That was a well put together video to help the home mechanic with some common problems . I can't tell you how many hours I have spent in the workshop over the years doing this 👍
Thanks, Daz, glad you liked it. This issue is a nightmare, especially on the older gruppo... improved on the 12 speed. To be honest, it's sometimes easer to say Balls to it, and just let it rub 😂 Oh, btw, did I see one of your comments pop up on the last Mapdec Cycle Works video?
I would agree with you, in some applications, Chorus rim brakes with Swisstop pads is a better solution, easier to maintain too. However, when running carbon rims in the rain whilst descending a Lake District pass would be suicidal. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Thanks for watching. Jon
@@ribblevalleycyclist In the rain at a steep descent disc brakes make you magically immune to slipping of the tarmac-rubber interface between your wheel and the road? It's like saying: don't worry, put disc brakes on and I wish you are joyful flight out of the next road turn.
Great tip on fixing warped rotors… thank you so much. Yes, they’re called crescent wrenches here in Canada as well. I have heard my parents call them spanners though.
Great, so useful. Just bought a brand new bike and the discs are rubbing as the disc is slightly warped. Just ordered the tool you recommended and look forward to sorting it! Thanks 🙏
I had the same issue of a small rotor adjustment needed. I used the location method you mentioned, found the spot, was minimal. But I used the back end of a lg screwdriver, slowly tapped in the direction and amazingly it worked as I didn't want to overdo it with a crescent wrench or such. Awesome vid my friend. Thank you from N. California
Fantastic video... Congrats! I just got my first Disk Brake equipped bike and had no idea how to fix the rubbing on the rear wheel. Now I know how. Thanks!... I subscribed to the channel right away.
I watched another yt video before this, tried cleaning them with a toothbrush, didnt help. Couple days later i watched this video and cleaned them "several times" until the pistons would come out evenly and pushed them back in with a toothbrush. I didn't have a shimy so I made one from some thick paper and now it's finally running good enough. I could clean them perhaps several more times to make them even better but for now this helped a lot. This guy is a goat.
Thanks Blair, glad you liked it. That is a Top Tip! If you're going to town on it, then a cotton tip soaked in isopropyl alcohol is the correct way to do it. Following up with a cotton tip and brake fluid is also a good idea. I was considering doing 3 separate videos, and showing more detail, like you've suggested. But in the end, I went with the condensed version in one video.
Really good video. Luckily your first suggestion worked for me but it did take a few tries to get it just right. Also ordered the spacer tool for future adjustments 🙂
Thanks so much for this video. I recently washed my road bike after a day in the rain, I took my brake pads out, cleaned them with isopropyl alcohol and so did with the rotors. Unfortunately, I did not note the position of the pads (left/right, forth/back) and so in my next ride I got a back/forth wobble in the front wheel when braking hard in a decent. Can the wrong repositioning of brake pads cause such wobbles and if so what would be the best remedy?
Hi Dimitris, Mixing the pads up can result in differing pad thickness within a single calliper, and therefore may cause pad/disc rub or a knocking feeling when breaking. My suggestion is to put pads together that look to be of similar thickness. Also, it's worth giving the pads a bit of a clean, check this video out: ua-cam.com/video/DLFQAuv9fCg/v-deo.html
Very detailed video! Just come across your channel when I have this problem today. However, my disc still rubs after these three methods. At this point, would you say I should check if the brake mount is perfectly faced or anything else? (New bike, new components, bleeding just done today)
Hi, That sounds very annoying, especially with new kit! The question here is to work out what is causing the rubbing, is it misalignment, or is it sticking pistons? If it's new components, then the chances are, it'll be a bleed issue. Also, facing is rarely something you need to do on a used bike. Facing is usually needed post-production of the frame, to tidy and straighten the mounting points. If I were a betting man, with the information I have, I'd say the pistons were not returning in. It may be worth double-checking the hoses for air. I did a video on brake bleed, it's here: ua-cam.com/video/eGclavtkoIg/v-deo.html
Great video! Followed your instructions and you were right it took about 5 times by just squeezing the hand brake and then a little tweak but I got it. I also bought some spacers just in case! 😉
First of all, should it move? Some very cheap brakes only have one moving piston. If you’re sure it should move, then hold the apposing piston back, and pull the brake, that should get it moving. Careful though, it may end up moving too far!
I had a fourth reason pop up on a brand new bike. It was rubbing, not too badly, but rubbing right from the get go. Drove the shop mechanics crazy trying to figure it out. Finally I ended up pulling the rotor off and remounting it on the wheel. Voila, no more rubbing. Weird because it wasn’t loose or anything, properly torqued, but it somehow managed to get a little cockeyed to create rub. I’m finding I have to remove and remount it every once in awhile as it gets out of alignment over time with use.
