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problem with my juicy 3.5

1659 Views 2 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  mitzikatzi
Bike: Trail
Brakes: juicy 3.5/ 185mm F/R
Rider: 142 lbs geared (xc rider)

I've had my bike since Oct 2010 and I was able to fix the warble and squeal by rounding off the sharp edges on the rotors and disc. My other problem with this brake is the allignment. The rotors rub on the pads everytime I have to remove and put on the wheel. I know how I should put it back/allign it:

-loosen mounting bolt
-pull brake lever and hold
-tighten the mounting bolt
-release the lever
-spin the wheel if it is still rubbing (90% of the time it still does)
-if not, tighten the bolt and spin again until there's no rubbing

...but even after that, it's still no use! This takes me about 45 mins on just one wheel and I have to do the other side. Everytime I have to remove the wheel, I spend about 2 hours just aligning the f'n rotors/pads.

When I look at the rotors while the wheel is spinning, I can see that it is not true and it's rubbing against the pad. It has been like this since day one when I bought the bike brand new (both front and rear)! I'm thinking I should just buy new rotors so here's my questions:

1. Are my rotors warped (I have removed, installed and retorqed it with torque wrench)?

2. I have 185mm rotor and want to do 160mm converstion. Will the Formula R1 disc and adaptor work with juicy 3.5? Or...

3. should I just stick to avid rotor but G3CS?

4. Is Formula RX adjustable like the elixir CR models?

Thank you in advance!
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Sounds like you are aligning them correctly (I assume you are loosening both mounting bolts per brake caliper, not just one)

Rotors do wear out and will become warped over time. Sometimes its possible to straighten them out with a wrench but sometimes its just time to replace them.

Yes you can go from 185 mm to 160 mm rotors but you will need new brake adapters which are sold in various sizes:

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=178&category=20

I'm pretty sure you can use the existing hardware (bolts, washers) so you don't need to order that. 185 mm in the F/R seems like overkill to me if all you are doing is XC riding.
Tjay said:
........snip............ My other problem with this brake is the allignment. The rotors rub on the pads everytime I have to remove and put on the wheel. I know how I should put it back/allign it:

...snip........
Thank you in advance!
I had a problem with pads rubbing/alignment. It turned out the calipers were not fully retracting.
see here

In the "Juicy Caliper Overhaul" section see "Trouble-shooting 'Sticky' or slow brake pad return feel" page 22
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