BMX brake (gyro type) hard to press

drabina

Active Member
I have purchased a slightly used 2017 GT Slammer BMX for my son. The BMX is fine, no visible signs of use, tires are almost new, all complete. The only problem is that the rear brake lever is very hard to press for my 11 year old son. I can press it and lock the brakes but he cannot so the brake is pretty much useless. I have tried to do some adjustments, checked cables, etc and I do not see anything obviously wrong with the brake system. All appears to be fine. Is the gyro system significantly harder to press than single cable system? Any recommendation what else to check or adjust before I take it to the LBS and spend more money on it?
 

jklett

Well-Known Member
Gyros were always harder to pull, more friction in the system. Just replace it with a single cable and tell him no bar spins.
 

mtbiker87

Well-Known Member
jklett is spot on. It shouldnt be impossible for a kid to pull though, so you the cables might need changing, or at least some lubrication. Long term best bet is to change it to single cable. Ditch the gyro stuff, and replace it with a linear cable from Kink or odyssey, and run it a bit long if x-ups and bar spins are in his future. It will both lighten, and simplify things up. Done it to all the bmx's I own.
 

drabina

Active Member
Thanks guys. Is there a special cable for BMX or I can use one of the spare new ones I have for my mountain bike?
 

mtbiker87

Well-Known Member
MTB cables for v, or cable disks are the same size. I think its 5mm? Which is thicker than a derailer cable. Higher end BMX's use linear cable/ housing cause it wont get as screwed up from doing x ups, and bar spin type tricks when not using a gyro. Its not that much more expensive, but if you got the regular stuff just use it.
 

serviceguy

Well-Known Member
MTB cables for v, or cable disks are the same size. I think its 5mm? Which is thicker than a derailer cable. Higher end BMX's use linear cable/ housing cause it wont get as screwed up from doing x ups, and bar spin type tricks when not using a gyro. Its not that much more expensive, but if you got the regular stuff just use it.

MTB brakes cable is 1.6mm (about 1/16").
 

one piece crank

Well-Known Member
You should be able to get the gyro working smoothly, and efficiently. But without knowing what brake you have, which levers, and the true internal condition of your cables, I’m just an internet cowboy...
 

onetracker

Well-Known Member
These guys are spot on. But before you ditch the gyro, lube all of the cables with a wet lube. Try to get as much slack in all of the cables as possible without dissembling and add some lubricant. If the bike sat around, I bet the cables are bone dry.
 

drabina

Active Member
Thanks again for all the replies and sorry for not replying sooner. We had a busy week ending soccer season.

Here are the photos of the system. There is a label called SST Oryg. I did a quick check on the internet and it looks like I can get a set of cables for about $20 or I also have a brand new Clark MTB brake cable I can use to convert to a straight cable. Based on the photos, any recommendations which way to go? The result is to have an easier brake to press for a 11 year old.

bmx1.jpg bmx2.jpg bmx3.jpg bmx4.jpg bmx5.jpg bmx6.jpg
 

Ryan.P

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Isolate each component and see what's causing the issue . Pretty sure the cable can be discontinued easily from caliper without tools .
 
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