Good point, viffer94. This is more of a problem for the older skewer style quick release bikes, thru-axle does a better job. I always recommend putting the bike on the floor with the wheel loose, leaning on the bike to add weight, and then doing the wheel up. You then align the caliper to that. Then, in the future, if you take the wheel off, you just need to lean on it when doing it up for perfect alignment. Thanks for your thoughts. Jon
You make really useful vids. In my experience though, bent rotor because of overheating will sadly bend again. Getting a 140mm high quality one will solve the issue.
Thanks, Pirmin, appreciate it. Agreed. If you have a close look at the bike in this video, I'm using floating discs from Hope. This type of disc is amazing at resolving warping caused by overheating. I will never buy any other disc again. Well worth checking them out, but depending on your location, they can get expensive. Thanks for watching. Jon
Cheers..... Took a lot of sweat and money to build it. Just personal nowadays Buddy. Don’t work in the cycling industry any more….. doesn’t pay the bills 😐
Great video! I'd rather see the pistons of the brakes bottom out in their original set position. Using the spacer and loosening the housing might only be reading a warped rotor. On a side note: Shouldn't you check to see if the rotor is true first? What if you try correcting it by loosing off the piston housing and it reads where the warp is? I know this is likely not going to be the case because of the low chances but it would be as simple to check for the warped rotor first.
Hi Hexus, Glad you enjoyed it. The idea of the video is to show you the 3 main problems you may have, and how to overcome each one. You wouldn't necessarily do each one in the order I did them!! Thanks for watching. Jon
Hi Sean, Oh, it is. And they're made from really soft steel, and have a flat screwdriver head, so they round off really easily. You can get titanium versions, but they're silly money. Best just use a bit of copper slip, and don't do them too tight!! Thanks for watching, Jon
I'm no bike nerd, I don't really learn much about the bike I ride except how to fix a flat tire. So, ever since I bought the bike, I was under the assumption disc breaks never wore out and barely needed any attention or maintenance. 6 years with a single bike, I only put it in the shop for maintenance twice.
Hello from across the pond… many call it a Crescent wrench because of the giant tool company that produced them and still does- Crescent Tools. It’s like how people call nearly any carbonated soft drink a Coke out here too. Great video! I really enjoy your style and presentation. Are you a full time bike mechanic ? I’d use use for maintenance any day of the week, but I can’t swim. :)
That would be one heck of a swim!! Used to work in the industry, and have always been a keen cyclist. Also, was pro BMX as a child/teenager. Trouble is, repairing bikes doesn't pay the mortgage 😟.
My wheel appears to wobble. Would that be the cause of disc rubbing? Or can a wheel wobble independently from a disc rubbing? My bike was shipped to me for some assembly; I heard that the disc brakes can be damaged in transit. I could see the wheel wobble when I took my first spin, and I could hear the mechanical disc brake rubbing at the same time. My powers of observation were not strong enough to tell if the two things were in sync, but I have ordered a spoke wrench and the tools you noted to try an adjust the situation myself--just as soon as I understand.
I'll be honest, I wouldn't know how they compare, because there is no chance I'd spend £38/$45 on a tub of 110 wipes! Wonder Wipes contains 300 wipes, and costs £14. They're a great all-rounder, get stuff clean, don't contain any harsh chemicals, and just work well. I'd be interested to know what the Silca wipes are doing to justify their price.
I’m new to brake disc’s and I’ve got them on my new canyon Aeroad. I’ve done the tip for the front and it worked 1st time. Rear seems to be rubbing too. Is there a similar tip to stop this ?
I always need to use a spacer in my front disc brake when aligning it after taking the wheel off. I didn't know there was a tool for it, I have just cut a few thin clean cardboard pieces from food packaging and I shim it on the right side of the disc brake and that gets it. The ol' beetroot goat cheese meal packaging spacer works every time.
Love the video! It blew my mind when you grabbed the right lever for your front brake! 😳 I guess my Canadian mind isn’t wired that way. Is it normal for all UK bikes to control the front brake with the right lever? If so, I would have to be careful renting a bike in the UK. 😜
I have those Hope rotors on one bike with Ultegra callipers and I like them, but my favourite bike has new Ultegra rotors with the new Ultegra R8100 callipers and those are pretty well perfect.
My pistons are sticking on brand new bike that hasn't been (ridden) yet, however I did turn my bike upside down for hour, did this make my pistons stick?
To clean pistoms.. how about using a pipe cleaner? The little bristle-y brush I see used for everything but cleaning pipes? Seems it would easily be able to gently scrub the sides of the pistons and its very flexible as well. And cheap
Allow me to add one more cause of brake rub. Pertaining to Sram AXS: my Red AXS brakes began to rub after running them about 1000 miles. This occurred several times after bleeding and new/used pad installs. What happened? Well, to the best of my ability to troubleshoot, the issue was in the adjustment of the contact point and lever reach adjustment system (as it only occurred on the right lever. Looking at available schematics of the AXS levers, it appears both screws are part of the brake fluid reservoir piston, with the top contact point screw rotation moving the piston up and down, and the lower reach adj screw moving the lever in and out in relation to the piston. So, the both work on opposite ends of the hyd piston in the lever. Sram says to back out the contact point screw when bleeding. I found that in order to eliminate brake rub, I had to run both the reach and contact screws through their full adjustment several times after bleeding (and after suffering from mid ride brake rub) and while doing so, I encountered a sticking point with the reach adj screw - almost as if there was excessive Loctite on the reach adj screw threads. Since using this method post brake maintenance, any mid ride brake rub has gone away. Also, I found it critical not to swap left/right pads if removing and replacing again for any reason.
