Disc brakes rubbing after tyre change

[Motozulu]

I use proper disc brake cleaning spray - as you say baby buds around the pistons soaked in the stuff - they are proper black afterwards take the pads out and clean em - if they are really crudded up I give them a very light sanding with fine guage wet an dry sandpaper then pop em back in - sweet.
It does sound to me though that your brakes just want re-centreing - just loosen the caliper fixing bolts - brake on and tighten.

 

[lulubel]

It does sound to me though that your brakes just want re-centreing

I'll have to have a go at that, then, although I think I'll just ride it tomorrow and mess with it on Thursday, or I'll probably end up not having time to ride it!

 

[potsy]

Squeaky disc brakes are my early warning to peds on my off road commute, I'll never be able to sneak up on anyone
I find the slightest bit of puddle or dirt starts to make the pads sound like they are rubbing, I suppose cleaning is the answer, might try it one day

 

[Motozulu]

I had the same problem as you Lulubel and went on bikeradar site where they have these ace tutorials on youtube - see if I can find it again.

 

[Motozulu]

Try this...
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/video-workshop-how-to-align-your-disc-brake-calipers-32591/

 

[lulubel]

Try this...
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/video-workshop-how-to-align-your-disc-brake-calipers-32591/

That's great, thanks. And it looks simple enough for a first go at disc brake maintenance.

 

[Motozulu]

No probs lulubel - me and you are about at the same stage...Huzzaaaah for youtube!

 

[Cubist]

Re- centering brakes is a sort of pre-ride check ... takes about 10 seconds per brake, and with the old Hayes they needed doing every ride. New Shimano are "servo-wave" which means the pads are set with much greater clearance and never seem to rub. Avid Elixirs on the Boardman were NEVER set to my fastidious liking.

Don't fret about a bit of dust, just leave it. If you keep cleaning rotors and pads you'll eventually contaminate them. I spray and wipe the rotors with brake cleaner and a clean rag just to get any shampoo off them

 

[GrumpyGregry]

all sorts of disc brakes do this for all sorts of reasons.you get used to it. just ride the bike, a bit of rub will soon disappear after a few brake applications.

 

[Motozulu]

Fair enough cubist but this time of year my pads are continually clogged with cack - I do follow the dog 3 times a week - I'll probably just give them a hint of sandpaper now and again just to get the grit off - I see what you mean about continually soaking them with brake cleaner.

 

[Christopher]

I had exactly the same prroblem as the OP, and I had an Avid BB5 mechanical brake and it would take 5 to 20 minutes to get it right after taking the front wheel out. Usually I had to loosen the caliper bolts and adjust it manually. Pads had to be incredibly close for the brake to work at all. I gave the caliper away to a charity and have gone back to rim brakes.

 

[MrJamie]

I had some trouble when I installed my Avid BB7s recently after following numerous online guides with different techniques and advice. The key thing with the BB7s seems to be not just getting the caliper aligned straight which is easy, but getting it aligned right horizontally (ie. the correct distance from the pads). I don't know about other disc brakes, but on the BB7 only the outboard pad moves in and pushes the rotor against the inboard pad, so getting the rotor the right distance from the static inboard pad is hugely important. So about my 5th attempt at aligning the caliper it went from skimming the pad, very loud squealing in the wet and a juddery brake feel, to sharp smooth and quiet braking in the wet, I couldnt believe the difference it made when I got it right, so glad i didn't just decide to put up with it.

 

[lulubel]

Thanks, guys. It's all sorted. I adjusted the calipers and they're now lovely. No rubbing and no squealing either (which is a bit of a shame really because it drowned out my bad singing). It wasn't quite as quick as in the video, but it only took me about 10 minutes.

 

[compo]

I can't speak for other people but when I remove and refit my front or rear wheel the disc always rubs slightly on the disc. All I do is pull my brake on (with the bike upright) and then do up the skewer and the rubbing stops and the brakes work perfectly. I accept what Mickle says above that I may not be correct in my understanding of how this works but it always does for me. All this assumes that nothing in the caliper has been disturbed, only the removal of the wheel.
When adjusting the pads I use the Shimano method with a .3mm feeler gauge. Set the anvil first then the moving pad. Works every time. I have Shimano mechanical discs so maybe they are easier to set up than hydraulic systems, I don't know. It seems crazy to me if you have to reset the caliper every time you take a wheel out.

 

[lulubel]

All I do is pull my brake on (with the bike upright) and then do up the skewer and the rubbing stops and the brakes work perfectly

It seems crazy to me if you have to reset the caliper every time you take a wheel out.

My guess is it happens because the pads are so close to the disc (compared to rim brakes) that it only needs the QR skewer to be a tiny bit misaligned in the dropouts to cause them to rub.

As long as I don't have to take the wheels on and off too often, I don't mind re-aligning them. It didn't take me long.