brake pad springs

mattl80
mattl80 Posts: 80
edited February 2013 in MTB workshop & tech
Just an observation really. The springs that hold my SLX brake pads apart look so fragile, im amazed that these things actually work. The tolerance is so tight in terms of the whole system.

Has anyone ever needed to replace them/ had there breaks not retract properly becuase of dodgy springs? I dont really understand how they work as well as they do!

Comments

  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    they dont "really" hold them apart they just reduce the rattling on the pistons.

    the spring has nothing to do with piston retraction.

    that is the piston seal.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • mattl80
    mattl80 Posts: 80
    so once they have been pushed against the disk by the pistons, how do they return to the default position? i thought it was the springs that "sprang" them back, away from the rotar?
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    the seals moving. remove the spring and the pads and wonder in the movement in and out.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • stubs
    stubs Posts: 5,001
    You can run the brakes without the springs. I was having trouble with squeaking Avid pads and I experimented with no spring to see if it made any difference. It didnt but didnt have any affect on the brakes. You get a new spring with a new set of pads so dont worry if you bust them.
    Fig rolls: proof that god loves cyclists and that she wants us to do another lap
  • Calder
    Calder Posts: 51
    mattl80 wrote:
    so once they have been pushed against the disk by the pistons, how do they return to the default position? i thought it was the springs that "sprang" them back, away from the rotar?

    It's sort of like drinking wine through a straw. Sort of.

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