Possible causes for sticking rear pads?

legacydan
legacydan Posts: 62
edited April 2012 in MTB workshop & tech
So lately my rear pads have been sticking and turning the uphill sections into a real pain in the ass, i did a bit of searching for a solution and originally thought it was just the alignment of the caliper over the disc needed tweaking. That seems to temporarily fix it but then pads will start to rub again. yesterday i swapped the front pads for the rear, pushed the calipers all the way back in and re-aligned the caliper and it seems to rotate freely now but the pads are still rubbing on the disc slightly. So im thinking the calipers are not retracting enough. Maybe there is a bit of air in the system? So before i got spending money on new pads or a bleed kit is there any other things i can check out that might be causing this?

Brakes are Formula rx and about 2 years old with probably less than a 1000 miles on them.

Comments

  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    Strip and clean the calipers/pistons
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • delcol
    delcol Posts: 2,848
    sounds like a sticky piston..

    as nick says strip and clean....
    www.bearbackbiking.com

    http://www.youtube.com/user/MrDelcol#play/uploads
    hd vids
    http://www.youtube.com/user/topasassin#play/uploads
    http://www.vimeo.com/user2514116/videos
  • legacydan
    legacydan Posts: 62
    do you need to bleed the system afterwards when you do a strip and clean of the caliper?
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    if you strip it, yes, if you just clean the pistons by advancing them out, cleaning round the base and pushing back, no.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • legacydan
    legacydan Posts: 62
    It seems like everytime I remove the rear wheel the pads close in on themselves. I noticed that today when putting the bike into my car to go for a cycle later
  • MTB noob
    MTB noob Posts: 272
    I have the same problem with my rear mechanical brakes (i know - they're worth 5p). The problem is that they stick until i roll back and it then unlock. I've done everything, clean pads, change cable set and put WD40 in them (not touching the actual brakes) but nothing. Is there any solution to this?
    My god road cycling is scary! I'm going to keep my relaxing rides to the trails where everything is green, fast and less crazy.

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