If the piston is moving freely (Seals not dirty, or failing), then the combination of the lever pulling the fluid back, and the pad spring will push the pads away from the rotor.
In the States the adjustable spanner was manufactured by the Crescent tool company so its generic name is a “crescent wrench”. Like the generic name for a vacuum cleaner in Britain is a “ Hoover” j
Here's one I have never read about. Bike is a specialized turbo levo SL carbon...over $8000. Rear brake dics in not running true. Tried mounting three different rotors and still same run out. Mounted the rotors in different positions on the hub and the run out was always at the same postion of the hub, not the rotor. Turns out the machined mounting surface of the hub was out of true. Took me a day of tinkering with dial iindicators, truing stands, etc to figure that one out.
how do you turn the outside nobs , too looses the brake a bit ? i dont have that tool.. my brake already touch the brake, even if i not brake, mt5 e-stop 4 pistons, already backpain now from putting it on as good as it can but still touch if i not brake at all.. i got the storm hc magura 203 rotor. roting free now, and then if i brake now again the pads are touching them again grrrr :( HELP plz
Yup, I've been using disc brakes on my mountain bikes for over 10 years now, and I see no reason to use them on a road bike. As far as your immediate problem is concerned, you could be dealing with eather, a sticky piston, or a rotor that gets easily bent, probably a worn one.
you can just hold the sharpie against the front fork and let the tip come into contact with the disc as its spinning,easy way to see where its rubbing and cleans off with with ipa.
sometimes method 1 and 2 still won't work, i ended up eyeballing the gap and carefully moving the caliper to the correct position then tighten the 2 bolts little by little.
I must admit, biking chupei, I've sometimes done it that way too. This is the problem when you're working with such tight tolerances. Thanks for popping in and commenting. Jon
While this is a good video covering all the points, these are just temporary fixes. Rotors warp again under heat, pistons clog again, especially with metal pads, etc. etc. Even with perfectly clean and adjusted brakes you get a little mud or sand grain wedged between the calipers and disc and it rubs again. ☹ Forgot to add: the permanent solution is to just ignore it. Eventually it goes away.
This is the trouble with disc brakes, they're good, but also a pain in the ar$e! The Hope rotors you see on the bike in this video are great, they're floating rotors, so are less prone to warping under heat. I'm a big fan of this technology and will only use floating from now on. My front rotor is currently rubbing, I'll ignore it and let you know how i get on, fingers crossed you're right 😉 Thanks, Jon
That is a great tip. After all, you don’t want to fix one problem just to make another. I’ve got a video coming up on cleaning contaminated pads…… watch this space 👍 Thanks for watching. Jon.
@@ribblevalleycyclist I am a subscriber because I find you are proficient and a good teacher (I used to be one). Keep up the good work and be well Jon!
The "squeeze the brakes and tighten the bolts" trick seems logical but doesn't work, I had to spin the wheel and hand adjust the brake housing until I didn't hear rubbing anymore, then carefully tighten bolts
That's caused when the two pistons don't retract equally into the calliper, known as a sticky or dragging piston. Both the lever vacuum, and the pad spring will apply a shared load across the two pistons. That shared load will always follow the path of least resistance. The piston with the least resistance will retract further into the calliper than the one that drags, resulting in the other piston protruding. This can usually be overcome by cleaning the sides of the pistons with brake cleaner and a cotton bud. Chances are, your rubbing problem will return, so you may want to try this.
@thebrunoserge Agreed, it won’t be dirt. That is most peculiar, a new bike shouldn’t be doing that. I would recommend you check that both pistons are retracting fully. That check is easier done with the wheel removed. If they’re not retracting fully and equally, then you may want to speak to Canyon about it.
@@ribblevalleycyclist It’s not that peculiar, cycling brands just charge premium for shit engineering and quality control. That’s perfectly normal under late stage capitalism, sadly. It’s OK it works now the housing just has to be positioned by ear instead of using advice that assumes the brake pads will release equal distances on both sides, which they almost never do
Hi Tomek, Agreed this can happen from time-to-time. There are a couple of things that can cause this. I won't bother writing paragraphs of text as to why this is, because it's the laws of physics, and we can't do anything about it 🤣
Unbelievable - this just worked! They never ‘just work’!
Thanks!
