How to stop brake sticking

antfly

Hi.I have a crappy Tiagra rear brake which keeps sticking.I have tried cleaning it and replacing the cable but as soon as it gets wet or dirty it starts sticking again.I don`t really want to replace it as I just bought a dura-ace front brake which is more than enough to stop me most of the time,I just want to stop it sticking.Does anyone have any suggestions or clever tricks I should know about,or do`s and dont`s re. brake maintenance?Thanks.

gkerr4

one thing not to do - DON'T try and strip the caliper! - duel pivot brakes should be left as factory assembled - it's a pain to get back together and never quite works properly again (can you tell I am speaking from experience!)

clean it as best you can - lubricate the pivots (i use teflon spray lube) - also check that the cables arent corroded - it could be the cable which is preventing the caliper from returning properly.

if ity still doesn't work then consider a nice DA to match the front!

edit - oops - just re-read your post - you have replaced the cable - sorry

Tom Butcher

Well I'd strip it down and clean it - that's what I've done this winter and it's cured two sticking brakes - but if others say not then you'll have to decide whether to chance it or not. Just out of interest - why do you say they aren't meant to be taken to bits ?

The best prevention is full length mudguards.

antfly

I`m glad you said don`t strip it!
I got the Dura Ace in the CRC flood sale for £30 so am very pleased with myself there maybe i`ll just get an ultegra for the back if it keeps sticking.
I can`t fit full length guards,just got some raceblades.

wilwil

antfly wrote:

Hi.I have a crappy Tiagra rear brake which keeps sticking.I have tried cleaning it and replacing the cable but as soon as it gets wet or dirty it starts sticking again.I don`t really want to replace it as I just bought a dura-ace front brake which is more than enough to stop me most of the time,I just want to stop it sticking.Does anyone have any suggestions or clever tricks I should know about,or do`s and dont`s re. brake maintenance?Thanks.

I have the same brake same problem and no mudguards which means the brake gets caked in shit. I gently hose out the caliper after every ride then relube it otherwise it doesn't work.
Put a bit of lube in the little black plastic tube that the spring passes through. I just drop a bit of lube on the spring and let it run down inside the tube. Also lube the 2 pivots. I use Purple Extreme chain lube.

gkerr4

Tom Butcher wrote:

Well I'd strip it down and clean it - that's what I've done this winter and it's cured two sticking brakes - but if others say not then you'll have to decide whether to chance it or not. Just out of interest - why do you say they aren't meant to be taken to bits ?

The best prevention is full length mudguards.

it's specifically mentioned on the shimano technical sheet - the one I read as I had the caliper in pieces!!

gkerr4

antfly wrote:

I`m glad you said don`t strip it!
I got the Dura Ace in the CRC flood sale for £30 so am very pleased with myself there maybe i`ll just get an ultegra for the back if it keeps sticking.
I can`t fit full length guards,just got some raceblades.

I wouldn't even bother with ultegra - like you say, most of the braking is done at the front - you can get single replacement Tiagra calipers for £15:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Shima ... 360027351/

(105 is £23 and sora is £11 - tiagra seems good value for £15 though)

antfly

Yes but there`s no point in getting another Tiagra if it`s going to start sticking again,the bike is fairly new and as soon as the winter came it started sticking.The tiagra is just too feeble to reopen properly,i think.

gkerr4

antfly wrote:

Yes but there`s no point in getting another Tiagra if it`s going to start sticking again,the bike is fairly new and as soon as the winter came it started sticking.The tiagra is just too feeble to reopen properly,i think.

hmm - i'm not so sure.

I think on an all-year bike with just raceblades you are going to get the same problem regardless of spec of caliper - and a DA one is, what £60? - so 4 times the price of the tiagra - i'd go with the tiagra and replace more often - would still work out cheaper than the DA one!

antfly

I certainly wouldn`t pay full price for the DA, which is more like £70,especially for the back.If it`s going to happen with any brake there seems little pont in replacing it anyway.I might just have to try harder with the cleaning and lubing as there doesn`t seem to be a magic bullett for the problem.

chrisw12

I've had the same problem with tektro, 105, tiagra and ultegra brakes over the course of 4 years daily commute and racing.

I found that once you start lubing you've pretty much got to keep doing it all the time and you never get the feel back of a new brake (obviously I suppose).

I now treat my brakes the same as chains, buy cheap and buy often. Not very green but hey ho.

alfablue

This is unfortunate! I have some 12 year old Shimano R100 (Tiagra quality?) brakes and they work like new after many many miles - brake cables do gunk up though. Are brakes not what they used to be?

antfly

I would assume you have full mudguards which would make a big difference.

alfablue

antfly wrote:

I would assume you have full mudguards which would make a big difference.

