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Help with Shimano BR-M485 Brakes!

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jsarose

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hi! Got a few questions for all you experts! I bought a GF Tassajara a little while back and it has Shimano BR-M485 brakes... I know that they take a little time to get "broken in", but it seems as though mine are taking longer than I expected... I have about 25 miles on it now and during those miles, I purposely kept pulsing the brakes to get them broken in asap... They still are pretty weak and they "howl" quite a bit. I cleaned the rotors with isopropyl alcohol and I swear there was oil or something on them. I asked my LBS if the manufacturer put oil or something on the discs to keep them from corroding thinking that maybe they never cleaned it off and contaminated the pads. They swear up and down that that isn't the case... Any suggestions?

Also, does anyone know if there are any organic pads available for these? The only thing I can find is the standard resin pads...

Thanks!
-Josh
 
#2 ·
The resin pad....

is considered an "organic" pad. Most orgainic pads have a resin that holds the pad material together. Any pad that doesn't contain metal is termed "organic" even though there may be nothing orgainic about the material that is used. So don't sweat it. If the pads are contaminated just replace them with the appropriate pad, clean the rotors completely before re-installing the wheels to be on the safe side.

As for bun-in. Don't "pulse" the brakes! All you are doing in that isntance is depositing pad material on the rotor is small incosistant areas. To accelerate the burn-in process you need to do the following.

Find a nice long down hill, preferably on pavement. Get the bike up to 15mph or better then apply the brakes firmly and brake back down to 5 or 10mph and RELEASE THE BRAKES. If the downhill is long enough bet back up to speed and do it again. DO NOT STOP! Coming to a complete stop will deposit more material in the area that the pad comes to rest on the rotor. Ride a little further and let the rotors cool before you stop completely. Then apply the brakes, come to a stop and realease the brakes imediately. It'll take anywhere from 8 to 15 cycles or runs, depending on the hill, speed and amount of heat generated. The key is getting the brakes heated up and depositing pad material on the rotors as evenly as possible. Pulsing the brake doesn't get em hot enough and doesn't deposit pad material evenly. Even after this method the brakes will continue to improve a bit as you ride more. But this method will help accelerate the process considerably.

So, replace the pads clean the rotors and burn em in correctly. You should see an improvement. Just don't expect miracales. The 485 isn't the best hydro out there when it comes to performance. They are quite serviceable, but they aren't top of the line either. So don't expect dazzaling performance out of them.

Good Dirt
 
#3 ·
There's a service bulletin on the 485's, I can't find one direct from Shimano (probably dealer's only have access) but some bike shops have it posted on their websites, for instance:

http://bike-rack.com/page.cfm?pageID=394

I had the same problem with mine (howling, no power) and took them to the shop and they replaced the caliper. They've been fine since. You might need to print this out and take it to your shop...at least get them to verify the caliper is fine but get you new pads if there is any sign of oil. If the caliper is suspect, have them get new ones from Shimano. It looks like shimano will take care of you but you'll need to get your LBS involved.
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
Thanks guys! You know, i did see that tech bulletin posted before and took a quick look at the calipers but didnt' think that was the problem... tonight I took a closer look and did see that when you squeeze the lever you can see some oil "seepage" between the caliper halves and a bit of a "damp trail" on the lower side of the calipers.

Looks like I'll be taking her in to the LBS along with a copy of the tech bulletin tomorrow... Wish me luck! This particular LBS is where I got my GF and my Lemond roadie; they have nice bikes, but they aren't real personable when it comes to customer service unless you're one of the "regulars"... (of course, i should be a regular by now since I've purchased 3 bikes from them within the last year!)

-Josh
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
Update...

Ok, so I took the bike in to my LBS and they reluctantly agreed that something must be wrong after still trying to tell me that they just aren't bedded in yet... I gave them a copy of the bulletin and they said they'd see what they could do...

After waiting for 2 weeks, they finally called and said it was ready. Turns out that they replaced the pads but NOT the calipers... They said when they took the original pads off they were pretty much soaked with fluid. They're claiming that the fluid was just residual and that new pads are all Shimano supplied.

Took the bike out for a good ride the next day (last weekend) and they seemed to be OK but I swear I can still see a little dampness on the calipers where the two halves meet. We'll see what happens...

-Josh
 
#6 ·
Good luck with it. I'm not sure why you'd get any resistance from the bike shop...as I understand it Shimano is replacing the caliper at no cost to the shop, just the time it takes them to put it on. I'd tell you to find a new shop but I think you're probably stuck with these guys until everythings resolved. Good luck!
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
Well, I think it's finally resolved...

