front calipers and pads jamming/ rubbing, please read!

I am not sure if this was the underlying issue to my pads scratching my rotor. i thought i had bent it so i replaced the rotor and the scratching remains. i looked at the calipers and pads and the pads are jamming in their grooves and the calipers are not releasing, they release a very little amount but still rub against the disk rotor and makes for uncomfortable riding

how do i fix this? what problem do i have?

It is normal for the pads to drag slightly on the brake rotor as the pads will not pull completely away from the rotor.

The movement of the pads in very slight, and there are no springs or other mechanical devices that actually pull them clear of the rotor.
It's merely a case of the caliper piston moving back into the caliper body a tiny bit when the brake lever is released.
The only thing moving the piston back into the caliper is the actual flexing of the piston seals.
When the piston retracts those few thousandths of an inch, it's just enough to remove pressure of the pads against the rotor and to allow the wheel to rotate.

Are you able to rotate the front wheel when it's off the ground?
Some pad noise against the rotor is normal.
Heavy resistance to spinning the front wheel is not normal.

its not a heavy resistance but i've taken off the caliper and pads and i noticed that one of the pads (on the caliper side) won't slide back away from the disc, i hate having this problem. i just want to ride!

Can you post some pictures? Can we see the damage on the disk?

I just changed my front brake pads last weekend.

There's very little in the way of things that can go wrong there.

#1) are you running stock brake pads or have you (or previous owner) replaced them?
#2) if replaced, are your sure they're the correct p/n for your bike

There's a combination pin/bolt that traps the pads in the caliper. Is that bolt straight, or bent?
Is that bolt clean and not dinged up or in any way offering restriction of movement?

The top slot where the tabs of the brake pads reside and slide - is that clean and clear of any obstructions or grime?

Are your forks aligned with wheel?

As in - for some reason might your brake caliper be torqued against the brake disk a little?

As YZEtc said:

Does your caliper piston release enough?

Put bike on stand so front wheel is completely off ground and can free spin.
Spin wheel by hand. Squeeze front brake to stop spinning wheel.
Release brake and hand spin wheel again. Does it spin?

i have the bike off the ground in the garage,

i can pull the brake and make the wheel stop, then when i release it the wheel spins but the pads are rubbing against the disk rotor, the calipers don't loosen up as much as they did before is what i am assuming...? the pin/bolt is clean and i put just a dab of grease on it, the bottom spring looks and feels fine, i cleaned that and the top clip off with some gasoline and a tooth brush, then i reinserted the pads. there is no seal kit on the ends of my calipers...? its just raw caliper on the back the pad.

hey moto if you remember.... when i put in the pad that sits against the caliper at the top part away from the pin/bolt the top of the pad slides in between the clip and the groove. well that clip isn't letting the caliper slide back into that groove. i am not sure why...? it slides up to the disk when i apply the brake but then it won't slide back into the groove...

i'm not sure if the previous owner replaced the pads or if they are oem or the right p/n i was going to check that out first/next

the reason for all this is i let someone i trusted ride my bike, they said they would fix it but they have been slow to pay. so i have had to do some of the work myself.

lastly could the hanger that holds the caliper assembly be bent? i will post a picture of the issue soon.

To the best of my recollection there's no spring or anything mechanical to separate the brake pads from the brake disk after you release the pressure on the brake lever. The pads free-float.

The piston in the brake caliper should back off just a tiny bit which then allows the pads to "float".

When I spin my front wheel there's a slight skimming noise of the brake pads just barely touching the disk.
Not enough to really impede the spinning, but still a whisper of noise.

Next time you dig into your issue, remove the brake pads, then using a c-clamp compress the pistons into the caliper a good quarter of an inch or so.

If your caliper is sticking and not backing off just a tiny bit, you may be getting some extra friction.

Put your pads back in. Put caliper back on bike and then spin wheel and keep squeezing brake lever until pads stop wheel.
First few pulls might not stop wheel, but it'll be moving the pistons and pads.

Then do the spinning check again.

I<3Mountains wrote:

when i put in the pad that sits against the caliper at the top part away from the pin/bolt the top of the pad slides in between the clip and the groove. well that clip isn't letting the caliper slide back into that groove.

Try to get a picture of this. It doesn't sound right to me.

When I changed my pads, the second I removed the lower pin/bolt both my pads fell straight to the floor.

Nothing should be "holding" the top of the pads in that groove on top.

Here....took mine apart in about 20 minutes.

You sure you got this piece in correctly?


When I removed pads - here's what things look like :



I'd compressed pistons with c-clamp:



Dropped pads into "slots" up top - piston side first:



Then opposite side:

yes i got that top clip in correct and then the pad slips between the clip and the groove, (groove, clip, pad) well my pad hits on the clip and doesn't slide back into the groove. i'll show you

Post pics of brake pads too if you can.

Hey - regarding a possible "twist" in forks maybe causing your issues...

Gatorfan posted this in another thread: click me


Might want to loosen the four pinch bolts on the front axle and give that sequence of directions a try?


Also - are you absolutely positive your spacers are on the correct sides of the front wheel?

if you have done this repair before you know what i am talking about, the pad sits in that groove at the top, on or in between the clip. well my clip prevents the pad from sliding in to the groove as you can see here. maybe i need a new clip? does that come with the pads or?

i will try the link as well, i was also thinking the forks might be skewed but i was not sure how to align them... till now, thanks!

Hmmmm....

Can you pop that clip out and take a few pics of it?

From a few different angles?

Your clip might be bent. My pad slides right into groove with no pressure or force needed.

Edit to add - No, that clip does not come with pads. You'd have to buy from parts store or online.

Your clip must be bent if it's preventing the pad from sliding back into that slot.

The problem may be the caliper needs a rebuild. Moisture in the system usually collects around the backside of the pistons and the resultant corrosion doesn't allow the pistons to retract as much as they should, leading to drag (usually it's just the seals that get sort of bonded to the piston). Caliper pistons should be removed every four years or so and the seals replaced or, at least, cleaned up. Castrol red seal grease keeps the pistons moving smooth.

BTW, you should clean the pistons before driving them back into the caliper . If you don't , you are pushing dirt back into the seals.

If it was mine I'd file down the part of the brake pad that goes into the clip untill it slid in easily, it wont take much fileing or time.
The clips probley bent or the pads are a touch out of spec and binding.
I've had to do this to brake pads on cars before, some of the cheap ones dont fit all that well.

i figured out what was wrong with my forks not being lined up and my brakes jamming, i am back on the road and i have had no problems after 2 weeks of thorough riding.

I<3Mountains wrote:

i figured out what was wrong with my forks not being lined up and my brakes jamming, i am back on the road and i have had no problems after 2 weeks of thorough riding.

So how'd ya fix it exactly?

figured out that the floating rotor had no moving parts so after figuring that the pads are pretty new and the rotor is brand new that there would be a bit of rubbing when i released the brake because it just "floats" there.

i didn't really fix the clip or replace anything. the brake works great and i have had no issues.

i still think something else is messed up with my front wheel. i still have a bit of vibration coming from it

(i have replaced my bars with pro taper evos)