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Rear brake cable temporary fix possible?

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Rear brake cable temporary fix possible?

How to fix a detached brake cable?Brake cable housing doesn't attach to leverModifying Brake Cable to Fit?Brake cable shaking at the end of the brake caliperSun Tour Cyclone brake levers and brake cable housingBike rests on brake cable while rackedFix/replacement for v-brake partOlder Brompton front brake cableBrand New Bicycle Brake Cables Popping outSide pull rear brake is weaker after changing the cable

1

(Please see edit below; problem might actually be with brake lever)

I'd like to know if a temporary resolution is possible for my stuck rear brake cable.

Video:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EmGB78BphkK4k27j4BNouMpIK31A31ST/view?usp=sharing

I'm taking it into the shop but the soonest they can take my bike is Tuesday. I have no experience in bicycle repair. The bike is only half a year old, but I've been riding it in winter. I clean the brakes (excluding the pads) every one or two weeks with a soft bottle brush and diluted dish soap. I have never lubricated any brake parts yet, though.

Edit: I might have been wrong on the location of the malfunction. The brake lever seemed stuck, and I assumed that was because the brake was stuck, but after squeezing it very hard it seems to work to some extent. It makes a creaking noise and doesn't move as freely or with as much range as the front brake.

brakes

share|improve this question

edited 17 mins ago

Criggie♦

44.2k573151

asked 4 hours ago

Ranen GhoshRanen Ghosh

62

New contributor

Ranen Ghosh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Yeah, probably the cable is gummed up. Sometimes this is due to rust/dirt in the housing, sometimes due to a bad kink in the housing, sometimes due to simply having the cable misrouted.
  
  – Daniel R Hicks
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Has anyone noticed the cable is rusted to hell? It’s approaching a tomato red color and this would cause massive friction imho
  
  – Swifty
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I've shrunk and brightened the image, and then added it in-line. Can't do anything to inline the video link though. If it were uploaded to youtube then inlining is possible.
  
  – Criggie♦
  16 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

1

(Please see edit below; problem might actually be with brake lever)

I'd like to know if a temporary resolution is possible for my stuck rear brake cable.

Video:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EmGB78BphkK4k27j4BNouMpIK31A31ST/view?usp=sharing

I'm taking it into the shop but the soonest they can take my bike is Tuesday. I have no experience in bicycle repair. The bike is only half a year old, but I've been riding it in winter. I clean the brakes (excluding the pads) every one or two weeks with a soft bottle brush and diluted dish soap. I have never lubricated any brake parts yet, though.

Edit: I might have been wrong on the location of the malfunction. The brake lever seemed stuck, and I assumed that was because the brake was stuck, but after squeezing it very hard it seems to work to some extent. It makes a creaking noise and doesn't move as freely or with as much range as the front brake.

brakes

share|improve this question

edited 17 mins ago

Criggie♦

44.2k573151

asked 4 hours ago

Ranen GhoshRanen Ghosh

62

New contributor

Ranen Ghosh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Yeah, probably the cable is gummed up. Sometimes this is due to rust/dirt in the housing, sometimes due to a bad kink in the housing, sometimes due to simply having the cable misrouted.
  
  – Daniel R Hicks
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Has anyone noticed the cable is rusted to hell? It’s approaching a tomato red color and this would cause massive friction imho
  
  – Swifty
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I've shrunk and brightened the image, and then added it in-line. Can't do anything to inline the video link though. If it were uploaded to youtube then inlining is possible.
  
  – Criggie♦
  16 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

(Please see edit below; problem might actually be with brake lever)

I'd like to know if a temporary resolution is possible for my stuck rear brake cable.

Video:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EmGB78BphkK4k27j4BNouMpIK31A31ST/view?usp=sharing

I'm taking it into the shop but the soonest they can take my bike is Tuesday. I have no experience in bicycle repair. The bike is only half a year old, but I've been riding it in winter. I clean the brakes (excluding the pads) every one or two weeks with a soft bottle brush and diluted dish soap. I have never lubricated any brake parts yet, though.