I called Shimano and verified that the replacement also includes calipers IF the original calipers are in fact leaking and it's not just residual oil. Also found out that they are replacing the 485's with 535's so it's an upgrade as well. Got the reps name and direct phone # and passed that along to the shop. Finally got the bike back a week later with the new brakeset installed. Haven't had a chance to take it out yet, but it should be a done deal now.

So the moral of the story is that if anyone else is running into the same issue, keep after it!

-Josh
 
#8 ·
jsarose said:
Well, I think it's finally resolved...

I called Shimano and verified that the replacement also includes calipers IF the original calipers are in fact leaking and it's not just residual oil. Also found out that they are replacing the 485's with 535's so it's an upgrade as well. Got the reps name and direct phone # and passed that along to the shop. Finally got the bike back a week later with the new brakeset installed. Haven't had a chance to take it out yet, but it should be a done deal now.

So the moral of the story is that if anyone else is running into the same issue, keep after it!

-Josh
Click to expand...
Any improvement over the m485?

I am getting Deore Lx's hydros(m585) as a replacement for mine :)
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
Well, I can't yet say for sure but they do seem to have more power than the 485's... I haven't been on any rides since I got it back due to my hectic travel schedule... However, I went to get it out a few days ago to take the kids for a spin around the block in the trailer and discovered a 3" diameter "wet spot" under my front wheel. Checked the brakes and they were fine but I discovered I've fallen prey to the RockShox leakage problem mentioned in the suspension / fork forum! So back to the shop it went on Friday to get that taken care of! :madman:

I'm traveling again this week so I'm hoping they can get it taken care of this week because I was hoping to join a few buddies for a ride this coming weekend!

We'll see... what a pain in the butt!
 
#11 ·
jsarose said:
Well, I can't yet say for sure but they do seem to have more power than the 485's... I haven't been on any rides since I got it back due to my hectic travel schedule... However, I went to get it out a few days ago to take the kids for a spin around the block in the trailer and discovered a 3" diameter "wet spot" under my front wheel. Checked the brakes and they were fine but I discovered I've fallen prey to the RockShox leakage problem mentioned in the suspension / fork forum! So back to the shop it went on Friday to get that taken care of! :madman:

I'm traveling again this week so I'm hoping they can get it taken care of this week because I was hoping to join a few buddies for a ride this coming weekend!

We'll see... what a pain in the butt!
Click to expand...
I have that same leakage problem too, lbs is replacing it when they get it in.

Do you know if they are repairing your fork or replacing it?
 
#13 ·
were both calipers replaced?

I know this is an old thread but perhaps someone here can answer this...

I had the same problem with my rear brake and the bike store has replaced just my rear brake. I wanted to know if those that have received replacements have received a replacement on both brakes even if one of their calipers was working OK?

I really don't want some mismatched setup where the front and rear are different.
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
They replaced both of mine, but they were both leaking... Did they replace the rear with the same model (M485)? If so, I probably wouldn't worry about it but keep an eye on the front to make sure it doesn't start leaking too...

-Josh
 
#16 ·
yo-aussie said:
They actually replaced the rear with a br-m535 . This seems to be a better caliper but now i have a mixed setup with a different feel front and rear. I am thinking I go back and complain tomorrow.
Click to expand...
I know it's a bit naughty but you could poor a little fluid onto the front and tell them that it leaks as well. It's probably only a matter of time before it leaks anyway, and if Shimano are changing them becouse they have a fault then I wouldn't want one stuck on my bike.
 
#17 ·
thanks so much for this post. I bought my nephew a Scott Aspect 10. As soon as I got it home the front shock started to leak and I was told that the squeak in the brakes would go away. Well I did a little search and found this post and the recall issue with the M485. Took the bike back to the store and right away I got oh those brakes have to be changed, Well why wouldn't they ahve done that ebfore they sold the thing. Anyway they are doing the brakes and probably replacing the forks. Thanks for the recall info at least I had the info hands on if I was going to get an argument.
 
#18 ·
Hey Guys i know this thread is REALLY OLD. But I have these brakes on my 2008 Cannondale Perp. The brakes have been losing power and are "Sweating" fluid. I was a about to purchase brand new pads, then i saw this tread. I began to research the "Recall" and was wondering if i should call Shimano and ask for new brake calipers or pads.
Also, I've recently bled the brakes, appropriately 2 weeks ago

Thanks!
 
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