Elixir R

flappy8

Picked up my bike this morning and found the rear brake binding on the disc. Come to think of it I did notice a noise at the end of my last ride but assumed I had a stone or something in the brakes...
So because I'm going away (with bike) later this week. I stripped out the pads and had a look at them. Pads were low, so I cleaned the callipers and used the old pads to push the pistons back. One of the pistons doesn't seem to go all the way back 100% but not sure it’s always been like that.

Put new pads in and then found it difficult to get the wheel back on bike as it was tighter than usual. Loosened the mount for the brake so as to centre the bake to the disc. Went on a test run to bed in the rear brake and it got progressively harder. The lever feels probably slightly harder than normal. Got home and the rear wheel is binding again.

2 Questions - I don't think that this is a bleeding issue as the lever would feel spongy and I'm not sure the brake would bind - Am I correct?

Anyone got any ideas on what to look at next?

nicklouse

it has been over filled at some time. release the bleed nipple a little and push the pistons home taking care to catch any expelled fluid.the tighten the bleed port.

flappy8

Thanks nicklouse - Could it have always been overfilled? I've gone through numerous pads on this but never touched the hydraulics at all. Maybe I'm paying for that now?!

flappy8

I've tried doing that and indeed the piston now goes all the way back in exchange for a could of drops of the fluid. There was nice big gap for the pads. Put the wheel back on and operated the brakes a few times until they worked. However now again they bind the pad and the wheel won't run freely....

I am presuming dodgy calliper rather than bleeding issue.

Any thoughts welcome.

nicklouse

now go and bed then in.

flappy8

I've just reset the brake mounting bolts and although its still a bit stiff I'll try and bed them in again now.

nicklouse

you need to bed them in every time you adjust the calliper position.

flappy8

Thanks - So it works much better now - maybe last time I didn't get the alignment perfectly set up. It would appear that releasing a small amount of fluid has worked a treat although I can't work out why I've never seen this as an issue. It now a little bit spongy so I may have got a tiny amount of air in now.... Might invest in a bleed kit.

flappy8

So pop into LBS Monday morning to see if they could bleed the brakes as I have a 'too busy' week. "Oh Avids, we don't bleed them - we send them away as they are too hard to do". We could take them off the bike and send them away but we dont have time to do that for a few weeks.

CRC website - buy bleeding kit - watch video - thought this one was best http://www.bikerumor.com/2010/06/03/elixir-brake-service-update/
brakes bled - work well.

Makes me realise why I buy my own tools; most of them cost the same amount as single visit to the LBS and no waiting to book it in for weeks!

If you think reading the web that Elixirs are impossible to bleed - don't belive them....

nicklouse - thanks for the advice at the weekend.