do wheels have to be 'tight' or issue with brakes?

james_uk

I know this may seem a very basic question, but i ask because i havn't used my mountain bike in a while and i have just given it a whole clean, also cleaned the discs with muc off disc cleaner.

i have tried re-aligning the brakes by un-tightening them then pulling the brakes and leaving them pulled, then tightening them again, but i still keep getting a little bit of slight noise from them as they spin, like the disc is slightly touching the pad sometimes (the pads are pretty new).

Both wheels seem to spin pretty freely but do seem like something is slightly slowing them as they get slower.

Its nothing major but something id like to fix.

My other theory on this is the fact that my easy remove wheels are pretty tight, when i tighten them i do have a tendency to have to put a good amount of force into making the lever go over, i assumed this is right, but could this be the issue, do they not need to be 'super tight'?

Thanks

James

The Rookie

The QR lever should leave a slight white mark on your hand after closing, any more and they are too tight.

Some slight rub is normal, just get out and ride it, only worry if they are binding and slowing the wheel.

Too many reports of issues after people use the Muc-off disc brake cleaner, personally I'd stick to alcohol.

mattyfez

As above, use a grease free solvent, such as isopropyl alcohol. It's cheaper!

I have mechanical disc as opposed to hydraulic, and adjusting them is a pain.
With the bike upside down I've managed to get my front wheel spinning totally free whilst still having excellent bite on braking, the rear wheel though always has some audible very slight bind, but hey. Whatever!