Haha 😂😂. Glad it sorted it for you 👍
This guy is good, thorough, and doesn't waste time. Well done.
Thanks 👍
Roger that❤❤❤
Loosening and tightening the brake assembly worked for me on the first try. Great advice. Thanks.
Glad it helped
Brilliant video! Thank you for taking the time to explain. The first demonstration shown solved my brake problem. Thank you!
I watched 10s of videos about this problem but this video is the best, easiest and most accurate. ❤
Wow, thanks Faris!
Got one coming up on stopping squealing disc brakes...... watch this space!!
Jon
This guy is great. No more brake rubbing. The spacer did the trick.
Glad you got it sorted 👍
That was a well put together video to help the home mechanic with some common problems . I can't tell you how many hours I have spent in the workshop over the years doing this 👍
Thanks, Daz, glad you liked it.
This issue is a nightmare, especially on the older gruppo... improved on the 12 speed. To be honest, it's sometimes easer to say Balls to it, and just let it rub 😂
Oh, btw, did I see one of your comments pop up on the last Mapdec Cycle Works video?
@@ribblevalleycyclist yes, I have recently found his channel. He's a pretty honest mechanic
A pair of Chorus rim brakes with Swisstop pads no problems, easy to maintain and work a treat.
I would agree with you, in some applications, Chorus rim brakes with Swisstop pads is a better solution, easier to maintain too. However, when running carbon rims in the rain whilst descending a Lake District pass would be suicidal. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Thanks for watching.
Jon
@@ribblevalleycyclist I would agree with you horses for courses. Depends on the type of cycling you do.
@@ribblevalleycyclist In the rain at a steep descent disc brakes make you magically immune to slipping of the tarmac-rubber interface between your wheel and the road? It's like saying: don't worry, put disc brakes on and I wish you are joyful flight out of the next road turn.
The best video! it was the spacer and the cleaning and pushing the pistons with a toothbrush for me 🏁
Thanks. It worked. Problem solved 2 mins into the video.
Happy to help 👍
Great tip on fixing warped rotors… thank you so much. Yes, they’re called crescent wrenches here in Canada as well. I have heard my parents call them spanners though.
Hi Peter,
Thanks for confirming, and glad you found it useful.
Jon
Thank you sir! Shims did the trick for me. Used spark plug feeler gauge leaves, #26 & #25.
Spark plug feeler gauge, great idea 👍
Great, so useful. Just bought a brand new bike and the discs are rubbing as the disc is slightly warped. Just ordered the tool you recommended and look forward to sorting it! Thanks 🙏
Glad it helped. Let me know how you get on 👍
Bought a spacer shim after watching this vlog. Work's a treat....... thank you 👏
Glad you found it useful, Andrew. Thanks for watching. 👍
Where to buy the thin shim ?? Thks and how thickness the shim ?? Thks
@cheachyang3502
Hi Chea,
Here is the link. A couple of options for you, they both do the same job:
amzn.to/3sL68mW
amzn.to/3ORLp8s
Thanks,
Jon
I had the same issue of a small rotor adjustment needed. I used the location method you mentioned, found the spot, was minimal. But I used the back end of a lg screwdriver, slowly tapped in the direction and amazingly it worked as I didn't want to overdo it with a crescent wrench or such. Awesome vid my friend. Thank you from N. California
Hi Michael. Glad you got it sorted. The screwdriver idea is brilliant 👍. Greetings from a slightly damp England 😂
Best video on UA-cam on this topic!
WOW, thanks Kubilay, that's some praise indeed!
Fantastic video... Congrats! I just got my first Disk Brake equipped bike and had no idea how to fix the rubbing on the rear wheel. Now I know how. Thanks!... I subscribed to the channel right away.
Glad you sorted it, and welcome onboard 👍
Excellent video, thank you very much, I was able to fix it using the wrench I had
Glad it helped 👍
Any time a bike mechanic on youtube gives you advice.. if he’s wearing an apron.. pay close attention. You’re about to learn stuff worth learning.
yep, apron and Park tools - definitely paying attention, liking & subscribing;
I watched another yt video before this, tried cleaning them with a toothbrush, didnt help. Couple days later i watched this video and cleaned them "several times" until the pistons would come out evenly and pushed them back in with a toothbrush. I didn't have a shimy so I made one from some thick paper and now it's finally running good enough. I could clean them perhaps several more times to make them even better but for now this helped a lot. This guy is a goat.
Great video. I have now sorted my front disc brake. I had to use the business card method.👍
Glad you found it useful, and got it sorted 👍
Hey! Great video, thanks! And for info, we call it an "English wrench" in Portugal 🙂
That’s funny. In German, we call it „Englishman“ 😂
Thanks, Fábio, interesting. If I'm honest, I hate the things, they're the best way to round off a nut.
Great video. I use a pointed cotton tip soaked in isopropyl alcohol to clean the exposed piston sides.
Thanks Blair, glad you liked it.
