Ever lost your brakes !

[hondated]

You may have seen it on tv this week and it was DIY SOS. This episode was about altering a house for a very brave lady who had ridden down a steep hill and lost her brakes. Sadly it resulted in her being paralysed from the waist down and she is now in a wheel chair.
Its remarkable how she has come to terms with it and I in no way want to pass criticism on her whatsoever but it left me wondering how she managed to lose her brakes.
If this has ever happened to you I would be interested to learn what happened and by telling us it may prevent it happening to anyone else.

[gaz]

I've never lost both but a year or so back I did lose one. Snapped cable. Not safety critical at the moment when it snapped, a few miles later I'd have been descending at speed.

With hindsight investigating the creaking noises that preceded the event for a number of rides beforehand and replacing the cable would have been a good idea. Maintenance was never my strong point.

[Moodyman1]

I once failed to reconnect the (caliper) brakes after working on my bike at the weekend. On the following commute as I rolled to a red light I applied the brake and found nothing. Thankfully, I remembered quickly and managed to bring myself to a stop by using my foot.

Also, though it's never happened to me, a colleague once had his V brakes disconnected as a prank. He noticed as he was mounting his pannier for the homeward commute. A strong email followed from the facilities manager at work.

I now perform a quick security check before every ride if the bike has been in a public space.

[Cyril Haearn]

A good reason for using a back-pedal brake and having several different types of brake

Really, cycle brakes should be fail-safe like on trains

I seem to remember reading about the iam *advanced motorist* # test, one should test the brakes just after moving off, seems a good habit to get into when cycling too

# is that a contradiction in terms?

[Pastychomper]

About 15 years ago a student friend had her brakes stolen while her bike was parked in Bristol. The rest of the bike looked fine, so it's a good thing she noticed - especially given the hills, and what passed for "driving" around there at the time.

The closest I've come was when a brake lever worked loose and fell off. Completely my fault, I knew it was loose but thought I'd get away with it for a bit longer. It swung on the end of the cable and landed between the spokes just as I was taking off at a traffic light, pitching me forward onto the road and scaring the poor car driver who was passing me at the time. I suppose that means it failed safe, bringing the bike to a complete stop. I mangled the front forks and landed on both knees, and for months after they'd both ache if I sat in one position too long. My longest-lasting cycling injury so far.

[PDQ Mobile]

On a borrowed bike I once had the whole handlebar and stem assembly detach from the steerer tube. A horrible feeling.

I fell off but was pretty unscathed.
It was on quite a busy main road and as I was assessing the problem with the bike propped against the kerb on a pedal the police stopped and asked me to move it!
Shaken as I was, to my eternal shame, I was less than polite!

[Tigerbiten]

I've had the main piston seal for hydraulic brakes fail a few times now.
I've had both cable and hydraulic brakes freeze in sub-zero weather.
I've overheated my front hydraulic brakes enough so they faded badly.
I'm sure there's one or two more.

But I've never lost both front and back brakes at the same time.

Luck ..........

[eileithyia]

Yes, descending a hill in Wales,thankfully a straight bit of road but with a giveway crossroads rapidly approaching, I applied the brakes and felt the cable pull through and found I was not slowing.... fortunately there was a wide grass verge and I yelled at the rider in front of me that I had no brakes.... was able to crash land on the grass verge.... and the cable was duly replaced.

[busb]

I replaced a front rotor to find the brake was pretty useless until I fitted new Shimano resin pads. My hydraulic brakes have not needed any maintenance otherwise in 4 yrs - no stuck pistons, no leaks & no air.I've not had a brake suddenly fail during a ride.
Three of us hired cheap MTBs on a week's holiday a few years back - all three's cable disc brakes were spectacularly ineffective - we went out once only. Although I'd personally avoid cable discs, when set up properly, they must work better than on those ghastly cheap & heavy hacks! Be very careful when hiring bikes!

[Cyril Haearn]

Riding fixed is very safe
My Gillott has two rim brakes that are never used

[JohnW]

I once lost my brakes completely.

