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This is a brand new mountain bike for kids with hydraulic brakes.

The bike fell on its side and when we picked it up, the brake handle got caught by a branch. With a little effort, we were able to raise the bike, but the brake lever dislodged.

This was a week after we bought the bike. Back at the store, the salesman told us we had to change the whole braking system.

As I was stunned and not happy, he said he would try to fix it, but that it would be temporary.

It worked for a few months, but then the lever dislodged again.

It seems that the rounded end has to be put back into its receptacle and, above all, the clip back on with very fine pliers.

Do we really need to change the whole brake, or is a repair possible?

If a repair is possible, what is the process?

If not, is it possible to use mechanical brakes instead of these hydraulic ones, which seem very fragile?

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  • Is this an ebike? The only brake lever I can find made by Logan is fluidfreeride.com/products/burn-e-logan-brake-lever-right
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Mar 17 at 9:53
  • I can't see why the brake lever is failing - the pictures suggest the ball-end is supposed to press into a cup/recess that is on top of the master cylinder piston? Clearly the lever is about 90 degrees out of its proper position right now, but I can't tell how the circlip holds it down. Does the circlip hold the washer inside two lips somewhere just inside the socket ?
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Mar 17 at 9:59

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Initial thoughts:

I see an internal circlip being used in some weird way. These are supposed to sit inside a groove machined inside a bore, and therefore are fully supported by the groove all the way around.

Here I suspect the circlip is only held by some ledges or lips inside the body, and being un-supported it moves and pops out easily.

  1. START by checking the opposite side lever closely and see why it doesn't pop out. I bet something is different between Left and Right, and its not obvious in the photos.
  1. I'd contemplate re-working the retention system.
    The dirty hack might be to add a couple of rubber bands around the handlebar and brake lever, providing a positive pull to stop it being dislodged. But you want not-so-much force that it pulls the brake on. This could be a challenge.
    Or make a metal retainer that traps the brake lever and the handlebar, again to stop the brake lever moving far enough to pop the ball from the socket but open in the middle to allow the lever to actuate like normal. A loop of coathanger wire might work well enough.
  1. (Removed) I was going to suggest making some small block around the post's shaft to retain the lever's outward movement, but realised that was not going to work.
  1. The bike shop might be right - replacing the whole brake lever is the responsible and proper solution.
    Brakes are important.
    I'd be leery about buying another brake lever the same, which will likely fail the same way.

Consider fitting an entirely new brake and caliper like the Shimano MT-201 set, which comes with a lever and caliper and hose, all pre-filled.

Example: https://www.bike24.com/p2300040.html

The only potential issues are that the two brake levers will look different and may feel different in use, and as per comment, the only Logan brake lever I could find had a brake sensor wire for an ebike. If this is an ebike then it probably requires a brake-actuation sensor.

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    This is a standard MTB for teens, not an e-bike. I inspected the rear brake handle, but nothing is visible when the lever is not dislodged. I believe it's the circlip that holds things together. But attaching that circlip is difficult. I tried to find videos, but found nothing. Of course brakes are important and I don't want a dirty hack. We can still brake, but as the lever is not retained, it gets loose. Since I couldn't find any repair information, I'll buy a new brake... planned obsolescence is everywhere.
    – macxpat
    Commented Mar 24 at 4:29
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    I got a new Shimano MT-201 set and noticed the lever attachment system is exactly the same as on the Logan : same circlip (the only thing visible). I believe that circlip fits into a thin carved ring. But for that to happen, the ball-end has to be pushed strongly into the cup. Maybe the oil has to be removed for that to happen or some tools are needed. The handle was leaking oil since the lever was dislodged. Since I can't find any information on that situation (dislodged lever), I believe it's rare.
    – macxpat
    Commented Mar 24 at 13:49

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