That is a Top Tip! If you're going to town on it, then a cotton tip soaked in isopropyl alcohol is the correct way to do it. Following up with a cotton tip and brake fluid is also a good idea. I was considering doing 3 separate videos, and showing more detail, like you've suggested. But in the end, I went with the condensed version in one video.
Absolute lifesaver. Informative, concise and giving alternatives to specialized tools. Thank you!
Really good video. Luckily your first suggestion worked for me but it did take a few tries to get it just right. Also ordered the spacer tool for future adjustments 🙂
The spacer is a must-have for any disc user..... especially as it's only cheap.
Glad you got it sorted 👍
Thanks so much for this video. I recently washed my road bike after a day in the rain, I took my brake pads out, cleaned them with isopropyl alcohol and so did with the rotors. Unfortunately, I did not note the position of the pads (left/right, forth/back) and so in my next ride I got a back/forth wobble in the front wheel when braking hard in a decent. Can the wrong repositioning of brake pads cause such wobbles and if so what would be the best remedy?
Hi Dimitris, Mixing the pads up can result in differing pad thickness within a single calliper, and therefore may cause pad/disc rub or a knocking feeling when breaking. My suggestion is to put pads together that look to be of similar thickness.
Also, it's worth giving the pads a bit of a clean, check this video out:
ua-cam.com/video/DLFQAuv9fCg/v-deo.html
Very detailed video! Just come across your channel when I have this problem today. However, my disc still rubs after these three methods. At this point, would you say I should check if the brake mount is perfectly faced or anything else? (New bike, new components, bleeding just done today)
Hi,
That sounds very annoying, especially with new kit! The question here is to work out what is causing the rubbing, is it misalignment, or is it sticking pistons? If it's new components, then the chances are, it'll be a bleed issue. Also, facing is rarely something you need to do on a used bike. Facing is usually needed post-production of the frame, to tidy and straighten the mounting points. If I were a betting man, with the information I have, I'd say the pistons were not returning in. It may be worth double-checking the hoses for air. I did a video on brake bleed, it's here:
ua-cam.com/video/eGclavtkoIg/v-deo.html
Crescent wrench... yes. I'm impressed you know this 😀👍
And I'd be impressed if I knew how I know that 🤣
Thanks for watching 👍
Great video! Followed your instructions and you were right it took about 5 times by just squeezing the hand brake and then a little tweak but I got it. I also bought some spacers just in case! 😉
This guy is good! Very good at explaining.
Glad you enjoyed it, Dom 👍
Cheers Jon….As always you’ve done another quality video with really useful information, explained in an easy to understand manner. 👍🏼
Glad you found it useful, Adam 👍
best bike repair videos on all of UA-cam! Thank you!
Great video, but one of my pistons does not move back at all. I have been cleaning/ pumping/ cleaning/ greasing. But it won’t move back. What to do?
First of all, should it move? Some very cheap brakes only have one moving piston. If you’re sure it should move, then hold the apposing piston back, and pull the brake, that should get it moving. Careful though, it may end up moving too far!
I had a fourth reason pop up on a brand new bike. It was rubbing, not too badly, but rubbing right from the get go. Drove the shop mechanics crazy trying to figure it out. Finally I ended up pulling the rotor off and remounting it on the wheel. Voila, no more rubbing. Weird because it wasn’t loose or anything, properly torqued, but it somehow managed to get a little cockeyed to create rub. I’m finding I have to remove and remount it every once in awhile as it gets out of alignment over time with use.
Good point, viffer94. This is more of a problem for the older skewer style quick release bikes, thru-axle does a better job. I always recommend putting the bike on the floor with the wheel loose, leaning on the bike to add weight, and then doing the wheel up. You then align the caliper to that. Then, in the future, if you take the wheel off, you just need to lean on it when doing it up for perfect alignment.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Jon
1st method totally worked. Thank you!
Glad to hear you got it sorted.
Sorted, omg such an easy fix. Thank you mate❤
You’re welcome 👍
You saved my brakes. Great video, thank you!!
Hi Maciek, Saved your brakes.... Result!!!! I'm always pleased when I hear someone has found one of my video's useful.
You make really useful vids. In my experience though, bent rotor because of overheating will sadly bend again. Getting a 140mm high quality one will solve the issue.
Thanks, Pirmin, appreciate it.
Agreed. If you have a close look at the bike in this video, I'm using floating discs from Hope. This type of disc is amazing at resolving warping caused by overheating. I will never buy any other disc again. Well worth checking them out, but depending on your location, they can get expensive.
Thanks for watching.
Jon
Thanks... Should've done this like so long ago. So easy and worked
Love your workshop mate, is it your business or personal?
Cheers..... Took a lot of sweat and money to build it. Just personal nowadays Buddy. Don’t work in the cycling industry any more….. doesn’t pay the bills 😐
@@ribblevalleycyclist looks really good, that’s a shame as you’re a natural at it 😊
Nice of you to say so 👍
Very nice explained. Thank you.
