Hi sorry its off topic but i know theres a few bike gurus on here.
Ive just brought a second hand giant xtc mountain bike and love it but the brakes dont stop it it has disc brakes with what looks like il stamped on i have adjusted the cables so there firm the pads are like new they clamp down but you just keep goin i cant work it out
Any ideas

[Edited on 17/3/11 by adam1985]

Give the discs a good wipe down with isoprpyl alcohol or similar there may be some lubricant or something on the rotors. But i hate to say it ive had a lot of mountain bikes over the years and cable disc brakes are a gimic no better than v brakes, replace them with hydraulics if you want the best stopping power, depends what you're using the bike for i guess.

To be honest, in my experience, cable disc brakes are carp. Try Ebaying some nice hydraulic ones - you wont look back! Pads might look OK, but might be contaminated/glazed/carp. If you have no luck with adjustment and a good clean of the discs and check of the caliper mechanism, maybe consider new pads. But as above, I personally wouldn't have high expectations of cable disc brakes.

EDIT: beaten to it!

[Edited on 17/3/11 by Liam]

I'd take some sandpaper to the discs and pads. Works for cars

I have cable disks on my mountain bike and they are plently strong enough, recon you have WD40 or the like on the pads

I have cable discs on my old bike which are ok these just dont stop me at all ill try the sandpaper in the morning Good idea
Cheers for the help

Getting cable disks setup right has always been a pain in the arris..... its just not worth the hastle when a second hand hydro Shimano M525 can be had for about £30 with disk and lever etc.. Or £50-70 for a hope mini..

If you really want to persevere with the cable disks, then you're on the right lines with sandpaper and brake cleaner (IPA), but don't expect too much, they are very hard to set up well and to get a balance of power and acceptable feel.

Seeing as I just bought a complete pair of hope mini hydro brakes from ebay for £56 delivered though, is it worth it? I've seen Hayes and shimano sets selling for even cheaper!

Dont buy hope brakes, total rubbish.
Had them and changed them for hayes stroker, most powerfull ive ever used but i have now changed them for some shimano slx, not as powerfull as the hayes but a nicer feel.

But as above, clean the disc, take the pads out and clean with acetone and then set fire to them to burn off the acetone and contaminents

My Hope Minis were fantastic. Only time they were rubish was when I contaminated the pads. No amount of cleaning/sanding really sorted them. New pads and they were back to awesomeness.

My Hope minis on my Giant Anthem are fantastic and have been since I fitted them more than three years ago, just have to keep them clean. Cable discs will never be as good but you could try some Clarke sintered pads from Chainreaction cycles.

All the Hope brakes I've used are amazing. My DH4's are like anchors (though occasionally squeal), my mini's work a treat so long as you're not doing 25 minute alpine descents on 4 year old fluid, then they boil and vanish entirely (but the DH4 held up the rest of the way down on its own). My C2's are like anchors.

Cable discs, with a noteable couple of exceptions, are parp.

another vote for hope mini's and also for hope 4 pots. but there's nothing better than a good xtr v brake setup!!

for cross country that is not dh

[Edited on 23/3/11 by RickRick]

I have a set of Tektro Auriga pro's on mine and they are fantastic.
They are a massive improvement over my sons shimano cable
set up.

Andy