Mountain Bike Hydraulic Brakes Rubbing
Normal for scraping new hydraulic mountain bike brakes?
The hydraulic brakes on my new bike (Avid Juicy 7) rub the rotor to the point it can slow the front wheel without pressing the brake lever when the wheel is raised off the ground.
Is this normal break in?
Also, I have heard you have to condition hydraulic brakes so they don’t “scream”… how do you do this properly?
Rubs and screeching are usually the result of three things: a tweaked rotor, improper mounting/alignment of the caliper or sometimes the mounting surface of the hub/rotor interface, and oil contamination. It sounds like your caliper needs to be centered, but you should also spin the wheel and watch carefully to see if the rotor is true.
Before you check for any of that, be sure that your wheel is centered in the dropouts firmly and squarely so that you know that basic part is ok. And remember that in hard corners you’ll probably hear some zinging as the wheel and fork flex a bit causing the rotor to zing on the pads. It shouldn’t do that most of the time though.
You do need to burn in your new brakes for maximum bite once you’re sure everything it set up properly. To do that, bring the bike to several hard, fast complete stops on each caliper (individually). A large hill or parking garage is great for this. Do it 5 to 10 times for each caliper and you should notice progressively stronger braking each time. Normal trail riding won’t usually cut it. What this does is embed brake pad material into the surface of the rotor, giving it a smooth shiny surface for the pads to mate with. You might clean your rotor with some 91% alcohol before you do this, and every so often in the future just to keep airborne contaminants and car exhaust off of it.
Hope this helps some….and enjoy the Juicy’s when you get them proper. They’re excellent brakes!
Bicycle Tips & Maintenance : How to Tighten or Loosen Bicycle Brakes
