Why don't people fix their horrendously sqeaky bicycle brakes?
I'm talking particularly about the ones where it's obviously just metal grinding against metal.
Posted Sep 5, 2016, 12:25 AM UTC
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It's because most of those mamachari use cheap band brakes and they tend to become squeaky without maintenance. And people here are horrible with their bikes, not even putting oil on their chains...
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Very bad in wet weather, obviously. Right when you really need it.
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Any idea how to properly maintain them so they don't squeel?
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Oiling them will help a lot. Like seriously it's 5 seconds of work, it'll prolong the bikes lifespan.
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How the hell are the Yakuza supposed to go to war with bottles and chains, if they even fail to carry out basic maintenance?
No wonder the boys in blue are rounding them up before they hurt themselves.
0†
Mostly because they don't know how to do it themselves (replace brake shoes, adjust them so they're slightly angled in, rubbing alcohol and an old toothbrush on rim to clean off old rubber patina), and don't want to pay to get it done.
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Worth pointing out that any of the countless bicycle repairmen around town will of course fix that for you, and usually charge a truly measly fee for doing so: I never pay more than ¥500-¥1000 + parts…
I'm honestly not sure how they make a living (on bike sales only, I suspect)
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They charge at least 1500 for a puncture. It takes 5 minutes to fix. Same with changing breaks pads. They're doing okay, I wouldn't be worrying about them.
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800 JPY at cycle spot for a puncture.
And I'm sure that the plan I paid for at Bic Camera could get them do it for free (maintenance is free normally).
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And that's 800 for a rubber patch that probably cost 20 yen. He's making a killing!
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As I said: never paid more than ¥1000… You need to find a better place!
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I fix them at my house..... It's almost free!
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My bike has started doing this, but honestly by now its value isn't worth the effort.
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... and your ears aren't?
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I guess it doesn't bother me that much.
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I think there is a hole to put oil and make them less squeaky no ? Never owned one of those band brakes so I don't know exactly.
EDIT : sorry wasn't talking about the same kind of brakes.
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i assume he's talking about this kind http://i.imgur.com/FBaVw3I.png . Which doesn't need oil.
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Usually no, it's the band brakes that are the most squeaky. But it seems that Tokyohoon was talking about the one you're showing (single caliper side pull brakes) which in certain situations can become squeaky.
Take a Look at this thread : http://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/8456/how-can-i-stop-a-belt-brake-band-brake-from-squealing
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I was talking about rim brakes in general. You don't often see band brakes on regular bicycles, just on cheap-ass mamacharis.
If you need to quiet down band brakes, ride down a big hill with the brakes lightly applied to rub off the bit that's squeaking... but they're never going to be quiet.
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Because that would mean having to fix their bell.
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I honestly don't know how... Sorry :/
EDIT: Gold? Seriously? I very much appreciate it, but.. wow
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A lot of them just don't care.
Have a look at how many people ride on flat tyres too. Once you see it, you can't unsee it......
My wife's mother will ride until the rim is almost touching the ground. And put oil on the chain? Ha! Are you crazy?
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Once my father said that Japanese people were considering their cheapass mamacharis like how we consider shoes nowadays. Once you can't ride it anymore they just buy a new one. I think he was on point.
What you see is "normal" people not giving a shit about cycling, it's just a mean of <3km transport for them.
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I did that once, riding about 3km on fully flat tyre to the nearby mall to get it pumped. Some people just don't care about their bikes and use it solely for transportation. But if you do maintain your bike, it's safer and easier to ride.
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The squeaky breaks tend to get used as an alternative to a bell. You'll often see people on their mamachari on the pavement or in the shotengai, and they get close behind someone then squeak - it's like a "please get out of my way even though I'm not supposed to be riding my bicycle here" device.
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Anyone got a good video or website explaining how to easily and cheaply maintenance a Japanese bike? I haven't got a clue how, and my Japanese isn't good enough to ask or Google it much myself. Information like, where to buy the oil or whatever to do it, what the brand(s) to use look like, and then how to exactly do the work as well.
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Bicycle Habitat has a fairly comprehensive list.
The only thing that will be different is if you have those stupid band brakes on the rear.
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Hit a 100 yen shop (except for lights). Oil, non-critical parts and reflective materials. All you need is there. Of course for parts like brake shoes, you'll need to go to a proper shop.
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First, Japanese tend not to do their own repairs, other than the handful of otaku enthusiasts. Second, mamachari bikes have rear drum brakes that are prone to squeaking and are a pain to fix.
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cause they only ride short distanances and dont have to rely on their bicycles.
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Because Im lazy
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You can buy a new bike for ¥10,000 and a second-hand one even cheaper. Once you've gone through a couple of sets of tyres it's almost worth chucking the bike and buying another one than getting new tyres and a bike service. People just ride them into the ground and get another when it physically stops working.
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This is "Harm Reduction"!
The Bell is broken and when you ride along Omote Sando on a sunny Sunday and on the Boardwalk you need to provide at least a short Warning!
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Theory by a professor of mine: Because it would be impolite to ring your bell — i.e. making a person that's in your way notice you in such an assertive way.
But since people in your way tend to move slower than you, you might be forced to use your brakes, which, when super annoyingly loud, just happen to make them notice you.
This is definitely a factor. People, especially older people, very deliberately squeak their brakes to try to get walkers on the footpaths to move aside. The fact that it's a vastly more unpleasant noise than a bell is seemingly less important than the plausible deniability - "oh, I wasn't telling you to move, my brakes just do that!"
Is there a good Japanese phrase for plausible deniability, I wonder.
Social anxiety
Japanese phrase for plausible deniability: 私は日本人です
むずかしい
Difficult?
I hang a bear bell under my seat for this.
This. I call squeaky coaster brakes, passive aggressive, horn/bells. Where ringing your bell might seem to forward, riding the coaster brake for maximum terror is the proper thing to do (I call it Stuka-ing).
This! I do this all the time...
Aren't they supposed to be off the sidewalks anyways? My local area has bicycle lanes in the road but instead everyone piles up in the massive clusterfuck of pedestrians and bicycles on the narrow sidewalks.
Depends on the area. Many places have a bicycle lane on the sidewalk.
This is why I got a bell that has a very soft ring to it. Also, technically you're not supposed to ride on the sidewalk anyway. I'll give a pass to a mamachari with a kid on board.
*** Prepare your pitchforks ***
I've been told by a Japanese friend, and had it confirmed by others, that they believe it's illegal to ring your bell at slow moving pedestrians because the pedestrians have the right of way over a bicycle.
That's the word among my circle of Japanese friends anyway and would support your idea that squealing brakes are an alternative to bells.
There was some case apparently where someone rang their bell behind an elderly lady and she was so surprised by it that she jumped out on to the road and was injured. No idea of the details, I can't seem to find any source online...
I actually appreciate them for exactly this reason. I can't be the only one, so I'm sure this is involved.