Stroker bleeding

supafly1982

ive just read this guide

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/artic ... akes-24515

on my old bike the rear brakes on the bike arent too clever, stopping power is poor so im guessing theres air and they need bled, however the pads look like they could maybe do with new ones, would you reccomend new pads if in doubt?
and in this article they talk of clearence and adjustment if the pads dont clear the rotors, would this just be a case of resetting the pistons more and then seting the calipers?

cheers
scott

nicklouse

why would they need a bleed?

are they spongy?

have a read

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12666026

supafly1982

good thread, thanks for that

the brake lever pulls very far back and still does not stop to well, i would say they dont feel very responsive at all, well just the rear set, would needing new pads be the case in this instance?

any reccomendations for pads, not too dear, this bike will be sold soon, i just want to make sure its all in good order before i sell it.

supafly1982

well i done what was in the above post by Nicklouse in regards to cleaning and this never worked, pads and rotor are spotless, ive adjusted the lever so it engages at a better position, when i squeeze it feels like the breaks should be stopping but theres no power, im guessing its time for a bleed

anjs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpdTKzgoVGk


Should help with the procedure

supafly1982

anjs wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpdTKzgoVGk


Should help with the procedure

excellent thanks anjs, had to laugh at the poor sod that broke his pistons in the comments

cooldad

Bleeding won't help with power as such, just sponginess. If the brakes aren't spongy, it's probably pads.

supafly1982

yeah one of the pads is pretty worn, do any of you guys use feeler gauges like in the youtube vid (hayes gauge) when setting the brakes or do you tend to just set them solely off the rotor?

cooldad

Just replace the pads and centre the calipers.

tri-sexual

if your pads are worn then change them,
if your brakes feel spongy and lacking stopping power then bleed them, really simple procedure that takes minutes, i do recommend using the proper hayes kit if you are abit of a novice otherwise you can make your brakes worse by introducing more air into the system than you started with

supafly1982

tri-sexual wrote:

if your pads are worn then change them,
if your brakes feel spongy and lacking stopping power then bleed them, really simple procedure that takes minutes, i do recommend using the proper hayes kit if you are abit of a novice otherwise you can make your brakes worse by introducing more air into the system than you started with

yea ive got a hayes kit in the shed, one of those rainy day buy's

kevolution

If your brakes are lacking power it's probably due to a lack of friction. Try rubbing your rotors down with a coarse grade sand paper to restore the friction and sand the surface of the pads as they'll be be polished Or replace them if they're worn. you'll find you get the bite back into the brakes.
Bed them in properly, and normal service will be restored.

alexj2233

tri-sexual wrote:

i do recommend using the proper hayes kit if you are abit of a novice otherwise you can make your brakes worse by introducing more air into the system than you started with

Very this!
I found bleeding my strokers a right pain, probably because I was rubbish at it.
I would recommend buying a big bottle of car brake fluid from halfords or somewhere (obviously making sure it's the right type) then if you don't get it right you have plenty of fluid that isn't costing a fortune like the Hayes own brand stuff.

supafly1982

alexj2233 wrote:

tri-sexual wrote:

i do recommend using the proper hayes kit if you are abit of a novice otherwise you can make your brakes worse by introducing more air into the system than you started with

Very this!
I found bleeding my strokers a right pain, probably because I was rubbish at it.
I would recommend buying a big bottle of car brake fluid from halfords or somewhere (obviously making sure it's the right type) then if you don't get it right you have plenty of fluid that isn't costing a fortune like the Hayes own brand stuff.

yup dot 3 and dot 4 are the most common car brake fluids, although dot 5.1 is fast becomming the trend, but not for bikes as far as i know

ryanincontrol

Avid elixir's uses 5.1 now I believe.

You can get DOT 4 from Asda, think its only £4 for a 500ml bottle. That's plenty enough for your brakes. That's what I use for my car and Strokers. Never had problems.

HTH