Ashima PCB: The saga continues..

You've got to hand it to the Indonesians...

Yeah. You heard me.
My 2011 Dahon Jetstream's brake lever is broken again!
A year ago, it was an Indonesian maid who busted it. Cost me nearly RM300 to get it fixed. 
The guys from Zero 2 Hero Coaching did a great job servicing the brakes.
I owe this to Herbert Lye for giving the Ashima PCB another lease of life.
Herbert, of course, was a controversial figure whom I had tried to help after he left his employment suddenly.
I think he is back in his hometown in East Malaysia.
So, fast-forward to my trip in Indonesia, the last day I was in Sumatera, I watched with a heavy heart as luggage handlers loaded my bike onto the ferry bound for Port Klang.
Now, they've stacked my bike on top of friend's one and that's where the trouble began.
We tried t separate the bikes that were stuck together and as a result, the Ashima PCB Brake Lever on my Dahon Jetstream broke.
My immediate reaction was: "FUCK!!!!"

The broken lever, actually, this was the first one..

Seeking help...

I contacted Darcy from Zero 2 Hero.
He said he no longer handles Ashima and would try and see if he had the parts.
Darcy got back to me and said he hasn't any.
He also gave me two emails from Ashima's Customer Service.
That didn't help because I had emailed one of them without any success.

Chinaman bikestore and motherfuckers!

So, I did a Google search.
I ended up on a web page belonging to bike shop in Cheras.
From this lead, I located the shops number and called.
A friendly voice on the other side told me to ring up the shop's main man.
And so I did.
The guy told me to email him details of the parts.
I did so and waited.
A week went by and no response.
So, I called the guy on his cellphone.
He said Ashima had no stock.
I asked how else he could help?
"I need to know how many brake lever service kit you need," he said.
"What is your minimum quantity order?," I asked.
"You a shop owner or user?," said the agitated guy.
I told him that if he can't help, just say so.
"I don't know what to tell you, Ashima would be suspicious if I order parts that I don't usually keep stock, I can't help you..," said the fucking Chinaman.
I wasted 20-minutes on the phone explaining to him, but this was a futile bid.
From his tone, the way he handled my issue, he wasn't going to even bother contacting me.
So, there you have it, fucking Chinaman doing business!

Never give up..

I went home, my mood was on the downhill spiral.
I have tried at least contacting the local sources. 
I tried Ashima, to no avail. Basically, their Customer Service SUCKS!
My last resort, is to order the parts from the UK. 
I've located at least a dozen on-line retailers that sells the PCB Lever Service Kit.
At the meantime, I mended the broken pieces together. 
It's holding, aesthetically, but the right lever wouldn't function.
The next thing is this: If I can get the parts into Malaysia, the challenge is to remove the broken lever assembly and fit in a new one. That, we'll have to wait and see.
Oh yeah, that running down the Chinaman part, I guess some scum-sucking bottom feeding lawyer would pick this up inform the guy and try to slam me with a lawsuit. Well, good luck to you!

The Jet's fully set to go!

A quick turnaround..
Chris Khoo from Zero2Hero Asia rang me up.
The broken piston on my bike was fixed.
Then, his boss Darcy sent me an email.
My eyes literally flew out of my skull's socket when I saw the pricing.
Its one-third the cost of a Shimano XT brakeset.
I voiced out my concerns to Chris who later referred to his boss.
Then, I received a follow-up email from the owner of Zero2Hero.
He said Ashima will honour the part replacement and all I need to do, is to pay labour charge.
That's half the amount and a relief to my pocket.

Something about Herbert..
Okay, this is another thing. 
I met one of Z2H's tech dude Herbert some years back.
He's a decent dude and is also one of the most polite tech at Pedalspot bike shop in SS2. 
Thinking that he did pretty well, I was surprised to meet him at Z2H's boutique workshop. 
As a matter of fact, he's the guy who worked on my Ashima brakeset.
Herbert's in some jam with his employer at Pedalspot and I offered some advise as to how to face the issue. 
As for the brakes, he did a decent job.

