frame just arrived today and I swapped parts tonight. Prelim ride fits nice but I have so slight tweaks to make.


And if anyone is looking for a large frame GF Mullet frame or a large Trek Marlin 29er frame, hit me up. I could even throw in the F29 Fox fork for pretty cheap too.

 

That’s not a bad deal actually. I just think with the Marlin you will want to upgrade fairy quickly if you stick with mountain biking. It’s not a bad bike though. Trek, specialized, etc. are always safe purchases.

 

Jesus Christ! i thought the XX1 cranks were ridiculous! Oh em gee

I believe you are correct, the frame is the same between the two. Since my wife is new to mountain biking, I wanted to get her the 2.8 inch tires to give her more confidence and control and a little extra cushion. Eventually Ill get her a Jeffsy or something if she keeps at it and enjoys it! Suntour shocks are a no go for me too. You did super good swapping to the DHF. The DHR2 is my favorite tire!

That looks like a shit load of fun times right there!

 

Had an epiphany at work today....


My buddy and I went for a ride after work and after my worktime epiphany. Quick 8 mile loop of singletrack. I got him to stop at mile 6 to get something out of my hydration pack. I ride with an osprey raptor 14 filled with ice water.... I figured out it fits 2 cans of beer inside the bladder perfectly with enough water and ice for a 15 mile ride. Hes talking about his bike and he hears the beer crack and his mind exploded. I tossed him the second one and they werent even really too shaken up. No foam!


Excellence!

 

Wait, beer cans inside the bladder, or in the pack next to the bladder?

 

Inside the bladder, with a bunch of ice and water. I washed the beer cans first. Freaking evil genius shit haha the beers were ice cold

 

You may have just changed my life. For the better. I will always remember you

 

HAH! It was honestly the best idea I’ve had i a long time.

 

So I have an order for a full set of skids for my tacoma from RCI that I placed like 3 weeks ago. No word from them yet. Thinking about cancelling my order.

So with backcountry’s 20% discount. I can get a fox factory 36 fork for $800 shipped.

My rhythm fork is only 2 or 3 months old and was hoping to sell it for like 200 or 300 bucks.

In theory, I could get a fox factory fork for $500.

Is this a dumb idea or genius? I don’t even think I need the skids because I don’t plan on wheelin anytime soon, my 3rd gen is stock as hell.

 

I can relate. I’ve thought about pulling my full CBI overland skids that have only been mounted for about 3 months to put money towards a bike. I’ll likely never need more than stock skid plate protection. I only bought them because I wanted them