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nubee mistake

1225 Views 12 Replies 12 Participants Last post by  gearwhine
sorry guys, but i have a really dumb question. so the other day, i removed the front tire of my stumpy and placed the bike and tire in the back of my tahoe. when i pulled the bike out, i was holding onto the brake handles and like a moron the wheel fits but does not roll because the calipers are too tight. how do i untighten the calipers? sorry for the question.
i have juicy 7 brakes.
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It's a good idea to put one of those wee plastic chocks in to keep your pads separated if you're transporting your bike with the wheel/s off. If you don't have the ones that originally came with your brakes, you LBS should have a bunch lying around, or you can improvise with cardboard etc.
I think (but don't take my word for it, I'm an awful mechanic) you should be able to remove the pads and use a flat (pref plastic) blade to press the pistons back into their housing. Reinstall pads, and off you go. If not, you might need to pop the reservoirs open at your brake levers (make sure they're level first), then press the pistons in and top up your brake fluid if necessary before resealing the reservoirs.
Hopefully you won't need a full bleed...
rubix8 said:
sorry guys, but i have a really dumb question. so the other day, i removed the front tire of my stumpy and placed the bike and tire in the back of my tahoe. when i pulled the bike out, i was holding onto the brake handles and like a moron the wheel fits but does not roll because the calipers are too tight. how do i untighten the calipers? sorry for the question.
i have juicy 7 brakes.
Not that any of us have ever done that (cough)! Just remove your wheel and insert a flat blunt object to gently pry the pads apart.
rubix8 said:
sorry guys, but i have a really dumb question. so the other day, i removed the front tire of my stumpy and placed the bike and tire in the back of my tahoe. when i pulled the bike out, i was holding onto the brake handles and like a moron the wheel fits but does not roll because the calipers are too tight. how do i untighten the calipers? sorry for the question.
i have juicy 7 brakes.
Just get a nice smooth lever and pry the pads back into the caliper....1 to 2 minutes at the most.
rubix8 said:
sorry guys, but i have a really dumb question. so the other day, i removed the front tire of my stumpy and placed the bike and tire in the back of my tahoe. when i pulled the bike out, i was holding onto the brake handles and like a moron the wheel fits but does not roll because the calipers are too tight. how do i untighten the calipers? sorry for the question.
i have juicy 7 brakes.
Simpler method: open the QR skewer and gently rock the wheel to use the rotor to spread the pads.
shiggy said:
Simpler method: open the QR skewer and gently rock the wheel to use the rotor to spread the pads.
Nice.
I'm probably too anal about such things (lack of mech experience=fear of experimentation :) ), but does it matter that the rotor will be angled relative to the piston?
I would NOT try that method at all. I've had to use an object (used a butter knife) twice to push the pistons back in; it takes QUITE A BIT of pressure.

disfocus said:
Nice.
I'm probably too anal about such things (lack of mech experience=fear of experimentation :) ), but does it matter that the rotor will be angled relative to the piston?
That's how the hipsters spell it.
freakin newbs...

flat head screw driver pry left pry right
insert wheel breaks feel good? no ?
repeat left and right pry action.
I've just used a flat head screwdriver personally.

Gently wedge pads/pistons back open, remount wheel, and give the lever a couple of squeezes and you're good to go.

Pretty sure all Avid hydraulics are self centering so everything should be back in alignment assuming you don't manage to get the pads unseated.
If you have avids...you should've received a plastic pad spacer with them that is wedge shape...at least all my avid hydraulics came with them, and the bleed kit also comes with another. I carry that spacer everywhere, as I do this more often than not. If you don't have one...try to find a friend with an extra, they aren't rare.

That spacer has worked for every brakeset I've had...since the wedge is kinda long, you don't need to press it in all the way if your rotors are thinner than the typical avid rotors.
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