You are welcome!
Great video!
I'd rather see the pistons of the brakes bottom out in their original set position. Using the spacer and loosening the housing might only be reading a warped rotor.
On a side note: Shouldn't you check to see if the rotor is true first? What if you try correcting it by loosing off the piston housing and it reads where the warp is? I know this is likely not going to be the case because of the low chances but it would be as simple to check for the warped rotor first.
Hi Hexus,
Glad you enjoyed it.
The idea of the video is to show you the 3 main problems you may have, and how to overcome each one. You wouldn't necessarily do each one in the order I did them!!
Thanks for watching.
Jon
Great comment on copper slip to prevent galvanic corrosion on retaining pins, would be a nightmare on such a thin bolt (snap in half city :))......
Hi Sean, Oh, it is. And they're made from really soft steel, and have a flat screwdriver head, so they round off really easily. You can get titanium versions, but they're silly money. Best just use a bit of copper slip, and don't do them too tight!!
Thanks for watching,
Jon
Great stuff, very helpful information. You're awesome. Thank you.
Glad you found it useful 👍
really good detailed video that helped me a lot, thanks for your effort and clear explaination of everything!
Hi Stewart, Thanks for the feedback, really appreciate it. I'm always pleased when I hear someone has found one of my video's useful.
I'm no bike nerd, I don't really learn much about the bike I ride except how to fix a flat tire. So, ever since I bought the bike, I was under the assumption disc breaks never wore out and barely needed any attention or maintenance. 6 years with a single bike, I only put it in the shop for maintenance twice.
40 years riding and never was any of my bikes in a bike shop. The trick is to do it all yourself.
Hello from across the pond… many call it a Crescent wrench because of the giant tool company that produced them and still does- Crescent Tools. It’s like how people call nearly any carbonated soft drink a Coke out here too.
Great video! I really enjoy your style and presentation. Are you a full time bike mechanic ? I’d use use for maintenance any day of the week, but I can’t swim. :)
That would be one heck of a swim!! Used to work in the industry, and have always been a keen cyclist. Also, was pro BMX as a child/teenager. Trouble is, repairing bikes doesn't pay the mortgage 😟.
Just asking in case of different brake routings, the right brake is for rear wheel right?
My wheel appears to wobble. Would that be the cause of disc rubbing? Or can a wheel wobble independently from a disc rubbing? My bike was shipped to me for some assembly; I heard that the disc brakes can be damaged in transit. I could see the wheel wobble when I took my first spin, and I could hear the mechanical disc brake rubbing at the same time. My powers of observation were not strong enough to tell if the two things were in sync, but I have ordered a spoke wrench and the tools you noted to try an adjust the situation myself--just as soon as I understand.
Nice video and some good instruction mate 🤙
Thanks 👍
QQ, if you don’t mind, I use silca wipes on bike, bike parts, chains etc. Will wonder wipes do the same hi
I'll be honest, I wouldn't know how they compare, because there is no chance I'd spend £38/$45 on a tub of 110 wipes! Wonder Wipes contains 300 wipes, and costs £14. They're a great all-rounder, get stuff clean, don't contain any harsh chemicals, and just work well. I'd be interested to know what the Silca wipes are doing to justify their price.
I’m new to brake disc’s and I’ve got them on my new canyon Aeroad. I’ve done the tip for the front and it worked 1st time. Rear seems to be rubbing too. Is there a similar tip to stop this ?
What are those tires mate? Lovely
Funny you should ask that now. The answer is in this video, that I uploaded minutes ago 😂😂:
ua-cam.com/video/Gz5n2iuUrSs/v-deo.html
@@ribblevalleycyclist haha, sweet. Cheers!
I always need to use a spacer in my front disc brake when aligning it after taking the wheel off. I didn't know there was a tool for it, I have just cut a few thin clean cardboard pieces from food packaging and I shim it on the right side of the disc brake and that gets it. The ol' beetroot goat cheese meal packaging spacer works every time.
Love the video! It blew my mind when you grabbed the right lever for your front brake! 😳 I guess my Canadian mind isn’t wired that way. Is it normal for all UK bikes to control the front brake with the right lever? If so, I would have to be careful renting a bike in the UK. 😜
Spot on. The first time I rented in Majorca, I nearly went over the bars 😬
is making marks with a sharpie ok or does that "contaminate" the brakes?
No problem at all.
I have those Hope rotors on one bike with Ultegra callipers and I like them, but my favourite bike has new Ultegra rotors with the new Ultegra R8100 callipers and those are pretty well perfect.
I like the Hope because the floating technology prevents temporary warping when hot. Not tried the new Ultegra yet.
great video mate!
Glad you enjoyed it
Que bien explicado, muy didactico. Gran descubrimiento éste canal.