Edit: I might have been wrong on the location of the malfunction. The brake lever seemed stuck, and I assumed that was because the brake was stuck, but after squeezing it very hard it seems to work to some extent. It makes a creaking noise and doesn't move as freely or with as much range as the front brake.

brakes

share|improve this question

edited 17 mins ago

Criggie♦

44.2k573151

asked 4 hours ago

Ranen GhoshRanen Ghosh

62

New contributor

Ranen Ghosh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

share|improve this question

edited 17 mins ago

Criggie♦

44.2k573151

asked 4 hours ago

Ranen GhoshRanen Ghosh

62

New contributor

Ranen Ghosh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

share|improve this question

edited 17 mins ago

Criggie♦

44.2k573151

asked 4 hours ago

Ranen GhoshRanen Ghosh

62

New contributor

Ranen Ghosh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

edited 17 mins ago

Criggie♦

44.2k573151

edited 17 mins ago

Criggie♦

44.2k573151

asked 4 hours ago

Ranen GhoshRanen Ghosh

62

New contributor

Ranen Ghosh is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

asked 4 hours ago

Ranen GhoshRanen Ghosh

62

3 Answers
3

active

oldest

votes

4

From the video, it looks like the cable has frayed inside the outer housing or something like that. I doubt there's anything you can do except get the bike shop to replace the cable.

Although most of the braking comes from the front brake, I woudln't recommend riding the bike in this state: you'd have no back-up if anything went wrong with the front brake.

share|improve this answer

answered 3 hours ago

David RicherbyDavid Richerby

12.1k33461

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I might have been wrong on the location of the malfunction. The brake lever seemed stuck, and I assumed that was because the brake was stuck, but after squeezing it very hard it seems to work to some extent. It makes a creaking noise and doesn't move as freely or with as much range as the front brake.
  
  – Ranen Ghosh
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  +1 for suggesting to not ride without braking contingency.
  
  – Swifty
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Are you really always braking early and softly enough that the rear brake alone would be enough to stop you? For fast, accurate braking you need the front brake. The rear brake won’t safe you. In the unlikely case that the front brake fails you’ll crash, but that’s also true for a lot of other components (e.g. handlebars).
  
  – Michael
  44 mins ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @Michael You're only thinking about "external" emergencies but brake failures can cause emergencies in situations that would otherwise be safe. Suppose you're going down a hill that's not very steep, controlling your speed with your brakes. If your front brake fails, you can still use the rear brake to bring yourself to a controlled stop. With no brakes at all, you have no safe way to stop. Even in an external emergency, I'd much rather have a rear brake than no brakes at all: sure, I'm not going to be able to perform an emergency stop but I'll be able to scrub off some speed.
  
  – David Richerby
  32 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

3

In addition, that cable looks dirty to me in the picture and video. Maybe it's just the lighting? But if you have anything like WD-40, you can spray it on the cable and see if it loosens up. It's worth trying as it won't hurt anything.

If water gets into the cable housing when you're cleaning the bike, something like this could happen as the insides of the cable might rust up.

share|improve this answer

answered 2 hours ago

Andrew HenleAndrew Henle

2,208813

add a comment | 

1

Looks like excessive friction between cable and cable housing. Probably caused by a frayed cable or a kink in the housing. Is the cable housing damaged somewhere?

I’d try unclamping the cable at the brake and then check if the brake moves freely. You can then also unhook the cable at the brake lever and check if it moves freely as well. This would prove that the cable (or its housing) is the culprit. Light, penetrating oil (e.g. WD-40) could temporarily help to get it moving again, but if it’s damaged it could fail completely at any moment.

You could replace the cable yourself, it’s quite easy. Replacing the housing is a bit harder and works best with special tools but if you are only replacing it you already know where it should go and how long it has to be.

Riding without a rear brake is relatively safe (as long as the front brake works properly). Just make sure you remember that you don’t have a working rear brake, especially when indicating a left turn (assuming your rear brake is on your right hand).

share|improve this answer

answered 2 hours ago

MichaelMichael

2,797514

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  In my experience, WD-40 or similar itself won't loosen up frayed cables. Working the WD-40 into the cable by forcefully operating it might, though.
  
  – Andrew Henle
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Note that riding without means of stopping the rear wheel would be illegal in certain countries because it’s a bad idea
  
  – Swifty
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  When the rear brake looks as bad as this the front brake might be not far from malfunction either.
  
  – gschenk
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I disagree with your last paragraph, but all the rest is spot-on.
  
  – Criggie♦
  14 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

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4

From the video, it looks like the cable has frayed inside the outer housing or something like that. I doubt there's anything you can do except get the bike shop to replace the cable.

