Stroker Rydes. Going insane. [TLDR]

Mudpik

Hi all, first post.
I'm a total newbie when it comes to disc brakes. I was fine at building and repairing bikes when I was a kid, but back then it was all about the V brakes...

I bought a Cube Attention last year, which was fitted with Stroker Rydes thanks to Shimano not manufacturing enough of their brakes or something. Anyway, as much as I love the bike, the brakes have been an absolute nightmare from day one.

The rear brake squeals like a pig. I'm not joking, it's that loud: when I'm riding it rubs and when I stop, miniscule movements of the rear wheel result in a sort of weird grinding howl. It reverberates through the frame and I still can't tell if it's coming from the post or something the caliper itself. I think it was okay when I first bought it around Feb 2008 time, but slowly the squeak developed. I've tried taking a peek through the sighting chamber and it appears as though the left pad (outer) is rubbing on the rotor, but I can't really tell because the pad clearance is so freaking small.

The front brake swishes like the rotor is warped: when I spin it, I hear ...swish....swish....swish. My previous attempt at maintenance, pushing back the pistons with a box wrench as described in the manual, resulted in the piston becoming stuck and blowing a seal (I see this happened to someone else on this forum too). I took it to my bike shop and they didn't find evidence of it after replacing the pads and seal and bleeding it. All was well for about a week, then the swishing returned.

TL;DR: Is there any way I can adjust the pad clearance without having to remove the disc brake or push things with wrenches? Didn't they think of anything simple like, say, an adjustment screw?

Alternatively, if you know of a good alternative to the stroker rydes that don't require constant maintenance and a PhD in mechanics to assemble/maintain, do let me know. I could have bought a new front brake with the money I spent repairing the brake after I did what the manual told me to and I kind of miss progressive braking anyway.

Cheers.

nicklouse

if they are set up right then leave them and they will settle in.

Swishing is normal.

have a read of the MTB faq´s as squeeky brakes is covered in there.

Mudpik

Hiya, thanks for the tip, had a quick read through the FAQ board (must have missed it).
Unfortunately it doesn't cover how I can go about adjusting the pad clearance for the Stroker Ryde.
Had the bike about a year now and the brakes are most def. not set up properly. Both are rubbing, the rear seriously so (2-3 rotations max).
I've tried loosening the caliper mount bolts, engaging the lever three of four times and then re-tightening the bolts with the lever engaged, but it hasn't helped.

Is there a specific way to adjust the clearance on the rydes?

BoardinBob

The pad's are self adjusting on the Rydes so you can't set the gap manually.

As for the noise, my Rydes are also horrendous, particularly when wet or during cold weather. Muc Off Brake Disc Cleaner sprayed all over the discs, pads and calipers made a huge difference

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/xli ... gn=froogle

dave_hill

You'll never stop them rubbing 100%. Ever. It's not possible with ANY disc brake, they all "ring" when you spin the wheel - push bike, motorbike, car, truck, whatever.

Did you bed them in properly when you got the bike?

As far as the rear brake is concerned, centre the caliper over the disc. Now take the pads out and lightly sand the friction surface with (new, clean) wet-and-dry or emery cloth to remove any glazing. Clean the disc with IPA or brake cleaner. Smear a little copper grease on the BACK of the pads (NOT the friction face, obviously... :shock: ) and replace them.

Now go for a ride and do 20 - 30 hard stops in quick succession, I mean REALLY squeeze that lever - you're f**king it, not making love to it!!!

That should sort it.

Whytepeak

Will brakes 'glaze over' if you don't bed them in with short sharp stops?

As for my Hayes stroker carbons, they rub constantly, not just swish swoosh.
How can this problem be remedied, as the self adjustment on my brakes dosen't seem to be working at all.

supersonic

dave_hill wrote:

You'll never stop them rubbing 100%. Ever. It's not possible with ANY disc brake, they all "ring" when you spin the wheel - push bike, motorbike, car, truck, whatever.

Mine don't rub! Many I have used don't either.

Though free running rub is acceptable.

topsey_turvey

My Hayes rub. It's not normally audible, but they do it all the time. All disc brakes will do it. As mentioned above coppergrease on the back of the pads helps a lot. I presume they are post mount? You know how to set these up don't you? Loosen the bolts, spin the wheel, then grip the levers tightly. Without letting go of the levers tighten up the bolts. They should then be centered correctly. MucOff brake cleaner is also a very good idea.