# Ice axes offer too much leverage



## awf170 (Feb 28, 2009)

I know I make some pretty awful decisions, but everyone once in a while I manage to amaze myself with the shear stupidity of what I do.  Today was a perfect example of one of those times.

Most everyone here probably knows this but just to double check: disk brakes automatically adjust so if you pull the lever when there is no wheel on the pads will adjust causing the disk not to fit in.  To fix this problem you should lightly pry the pads apart with a flathead screw driver.  I did not have a flathead screwdriver in my car, or anything even closely resembling one.  The riders in the car next to me probably did, because seriously what kind of dumbass rides without a single tool on them.  Asking them would have required effort though, and seeing how my car is completely full of sh*t there must be something that would work.  Well in matter of seconds I found something, an ice axe.  To me the blunt end of the axe looked like a perfect tool to pry the pads apart.  And let me tell you, it did a pretty bang-up job of prying them apart.  It actually did such an awesome job that the pads decided that they didn't want to go back together.    After about 15 minutes of excessive swearing, hitting, and occasionally doing something useful that might actually fix the brakes I give up and drive myself back home defeated.  I think I failed to calculate that the leverage of an ice axe is at least a 100X the leverage of a screwdriver.  I hate bikes, and hate myself even more. 

:dunce:


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## cbcbd (Feb 28, 2009)

I'm glad to see my old axe doing used for good


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## awf170 (Feb 28, 2009)

Hmph... I just tried the back brake and it is also all f*cked up.  Maybe sitting in a below freezing car for a few weeks did something to the brake lines?


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## o3jeff (Feb 28, 2009)

Why didn't you just ride without brakes?


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## bvibert (Feb 28, 2009)

Nice work Austin, you never disappoint.


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## cbcbd (Feb 28, 2009)

Dude, stop pressing the brake levers when the wheel is off the bike


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## awf170 (Mar 1, 2009)

cbcbd said:


> Dude, stop pressing the brake levers when the wheel is off the bike



I have the fight the bike to get it into the back of my sedan.  So sometimes I accidentally squeeze the lever.  Anyway I never take the back wheel off and that one is f*cked up too, so I don't think that is the problem.  The lines probably froze then melted and created air pockets.  Time to buy a bleed kit I guess.

I'm slightly drunk so hopefully this post made sense...


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## bvibert (Mar 1, 2009)

awf170 said:


> I have the fight the bike to get it into the back of my sedan.  So sometimes I accidentally squeeze the lever.  Anyway I never take the back wheel off and that one is f*cked up too, so I don't think that is the problem.  The lines probably froze then melted and created air pockets.  Time to buy a bleed kit I guess.
> 
> I'm slightly drunk so hopefully this post made sense...



The freezing point of mineral oil is around -30C and DOT fluid is below -40.  Your brakes use one or the other.  I seriously doubt your bike got cold enough to freeze the brake fluid in your lines.  Even if it did freeze how would it have created air pockets?  I think you have something else going on there.


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## awf170 (Mar 1, 2009)

bvibert said:


> The freezing point of mineral oil is around -30C and DOT fluid is below -40.  Your brakes use one or the other.  I seriously doubt your bike got cold enough to freeze the brake fluid in your lines.  Even if it did freeze how would it have created air pockets?  I think you have something else going on there.




Hmph... both brakes were fine when I put my bike into my a car a few weeks ago, then after taking my bike out yesterday neither worked.  Strange.


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## bvibert (Mar 2, 2009)

When you say that the back isn't working, what exactly is it doing (or not doing)?


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## awf170 (Mar 2, 2009)

bvibert said:


> When you say that the back isn't working, what exactly is it doing (or not doing)?



I can touch the handle bar with both brake levers.  Feels like I'm using cantilever brakes again.


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## bvibert (Mar 2, 2009)

Assuming the pads didn't fall out it sounds like you may have some air trapped in there.  Did you notice any leaks or anything?  What kind of brakes are we talking about here?


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## awf170 (Mar 2, 2009)

bvibert said:


> Assuming the pads didn't fall out it sounds like you may have some air trapped in there.  Did you notice any leaks or anything?  What kind of brakes are we talking about here?





Juicy 5's.  Pads didn't fall out and I didn't notice any leaks.  So I assume I need to bleed the lines?


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## bvibert (Mar 2, 2009)

awf170 said:


> Juicy 5's.  Pads didn't fall out and I didn't notice any leaks.  So I assume I need to bleed the lines?



That would definitely be a start.  I'd question how air got in there in the first place though.  Unless the last bleed wasn't very good, trapping air in the lever somewhere that then worked it's way down into the line while your bike was crammed into your car.


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## davidhowland14 (Mar 2, 2009)

i've seen alot of stories about weird tools used to fix bikes but this about takes the cake. Using an ice axe to fix brake lines is hysterical!

and yeah, bleed the brakes...I'm sure you've checked all the obvious things like wheel alignment, cables wrapped up/kinked, etc?


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## eatskisleep (Mar 2, 2009)

Bleeding brakes is fun, you can get them to how you want them to feel...


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## Marc (Mar 3, 2009)

You might have had a little water in the lines, which froze.  Which might have been a result of having air in your lines from the summer which was humid, and then condensed in the cold and then froze.

Either way, I got a kick out of reading this story; I never have problems like this with mechanical disc brakes 

C'mon, Austin, even a civ-e should be able to figure out hydraulic brakes on a bike.  It's about the simplest working hydraulic system you can physically build.


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## Marc (Mar 3, 2009)

Also, I was under the impression an ice axe had basically three sharp ends- the pick, the point and the adze.  Which side of yours is blunt?


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## bvibert (Mar 3, 2009)

I was waiting for Marc to weigh in on this important topic.  Frankly I'm a little disappointed.  I was expecting a more detailed technical explanation about something...


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## Marc (Mar 3, 2009)

bvibert said:


> I was waiting for Marc to weigh in on this important topic.  Frankly I'm a little disappointed.  I was expecting a more detailed technical explanation about something...



Umm..... = (-b +/- sqrt(b^2 - 4ac))/(2a) ?


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## Marc (Mar 3, 2009)

I'm probably wrong anyway, but I need to sound smart.


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## gorgonzola (Mar 3, 2009)

duuuh-huh, also a member of the dum ass club who has done this. next time empty all the shit out of your wallet - credit cards license etc. insert 2 cards between the pads and keep slipping stuff between them to force the pistons back in - won't damge your pads either. a deck of cards or cube of post it notes also works. i keep my bike in my 4runner for a good portion of the season and the brake lever keeps trying to get it on with my head rest so now i keep a deck of cards in the glove box. sometimes they don't go back on center so you may need to loosen the mounting bracket bolts and re-tighten while squeezing the brakes


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## bvibert (Mar 3, 2009)

It might be a good idea to slide some sort of shim, about the thickness of a rotor, into the caliper next time to prevent the pads from closing...


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## bvibert (Mar 4, 2009)

Marc said:


> Umm..... = (-b +/- sqrt(b^2 - 4ac))/(2a) ?



I think you forgot to carry the 1.


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