Although most of the braking comes from the front brake, I woudln't recommend riding the bike in this state: you'd have no back-up if anything went wrong with the front brake.

share|improve this answer

answered 3 hours ago

David RicherbyDavid Richerby

12.1k33461

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I might have been wrong on the location of the malfunction. The brake lever seemed stuck, and I assumed that was because the brake was stuck, but after squeezing it very hard it seems to work to some extent. It makes a creaking noise and doesn't move as freely or with as much range as the front brake.
  
  – Ranen Ghosh
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  +1 for suggesting to not ride without braking contingency.
  
  – Swifty
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Are you really always braking early and softly enough that the rear brake alone would be enough to stop you? For fast, accurate braking you need the front brake. The rear brake won’t safe you. In the unlikely case that the front brake fails you’ll crash, but that’s also true for a lot of other components (e.g. handlebars).
  
  – Michael
  44 mins ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @Michael You're only thinking about "external" emergencies but brake failures can cause emergencies in situations that would otherwise be safe. Suppose you're going down a hill that's not very steep, controlling your speed with your brakes. If your front brake fails, you can still use the rear brake to bring yourself to a controlled stop. With no brakes at all, you have no safe way to stop. Even in an external emergency, I'd much rather have a rear brake than no brakes at all: sure, I'm not going to be able to perform an emergency stop but I'll be able to scrub off some speed.
  
  – David Richerby
  32 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

4

From the video, it looks like the cable has frayed inside the outer housing or something like that. I doubt there's anything you can do except get the bike shop to replace the cable.

Although most of the braking comes from the front brake, I woudln't recommend riding the bike in this state: you'd have no back-up if anything went wrong with the front brake.

share|improve this answer

answered 3 hours ago

David RicherbyDavid Richerby

12.1k33461

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I might have been wrong on the location of the malfunction. The brake lever seemed stuck, and I assumed that was because the brake was stuck, but after squeezing it very hard it seems to work to some extent. It makes a creaking noise and doesn't move as freely or with as much range as the front brake.
  
  – Ranen Ghosh
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  +1 for suggesting to not ride without braking contingency.
  
  – Swifty
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Are you really always braking early and softly enough that the rear brake alone would be enough to stop you? For fast, accurate braking you need the front brake. The rear brake won’t safe you. In the unlikely case that the front brake fails you’ll crash, but that’s also true for a lot of other components (e.g. handlebars).
  
  – Michael
  44 mins ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @Michael You're only thinking about "external" emergencies but brake failures can cause emergencies in situations that would otherwise be safe. Suppose you're going down a hill that's not very steep, controlling your speed with your brakes. If your front brake fails, you can still use the rear brake to bring yourself to a controlled stop. With no brakes at all, you have no safe way to stop. Even in an external emergency, I'd much rather have a rear brake than no brakes at all: sure, I'm not going to be able to perform an emergency stop but I'll be able to scrub off some speed.
  
  – David Richerby
  32 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

From the video, it looks like the cable has frayed inside the outer housing or something like that. I doubt there's anything you can do except get the bike shop to replace the cable.

Although most of the braking comes from the front brake, I woudln't recommend riding the bike in this state: you'd have no back-up if anything went wrong with the front brake.

share|improve this answer

answered 3 hours ago

David RicherbyDavid Richerby

12.1k33461

share|improve this answer

answered 3 hours ago

David RicherbyDavid Richerby

12.1k33461

answered 3 hours ago

David RicherbyDavid Richerby

12.1k33461

answered 3 hours ago

David RicherbyDavid Richerby

12.1k33461

3

In addition, that cable looks dirty to me in the picture and video. Maybe it's just the lighting? But if you have anything like WD-40, you can spray it on the cable and see if it loosens up. It's worth trying as it won't hurt anything.

If water gets into the cable housing when you're cleaning the bike, something like this could happen as the insides of the cable might rust up.

share|improve this answer

answered 2 hours ago

Andrew HenleAndrew Henle

2,208813

add a comment | 

3

In addition, that cable looks dirty to me in the picture and video. Maybe it's just the lighting? But if you have anything like WD-40, you can spray it on the cable and see if it loosens up. It's worth trying as it won't hurt anything.

If water gets into the cable housing when you're cleaning the bike, something like this could happen as the insides of the cable might rust up.

share|improve this answer

answered 2 hours ago

Andrew HenleAndrew Henle

2,208813

add a comment | 

In addition, that cable looks dirty to me in the picture and video. Maybe it's just the lighting? But if you have anything like WD-40, you can spray it on the cable and see if it loosens up. It's worth trying as it won't hurt anything.

