Long-planned trip to CYB next weekend.
One of our group has Avid Elixir 3 – last time out (5 weeks ago) he couldn’t get a new set of pads into rear as one of pistons wouldn’t retract enough to get them in – admittedly they were after market pads and probably slightly thicker than Avid originals.

We’re up against it time-wise now: so, take a chance on these or just buy new F&R SLX brakeset or similar? He’s happy to change them anyway – just need working brakes by no later than next Fri and he’s not really mechanically minded and short of time. Surely just get new? Any other recommendations? (Not talking £150 per end Hope etc).

Just buy a set of Deore. If he’s happy with old Avids he’ll be delighted with Deores.

You could even leave them in their bixes and send them back if not needed….

If he couldn’t push the piston all the way back was this because they have been bled when the pistons were not pushed back first… or because it was seized?

If it was the first one then just re-bleed properly with the pistons pushed all the way back.

SLX….now

Just buy a set of Deore. If he’s happy with old Avids he’ll be delighted with Deores.

This +1

On a recent Chiang Mai trip my new Guide RSC’s gave up the ghost on the first day (turned out to be a warranty failure) so I popped into a local bike shop and bought a set of SLX’s, really cheap and worked perfectly for the 4 days there.

He bought the Orange 5 second hand 2 years ago and hasn’t bled them whilst had them.
They were fine once but he’s not really into maintenance so they’ve probably seized.
With SLX at £100 for both ends it prob makes sense to just buy new…they should come ready to fit (off CRC) – having said that they might need hoses trimming and then there’s that bloody internal hose through the swingarm…

Yes new Shimanos. I got slx as they where on sale at a great price. Either get lbs to help or one you/your mates so he doesn’t end up with no bike / hassling you all in the car park.

Push the piston back in they are not broken

Worst case scenario i sundue the bleed nipple and then push it back in then they need a re bleed.

NOwhere near needing new brakes for one stuck piston onone brake,

that like replacing your drivetrain because your chain needs an oil
CHanging all your gears because the cable snapped
ETC

Think the OP needs to sort fairly quickly as they’re off on their hols this weekend….

A kill or cure for a sticky piston is to somehow clamp the moving piston in place (g clamp or similar) so it absolutely won’t budge, then give the lever some very firm squeezes. This sorted my old Formula K24s

SLX are better than Deore (phenolic Pistons).

Used always get that with Avid Juicy. What worked was opening the bleed screw on the lever q quarter turn and pushing the pads back.

You lose a tiny drop of fluid. Tighten screw and you’re good.

The dot fluid absorbs water so.the amount of fluid in the system increases slightly over time.

I bought a super cheaper shimano set for my tip bike, £39 or something mental like that from CRC. They are fantastic, and not much more than buying 2 pairs of pads. BUT, the hoses are short- so watch out.

What Junky says makes sense but I am of a similar mechanical competancy as the OP’s mate and I tried that with my Hayes 8 to no avail, I think there was grit in there, perhaos some “rust” and as the internet said those brakes where rubbish I just changed at the LBS.

worst case, get a bit of 400grit sandpaper, put it flat on a hard flat surface, and run the brake pad over it a few times. Remove the extra 1mm or what ever that’s stopping you fitting the pad!

yup, massive bodge, but you’d be riding again in 10mins and not spent anything! (work out how to fix it properly after your trip……)

^^^ voice of experience (wisdom)

OP your mate couod buy the new brakes and take them out there, one of you could fit them I am sure.

He’s decided to sand the new blocks that wouldn’t fit in last time out until they do fit…for now at least. Hope it doesn’t come back to haunt him on a tasty decent next week!

Take one of the half-worn pads from the front brake and fit it to the rear along with one of the new pads. Fit the other new pad to the front. After a bit of use, the new pads will wear down and you can swap them around so you have two new pads in the front (which does most of the work) and two half worn ones in the rear.

I’ve just spent another afternoon swearing at some avids/SRAM. 3 sets on a mate/wife/eldest sons bike. All three were fettled by SRAM tech less than a month ago. Two were actually replaced under warranty but have eaten their pads. Now 2 of the 6 are inconsistent. And 2 were spongy. (The new ones are ok.)
After an afternoon we’ve got 2 sets working passably well. And one set fit for the bin. Mate has decided to order more of the same because he likes them. He’ll be paying for the next service. At £80 p/h. (Not me. That’s what the local shop charges)

My theory is that the guy who leads the design team is about 8 stone wet through, and rode down a hill once in the 80s and didn’t like it much. So doesn’t do it anymore. He also bleeds and replaces pads discs monthly, and gets new brakes yearly.

He’s decided to sand the new blocks that wouldn’t fit in last time out until they do fit…for now at least. Hope it doesn’t come back to haunt him on a tasty decent next week!

Which is fine as long he understands that if they pack in, he’s on his own.

Shimano Deore very cheap, no maintenance and work

I would first and foremost offer my help to sort them out with a bleed (if you have the kit) or

A) fit new pads to front and the part worn fronts to the rear
B) wedge something in between the rear Pistons, undo the bleed screw on the lever 1/4 turn and give the lever enough of a squeeze so that a tiny amount of fluid seeps out. Try pushing Pistons back in and repeat until they do.
C) sand down new pads
D) quick trip to LBS along with a bit of pleading
E) new brake as a last resort

My 2p

. I changed rear pads (replaced with uberbike ones)on my elixir 3 last week and had all manner of rubbing. Theres probably an overfill of fluid or air. Clean the calliper/ sticky piston with isopropyl, bleed the brakes with cheepo non-avid bleed kit and bleed block made from cardboard taped together. The whole process took about 20min, and that’s the first time I’ve ever bled brakes..it’s not rocket surgery.

While I’m sure they are not the best brakes in the world, I don’t think throwing money at a new set is needed.

I don’t think throwing money at a new set is needed.

Depends how you pay for your servicing. If it’s all DIY and you don’t mind the occasional heart in mouth moment when the lever goes to the bars, keep persevering with the Avid/SRAM.

One tricky to trace fault on a pair that needs to be done at the LBS could cost you almost as much as a set of deores. Just in labour costs.

The deores might well fail, but you’d be very unlucky to need anything doing to them in 3 or 4 years, other than pads and bleeding. The rest of the time they’ll just work.