Hydraulic brakes leaking

[Andrea22]

Hi is anyone able to help me or pass on some advise. I brought my son a Voodoo Bantu, the first one we had was replaced because the hydraulic brakes kept leaking and not working despite numerous trips to the shop where we had a service plan. The replacement has only just started to be used and it’s happening again. We took it to the shop and they said it was because my son was doing wheelies. We told him to stop them after the first one and believed he had. Can anyone give me information as to why this could be happening, and if he was doing wheelies, which I’m not sure he is, would this cause the problem? The shop still has the bike and said the cost of a cable is £100. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[hamster]

I think that explanation is total rubbish. MTBs are designed to be jumped anyway. If the brakes leak there is a fault, end of.
Tell them that the good aren't fit for purpose, never were and ask either for a complete refund or new brakes. Explain that you will involve Trading Standards.

[Paulatic]

I’m not hydraulic brake expert but it’s sounds ridiculous to blame wheelies for a leak of fluid.
Surely the bike has warranty isn’t it for a year at "word corrected to Halfords".
I pay a couple of pounds for a cable but as it’s hydraulic do you mean replacement pipe? Is the pipe getting rubbed and beginning to leak in which case it must be poor routing of the pipe. Back to warranty

[Redvee]

Popping wheelies won't be to blame, MTBers do a lot worse on their bikes and don't have the same problem. The quoted cost of a cable is laughable, you can buy a complete new Shimano calliper and hose and have it fitted for half that.

[NUKe]

what do you mean by leaking, is fluid leaking out or air is getting in. if its the first then where from? if its the second its more likely to be incorrect bleeding. the wheely excuses is the biggest load of tosh going. you just need a decent mechanic, although they a re not hard to do with a kit if you have a bit of knowledge.

[Brucey]

tell us more about how this leak manifests itself please. Photos?

cheers

[Andrea22]

Thanks everyone for your comments, I really appreciate it. I'm not sure if it's possible to reply to a specific person as I've never done this before, however to the person asking where it's leaking, the original bike was leaking at the brake at the rear wheel, and when braking the wheel made an awful noise I can only explain as a loud rubbing echoing noise, the current bike which is the replacement was leaking from the tube at the handlebars, I don't just mean the odd drip, the cable is covered, and the wheel is still making the same awful noise. It's so frustrating, my son just wants to get out on his bike

[Andrea22]

Unfortunately I don't have photos, I should have thought and now the bike is still in the shop as I don't want to collect it when we cant even use it.

[Brucey]

with a new bike the only thing that might let the retailer off the hook is accidental damage. Otherwise they need to fix it.

If they can't/won't then you can get mired into a long argument with them or you can fix the bike. One compromise is for them (or you) to fit cable-operated disc brakes instead.

cheers

[Andrea22]

Hi Brucey, I fear I'm not going to get anywhere as they are absolutely adamant it's because he's doing wheelies. They said they know that because the rear tyre is more worn than the front one. My car rear tyres are more worn than my front ones, I don't do wheelies in the car though!!

These hydraulic brakes seem more trouble than they're worth. Do you have an idea what it may cost to change the brakes to disc brakes? I'm thinking probably more than I'm prepared to pay for a bike less than 6 months old and only been ridden last 2 months.

[Brucey]

wheelies wouldn't cause the brakes to leak unless the bike was crashed in the process.

I would suggest that you tell them they can either fix the bike properly or you will reject it as unfit for the purpose supplied and demand a full refund.

FWIW if the bike is classified according to ASTM standards (which it almost certainly will be if the same model is sold in the USA) then it will say what the usage is intended to include, which in the case of MTBs usually includes some reference to drop-offs and jumping.

cheers

[Jupestar]

check the cables are long enough, when doing wheelies you can end up turning the handlebars more than when riding normally, this could stretch the cable around the head tube and cause it to pull loose at either end, which is what it sounds like could be happening.

Not strictly cables i guess, but not sure what else to call them.

[hamster]

Honestly, it's not fit for purpose. Demand your money back. And a worn rear tyre will be skids, not wheelies.
I realise that you feel on shaky ground as you don't feel knowledgeable enough to argue.
Tell them to fix it or state that it's going to Trading Standards (via Head Office first).

As a fix, get two sets of these and pay a local bike shop to fit them: https://www.merlincycles.com/magura-mt- ... 37258.html

[hamster]

check the cables are long enough, when doing wheelies you can end up turning the handlebars more than when riding normally, this could stretch the cable around the head tube and cause it to pull loose at either end, which is what it sounds like could be happening.

Not strictly cables i guess, but not sure what else to call them.

hoses

Good point though - and if they don't meet the turn test, then again that's incorrect setup...back to the retailer.

[peetee]

I wonder if the shop is referring not to front wheel up wheelies but actually the BMX-derived stunt of lifting the back wheel and rotating the bike around the front wheel? That would certainly make short work of straining the brake line and causing a leak.