If anyone knows the place, they'll know how it felt. On my way to work - always in a hurry because always at the last minute. Coming down Halifax Road into Brighouse - a steep drop down to a large roundabout where two busy A-class roads meet at a 'cross-roads' - at morning rush hour. I'd put new inner cables into my brakes - as I braked for the roundabout, both nipples pinged off at once (obviously defective, but what a time to discover it!). Busy dual carriageways to my right, left and a humped roundabout in front of me, with a busy dual carriageway leading on from it, and downhill. The first car coming from my right must have actually seen my situation - how that driver had registered it I don't know, because he stopped almost dead, and the traffic behind him did the same. I bounced over the kerb onto the planted roundabout, got between the direction chevrons some how, and down onto the dual carriageway away from the roundabout, causing all sorts of screeching of brakes and sounding of horns. I stopped by scraping on the kerb of the central reservation.

I had tested and adjusted my brakes before I left home

This was 35+ years ago, and I still shudder and sweat to think of it.

[The utility cyclist]

A good reason for using a back-pedal brake and having several different types of brake

Really, cycle brakes should be fail-safe like on trains

I seem to remember reading about the iam *advanced motorist* # test, one should test the brakes just after moving off, seems a good habit to get into when cycling too

# is that a contradiction in terms?

Why, how many people in history have died because of 'failed' bicycle brakes with all their supposed flaws?
One woman died in 2014 which came up last year in the news/cycling forums and the investigation found nothing wrong with the brakes.
How many other deaths and/or serious injuries have been accorded to failed brakes, interested because I really don't think this is an issue, certainly not one to make the statement you did and comparing it to brakes on trains which is bizarre.

[PDQ Mobile]

Riding fixed is very safe
My Gillott has two rim brakes that are never used

In Wales too?

[PDQ Mobile]

I once lost my brakes completely.

If anyone knows the place, they'll know how it felt. On my way to work - always in a hurry because always at the last minute. Coming down Halifax Road into Brighouse - a steep drop down to a large roundabout where two busy A-class roads meet at a 'cross-roads' - at morning rush hour. I'd put new inner cables into my brakes - as I braked for the roundabout, both nipples pinged off at once (obviously defective, but what a time to discover it!). Busy dual carriageways to my right, left and a humped roundabout in front of me, with a busy dual carriageway leading on from it, and downhill. The first car coming from my right must have actually seen my situation - how that driver had registered it I don't know, because he stopped almost dead, and the traffic behind him did the same. I bounced over the kerb onto the planted roundabout, got between the direction chevrons some how, and down onto the dual carriageway away from the roundabout, causing all sorts of screeching of brakes and sounding of horns. I stopped by scraping on the kerb of the central reservation.

I had tested and adjusted my brakes before I left home

This was 35+ years ago, and I still shudder and sweat to think of it.

Very hairy!!
Someone was looking out for you that day!

Did you do anything different afterwards when fitting/ fettling?
Always buy top quality cables? Test them hard?
It's difficult to know how you could have avoided such a dire predicament?

[Cyril Haearn]

A good reason for using a back-pedal brake and having several different types of brake

Really, cycle brakes should be fail-safe like on trains

I seem to remember reading about the iam *advanced motorist* # test, one should test the brakes just after moving off, seems a good habit to get into when cycling too

# is that a contradiction in terms?

Why, how many people in history have died because of 'failed' bicycle brakes with all their supposed flaws?
One woman died in 2014 which came up last year in the news/cycling forums and the investigation found nothing wrong with the brakes.
How many other deaths and/or serious injuries have been accorded to failed brakes, interested because I really don't think this is an issue, certainly not one to make the statement you did and comparing it to brakes on trains which is bizarre.

Judging from the number of replies here in three hours, it is a problem, JohnW still shudders after 35 years
Bowden cables are quite fragile, likewise the cable clamps can easily loosen
Rail travel is very safe, the same principles could be applied to cycles (fail-safe)

Last Gillott trip in Wales was Bethesda-Bangor on the old rail track, braked with my feet

I love bikes AND trains, nothing bizarre about that?