Well, full mudguards in winter, but still plenty of gunk time during the other seasons. Disappointing that they fail so often.

antfly

Yes,this is my first road bike and I am not at all impressed at how easily the rear brake seizes up,if it were possible I would put some other kind of brake on.

zanes

gkerr4 wrote:

it's specifically mentioned on the shimano technical sheet - the one I read as I had the caliper in pieces!!

Damn! *Hopes this doesn't apply to tektro, especially as it much improved after a good strip, clean and lube*

gkerr4

zanes wrote:

gkerr4 wrote:

it's specifically mentioned on the shimano technical sheet - the one I read as I had the caliper in pieces!!

Damn! *Hopes this doesn't apply to tektro, especially as it much improved after a good strip, clean and lube*

if it is much improved then you are quids in mate and done a good job with it - i never got that caliper to feel the same again and replaced it pretty soon after!

Anonymous

Both of my Tiagra brakes where doing it.

I switched them with 105 yesterday, was doing my head in. I'm loosing faith in Tiagra, all that is left to go is chainset, tiagra hubs and shifters

andyrr

Try removing the caliper and dousing heavily in lube (wd-40 type stuff) once that has mostly evaporated you could use thicker lube.
A pain to do regularly but really only takes 10 mins of your time to remove, lube and replace.
Idealy try leaving the wd-40 to spread itself over night and do same again - I did this on an Ultegra caliper that was reluctant to spring open again and it seemed to work.
I just think the fine krap off the roads gunges up the small clearances of the moving parts.
Whilst the caliper if off I'd maybe try to lube the cable, getting a decent amount into the outer.


You could try doing this w/o removing the caliper I guess - best to remove the rear wheel so the lube doesn't get all over the wheel/tyre : workstand would be good.
With protective gloves on you could spray the caliper whilst squeezing it open and shut etc
Also make sure the outer has good opening - if it's too small or rough then maybe the inner is catching.

ris

my tiagra rear brake got very sticky but just taking it off and cleaning it best as i could was nowhere near enough.

i took the thing apart, cleaned it properly (plenty of black paste under the washers, scoring the aluminium bbrake body) lubed and reassembled. it works perfectly now, regardless of what shimano say about not doing it!

personally speaking, i was happy to take it apart and put it back together - it is a mechanical device and there is no reason why it can't be.

edit: editing my own nonsense, didn't like what i'd written. next time - think before submit!

Lagavulin

I've now replaced both the Tiagra calipers with 105 on my Allez Sport. The front was the first to go a couple of months back and the rear finally gave up the ghost. I stripped them both down but - as previously mentioned - I couldn't get the feel back, or in the case of the front, the arms to even spring open. This would've been their third winter and I can imagine much of the damage was done by no guards/raceblades and occasionally putting the bike away without a wash down and lube.

Have just installed Gore RideOn sealed cables which will hopefully be the last investment on this bike. Next time something breaks I'm going to buy something a) better fitting and b) more practical or more expensive that I'll take proper care of. :oops:

antfly

I`m going to take mine apart and give it a good clean and if that does not work it`s going in the bin.

zanes

ris wrote:

my tiagra rear brake got very sticky but just taking it off and cleaning it best as i could was nowhere near enough.

i took the thing apart, cleaned it properly (plenty of black paste under the washers, scoring the aluminium bbrake body) lubed and reassembled. it works perfectly now, regardless of what shimano say about not doing it!

personally speaking, i was happy to take it apart and put it back together - it is a mechanical device and there is no reason why it can't be.

+10000

gkerr4

ris wrote:

my tiagra rear brake got very sticky but just taking it off and cleaning it best as i could was nowhere near enough.

i took the thing apart, cleaned it properly (plenty of black paste under the washers, scoring the aluminium bbrake body) lubed and reassembled. it works perfectly now, regardless of what shimano say about not doing it!

personally speaking, i was happy to take it apart and put it back together - it is a mechanical device and there is no reason why it can't be.

edit: editing my own nonsense, didn't like what i'd written. next time - think before submit!

i think there was a subtle dig intended in my direction with this...

I must say I started with the same intention as you - an industrial instrument mechanic by trade I am not unused taking things apart, fixing / maintaining them and reasembling - but I have to say I did my best on the rear caliper, reinstalled and it never felt quite right ever again - then I saw the shimano warning! -

I just replaced it as it was easier and went a grade up on caliper model as an upgrade route.

on-yer-bike

It can only be down to the spring, what else can make the brake not open and close properly once it is clean and the cables are OK? Perhaps the springs are bad quality and lose their resistance quickly, perhaps taking it off and releasing the tension ruins the spring. You can buy new springs according to the Shimano parts list.

£15 for a complete Tiagra calliper! I can't think of many bike bits or anything for that matter that compares to that value. Perhaps they should be £16 with better springs.