The disc brake is arguably one of the best inventions to have found itself onto the mountain bike. They are powerful, lightweight, and reliable if set up and looked after properly. One of the most common issues with disc brakes is brake drag. Brake drag occurs when the caliper (the part that squeezes on the disc) isn't properly aligned on the rotor (the disc), often being set up this way. This causes the brakes to rub and drag, adding extra friction to the wheel when spinning and more wear on the brake pads. Here's a little trick on how to eliminate brake drag:
 |
Step 1. Photo by Steven Rummukainen |
1. Flip the bike upside down, and undo the two bolts that hold the caliper to the mounting bracket. Don't undo them completely; you want them to be just loose enough that the caliper can move freely.
 |
| Step 2. Photo by Steven Rummukainen |
2. Now that the caliper is loosened, squeeze the front brake lever. This centres the caliper on the disc rotor. Make sure you keep the lever squeezed for the next step - an extra person to do this can come in handy.
 |
| Step 3. Photo by Steven Rummukainen |
3. With the lever still being squeezed, tighten the mounting bolts. These bolts have a tendency to round if over-tightened, so just do them up until they are nice and snug. Once this is done, you can release the brake lever.
 |
| Step 4. Photo by Steven Rummukainen |
4. Spin the wheel and enjoy the feeling of having drag-free brake discs! On the off chance that they still drag, try manually aligning the caliper to be centered on the disc. If this doesn't work either, your pistons may need to be pushed back in to the caliper.
No comments:
Post a Comment