Mis respetos
Really pleased to hear you found it useful, Steve 👍
Hi Jon, I use to use mineral oil or DOT to lube the outside edge of the pistons when putting them back to make cooperative.
Hi Tadej,
Yes, agreed, that is the best way. Great tip that👍
Jon
Will that caliper alignment tool work with sram hydraulic as the clearance is really tight
I suspect so, JK. This demonstration was done on Shimano 8000, which is known for being ridiculously close.
@ribblevalleycyclist thank you have purchased one to give it a go
@JK-wl5bx Nice one. Let us know how you get on and if it fits.
Thanks
Jon
Wonderful useful Video ❤
Glad it was helpful!
My pistons are sticking on brand new bike that hasn't been (ridden) yet, however I did turn my bike upside down for hour, did this make my pistons stick?
How do you straighten the caliper on the rear? Hard to reach the brake
Can this spacer be used on a road bike as the one shown here is for a mtb?
To clean pistoms.. how about using a pipe cleaner? The little bristle-y brush I see used for everything but cleaning pipes? Seems it would easily be able to gently scrub the sides of the pistons and its very flexible as well. And cheap
Good call dsonyay. Showing your age there though, with pipe cleaners. I remember my dad using them to clean his pipes on a Sunday morning!
Where to buy the thin metal sheet ??
Hi Chea,
Here is the link. A couple of options for you, they both do the same job:
amzn.to/3sL68mW
amzn.to/3ORLp8s
Thanks,
Jon
Nice explained well
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for watching,
Jon
subscribed instantly, thank you sir
Allow me to add one more cause of brake rub. Pertaining to Sram AXS: my Red AXS brakes began to rub after running them about 1000 miles. This occurred several times after bleeding and new/used pad installs. What happened? Well, to the best of my ability to troubleshoot, the issue was in the adjustment of the contact point and lever reach adjustment system (as it only occurred on the right lever. Looking at available schematics of the AXS levers, it appears both screws are part of the brake fluid reservoir piston, with the top contact point screw rotation moving the piston up and down, and the lower reach adj screw moving the lever in and out in relation to the piston. So, the both work on opposite ends of the hyd piston in the lever.
Sram says to back out the contact point screw when bleeding. I found that in order to eliminate brake rub, I had to run both the reach and contact screws through their full adjustment several times after bleeding (and after suffering from mid ride brake rub) and while doing so, I encountered a sticking point with the reach adj screw - almost as if there was excessive Loctite on the reach adj screw threads. Since using this method post brake maintenance, any mid ride brake rub has gone away.
Also, I found it critical not to swap left/right pads if removing and replacing again for any reason.
thank you. work perfectly
thank you - excellent
Glad you found it useful 👍
Excellent instructions, thank you very much!
Glad you found it useful
EXCELLENT!!!
Thanks 👍
Yes, but if the pistons need to be pushed back, doesn't that mean they will get stuck again and again?
If the piston is moving freely (Seals not dirty, or failing), then the combination of the lever pulling the fluid back, and the pad spring will push the pads away from the rotor.
In the States the adjustable spanner was manufactured by the Crescent tool company so its generic name is a “crescent wrench”. Like the generic name for a vacuum cleaner in Britain is a “ Hoover” j
And everyone calls sticky tape Sellotape 😂. Thanks for explaining, all makes sense now
Jon
Which type of Alloy ?
Yes it's called a crescent wrench in North America.
Thanks Restless 👍
Here's one I have never read about. Bike is a specialized turbo levo SL carbon...over $8000. Rear brake dics in not running true. Tried mounting three different rotors and still same run out. Mounted the rotors in different positions on the hub and the run out was always at the same postion of the hub, not the rotor. Turns out the machined mounting surface of the hub was out of true. Took me a day of tinkering with dial iindicators, truing stands, etc to figure that one out.
how do you turn the outside nobs , too looses the brake a bit ?
i dont have that tool.. my brake already touch the brake, even if i not brake, mt5 e-stop 4 pistons, already backpain now from putting it on as good as it can but still touch if i not brake at all.. i got the storm hc magura 203 rotor. roting free now, and then if i brake now again the pads are touching them again grrrr :( HELP plz
I have a Turkey gobble noise when I apply disc brakes on my bike ......how do zinc fix it
Have centered the pads and after few rides rubbing again. Why? Daaaaaaamn those DB . I need rim brakes for sure ! :D
Yup, I've been using disc brakes on my mountain bikes for over 10 years now, and I see no reason to use them on a road bike. As far as your immediate problem is concerned, you could be dealing with eather, a sticky piston, or a rotor that gets easily bent, probably a worn one.
@@independentthought3390 As i see the problem is on pistons. One is more outside .
@@Godspeed961 In that case it's definitely a sticky piston problem. This video should tell you how to fix it ua-cam.com/video/53x5I1wc14E/v-deo.html
@@independentthought3390 I should try it ! Thx mate !