If water gets into the cable housing when you're cleaning the bike, something like this could happen as the insides of the cable might rust up.

share|improve this answer

answered 2 hours ago

Andrew HenleAndrew Henle

2,208813

share|improve this answer

answered 2 hours ago

Andrew HenleAndrew Henle

2,208813

answered 2 hours ago

Andrew HenleAndrew Henle

2,208813

answered 2 hours ago

Andrew HenleAndrew Henle

2,208813

1

Looks like excessive friction between cable and cable housing. Probably caused by a frayed cable or a kink in the housing. Is the cable housing damaged somewhere?

I’d try unclamping the cable at the brake and then check if the brake moves freely. You can then also unhook the cable at the brake lever and check if it moves freely as well. This would prove that the cable (or its housing) is the culprit. Light, penetrating oil (e.g. WD-40) could temporarily help to get it moving again, but if it’s damaged it could fail completely at any moment.

You could replace the cable yourself, it’s quite easy. Replacing the housing is a bit harder and works best with special tools but if you are only replacing it you already know where it should go and how long it has to be.

Riding without a rear brake is relatively safe (as long as the front brake works properly). Just make sure you remember that you don’t have a working rear brake, especially when indicating a left turn (assuming your rear brake is on your right hand).

share|improve this answer

answered 2 hours ago

MichaelMichael

2,797514

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  In my experience, WD-40 or similar itself won't loosen up frayed cables. Working the WD-40 into the cable by forcefully operating it might, though.
  
  – Andrew Henle
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Note that riding without means of stopping the rear wheel would be illegal in certain countries because it’s a bad idea
  
  – Swifty
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  When the rear brake looks as bad as this the front brake might be not far from malfunction either.
  
  – gschenk
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I disagree with your last paragraph, but all the rest is spot-on.
  
  – Criggie♦
  14 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

1

Looks like excessive friction between cable and cable housing. Probably caused by a frayed cable or a kink in the housing. Is the cable housing damaged somewhere?

I’d try unclamping the cable at the brake and then check if the brake moves freely. You can then also unhook the cable at the brake lever and check if it moves freely as well. This would prove that the cable (or its housing) is the culprit. Light, penetrating oil (e.g. WD-40) could temporarily help to get it moving again, but if it’s damaged it could fail completely at any moment.

You could replace the cable yourself, it’s quite easy. Replacing the housing is a bit harder and works best with special tools but if you are only replacing it you already know where it should go and how long it has to be.

Riding without a rear brake is relatively safe (as long as the front brake works properly). Just make sure you remember that you don’t have a working rear brake, especially when indicating a left turn (assuming your rear brake is on your right hand).

share|improve this answer

answered 2 hours ago

MichaelMichael

2,797514

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  In my experience, WD-40 or similar itself won't loosen up frayed cables. Working the WD-40 into the cable by forcefully operating it might, though.
  
  – Andrew Henle
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Note that riding without means of stopping the rear wheel would be illegal in certain countries because it’s a bad idea
  
  – Swifty
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  When the rear brake looks as bad as this the front brake might be not far from malfunction either.
  
  – gschenk
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I disagree with your last paragraph, but all the rest is spot-on.
  
  – Criggie♦
  14 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

Looks like excessive friction between cable and cable housing. Probably caused by a frayed cable or a kink in the housing. Is the cable housing damaged somewhere?

I’d try unclamping the cable at the brake and then check if the brake moves freely. You can then also unhook the cable at the brake lever and check if it moves freely as well. This would prove that the cable (or its housing) is the culprit. Light, penetrating oil (e.g. WD-40) could temporarily help to get it moving again, but if it’s damaged it could fail completely at any moment.

You could replace the cable yourself, it’s quite easy. Replacing the housing is a bit harder and works best with special tools but if you are only replacing it you already know where it should go and how long it has to be.

Riding without a rear brake is relatively safe (as long as the front brake works properly). Just make sure you remember that you don’t have a working rear brake, especially when indicating a left turn (assuming your rear brake is on your right hand).

share|improve this answer

answered 2 hours ago

MichaelMichael

2,797514

share|improve this answer

answered 2 hours ago

MichaelMichael

2,797514

answered 2 hours ago

MichaelMichael

2,797514

answered 2 hours ago

MichaelMichael

2,797514