Tools readily available: A bleed kit, PCB spanner and tool

 A bleak legacy and a daunting task..
The last guy who was in charge of Ashima brakes in Malaysia did a crappy job. 
After a period of neglect, Z2H has an uphill task to restore the trust and confidence among the Ashima users here.
So far, I was the third customer who sent in their bike for service at Z2H.
Since the guys did a decent job with the brakes, I guess there is no need to get the brakeset replaced.
Herbert said the 'swell' and pressure build-up in the rear brake was caused by a faulty piston.
Now that the front brake's piston also broke, both the parts were replaced.
Apart from that, I also bought a set of Ashima PCB Bleed Kit and a set of tools to go with it. So, that said, if I have any issues with the PCBs again, the guys to lookout for are at Z2H.

Hope for the Pancake

A third opinion..
 The cleaners broke my fucking brake lever. 
They got away with it, I have to pay.
Now, the decision weighed: Pay RM570 for a brand new (well, last year's model) Shimano XT M755 brake set.
I saw these at Rodalink in Bandar Botanic and was pretty impressed with the fit and finish.
Yesterday evening, I received a phonecall from Danny Teo, my contact with Schwalbe and Le Run Industries.
He told me to ring up Chris Khoo from Hero2Zero Asia to follow-up on the Ashima PCB brake lever.
I did just that and was really surprised with the response. 
He told me to bring the bike over for a look and said that they have just taken over from an Australian dude to deal with Ashima and Rholoff.

Klaus the tech dude and Chris at the workshop

Respectable professionalism
So, I took my wounded Jet to the new workshop in Lorong Batai off Jalan Damansara.
Apparently, these are the same dudes who offer training for Mountain Bikers who were featured in BaikBike.com.
I told Chris the problem with my Ashima PCB and showed him the broken lever.
Now, the turnaround time for the service is five working days.
As for cost, I am not sure how much I have to pay for the replacement parts.
Hopefully, I won't have to fork out a thousand bucks for doing so..

Zero2Hero's workshop

The bikes queued for service

 
 Later, I chatted with Chris who had just started work with the company for three months.
He told me that once he could address the matter, he would get back to me to quote the cost of replacing the damaged brake lever.

It's called 'brake drag'...

Getting to know the Jetstream better...
I thought my problem was solved. 
The brakes got fixed and it still couldn't spin.
Why? 
Okay, here's the situation: Since I got the Dahon Jetstream EX, I've been having a lot of fun with it.  Notably, the downhill runs. I mean, this bike can really brake!
When I brought in the bike, It didn't freewheel as much as it did at the workshop.
I thought the calipers and brakepads were throwing tantrums. And it did!

The rotor and brakepads are rubbing causing brake drag

Misalignment?
I'm not sure what to say.
Back at the Rodalink when the rear wheel was spun a few times, it was as smooth as silk.
I even thanked mechanic Wong who adjusted the brake calipers. 
Now, back at home, its a totally different problem.
I noticed that there were no gaps between the pads and the rotor.
Each time the wheel spun, it was dragging.
Looks like the diaphragm may be expanded a bit, causing the pads to 'swell'.
This was the same problem I faced when the brake started to drag.
Well, looks like the Jetstream is gonna spend some time at the dealership. The brake needs to be fixed.. 

Lessons in Air Rotor and the Pancake Brake..

These are arguably: One of the best hydralic brake system ever to be found on a folding bike.. But it is also very, very delicate...

Preparing for the worse..
I didn't hear anything from the Rodalink guys..
Sent my wounded Dahon Jetstream EX for inspection and repair.
After clocking-in more than 500km on the bike which I took delivery in July this year, I found that the rear wheel has been giving some problems.
Its not free-wheeling and I suspected that the SRAM Dual-Drive II was the cause..
Which turned out to be unfounded.
Wong, the branch supervisor and mechanic told me that there was a loose sprocket on the rear wheel.
And best of all, the brake was the primary cause of the resistance on the hub's freewheel.


Clean your brakes
The problem was still persistent on the hub when I spun the rear wheel.
Wong went to work right away by tuning up the brake calipers and told me that he had found fur stuck to it.
I must say that I am guilty as charged because the kidz have been shedding.
Not only that, the gunked dirt and grime picked up from previous rides had made the brakepads 'sticky'.
This is an apparent problem with Ashima's PCB brakes.
Foreign particles on the calipers had caused the rotor to resist when spun, resulting in a tiring ride.


The worse is over..
Well, I am happy to report that the SRAM DDII is working properly.
After a tune-up by Wong, its now up and running.
So, I think I might take it for a spin tomorrow, especially when its a public holiday...