Agree with IndependentThought, sounds like a sticky piston. Good luck with the repair, and let us know how you get on 👍
You forgot to mention just changing the rotor. You can pick one up for under a tenner in Decathlon
You legend 💪
This was good
Thanks for watching 👍
The adjustable wrench in Australia is know as Shifter.
Who knew?????...... Thanks Zed 👍
you can just hold the sharpie against the front fork and let the tip come into contact with the disc as its spinning,easy way to see where its rubbing and cleans off with with ipa.
You need to be careful doing that, some ink contains natural oils..... which, if it gets on the pads, will result in squealing brakes
sometimes method 1 and 2 still won't work, i ended up eyeballing the gap and carefully moving the caliper to the correct position then tighten the 2 bolts little by little.
I must admit, biking chupei, I've sometimes done it that way too. This is the problem when you're working with such tight tolerances.
Thanks for popping in and commenting.
Jon
While this is a good video covering all the points, these are just temporary fixes. Rotors warp again under heat, pistons clog again, especially with metal pads, etc. etc. Even with perfectly clean and adjusted brakes you get a little mud or sand grain wedged between the calipers and disc and it rubs again. ☹
Forgot to add: the permanent solution is to just ignore it. Eventually it goes away.
This is the trouble with disc brakes, they're good, but also a pain in the ar$e!
The Hope rotors you see on the bike in this video are great, they're floating rotors, so are less prone to warping under heat. I'm a big fan of this technology and will only use floating from now on.
My front rotor is currently rubbing, I'll ignore it and let you know how i get on, fingers crossed you're right 😉
Thanks,
Jon
I like to clean the shim with isopropyl alcohol to make sure there is no contamination of the pads.
That is a great tip. After all, you don’t want to fix one problem just to make another. I’ve got a video coming up on cleaning contaminated pads…… watch this space 👍
Thanks for watching.
Jon.
@@ribblevalleycyclist I am a subscriber because I find you are proficient and a good teacher (I used to be one). Keep up the good work and be well Jon!
Thanks Denis, appreciate it. Hoping to get some more content out soon.
The "squeeze the brakes and tighten the bolts" trick seems logical but doesn't work, I had to spin the wheel and hand adjust the brake housing until I didn't hear rubbing anymore, then carefully tighten bolts
That's caused when the two pistons don't retract equally into the calliper, known as a sticky or dragging piston. Both the lever vacuum, and the pad spring will apply a shared load across the two pistons. That shared load will always follow the path of least resistance. The piston with the least resistance will retract further into the calliper than the one that drags, resulting in the other piston protruding. This can usually be overcome by cleaning the sides of the pistons with brake cleaner and a cotton bud. Chances are, your rubbing problem will return, so you may want to try this.
@@ribblevalleycyclist It's a brand new Canyon Grail out of the box... I'm pretty sure the pads aren't dirty
@thebrunoserge Agreed, it won’t be dirt. That is most peculiar, a new bike shouldn’t be doing that. I would recommend you check that both pistons are retracting fully. That check is easier done with the wheel removed. If they’re not retracting fully and equally, then you may want to speak to Canyon about it.
@@ribblevalleycyclist It’s not that peculiar, cycling brands just charge premium for shit engineering and quality control. That’s perfectly normal under late stage capitalism, sadly. It’s OK it works now the housing just has to be positioned by ear instead of using advice that assumes the brake pads will release equal distances on both sides, which they almost never do
Here in canada we call that an 'adjustable wrench' or just 'adjustable'
Same as the UK then 👍
i know im not guna get my answer in time but i still want to know what 2 bolts do i loosen cuz i cant find the 2 that fits 4 ellen wrench
The two that mount the calliper to the bike. Possibly your bike uses a different size
@@ribblevalleycyclist Is it the 2 silver not facing towards me cuz those 2 take 5mm
@@ribblevalleycyclist Do i re tighten really tight? or tight enought?
@@ribblevalleycyclist its still rubbing
Some discs start rubbing on descends when hot but soon stop when cool down.
Look at floating discs, they don't do this. Hope make some good ones.
Super
Thanks
The fourth reason, could be front end caps damaged, or worn out. The wheel under pressure starts to wobble.
I stick to my rim brakes on road bicycle less hassle 👍
You don't need a special key for the manipulation. You can use a english key or even pliers for bending the disc.
Stay with rim brake?
My rim brake was miss aligned...took me 3 seconds to fix it😅
@outdoorvertical Because these comments never get old and boring
@ribblevalleycyclist I guess I'm just old and boring.... but happy with my rim brakes. Nice vid by the way.
Once a rotor is warped it´ll get after hard breaking back to warped position.
Hi Tomek, Agreed this can happen from time-to-time. There are a couple of things that can cause this. I won't bother writing paragraphs of text as to why this is, because it's the laws of physics, and we can't do anything about it 🤣
How to stop disc brakes from rubbing on your bike:
1. Remove disc brakes
2. Install rim brakes