Due to leave to head up to Grizedale with Mrs M and the little one. Should have left 15 mins ago but just noticed the Hope M4 rear brake on Mrs M’s bike is sticking. I’ve taken the wheel out and tried to force the pads back. Any other quick solution or way to adjust pads? If not we’ll have to hire a bike, I can see we may have comfort problems, Mrs M is pregnant and if we
hire a hartail with a strange saddle we might have comfort issues!

take your missus’ saddle with u?

edit : sorry no tech help on the brakes 😀

Not massively helpful, but you can always take the saddle with you and swap it into the hire bike.

for my XTR with a slightly sticky caliper I
1 removed pads
2 squirted a bit of GT85 at edge of piston
3 pumped pistorns out “a bit” (holding decent one in)
4 levered them back with allan key
5 repeated a few times
6 wiped
been fine since

If it’s not been used in a while, it seals may have dried out. Remove the pads, work the pistons out a little way and then dribble a little DOT fluid or finish line stanchion lube on them (not chain lube, if it’s mineral based the seals will swell). Then push the pistons back in. Do this a few times and you should be good to go. Rinse throughly and replace the pads.

now I have properly read it 🙂 remove filler cover on lever before trying to force piston back? Still with a bit of GT85 and work them in and out for a bit to free them off.
Taking saddle does seem a quick and easy idea as well though, good lateral thinking folks!

What they said. Riding with a dragging brake doesn’t really slow you down though.

Thanks for all the advice chaps! I’ll try all the above!

What they said. Riding with a dragging brake doesn’t really slow you down though.

I have to disagree Al – my brakes have started dragging towards the end of the ride before and it just about killed me

Well, the first half of the day made me think I should’ve stayed in bed:

The aforementioned sticking brake caliper. Taking the wheel out (aware our 18 month old was getting more restless by the minute. Rushing to take the rear wheel out I managed to bent the mech hanger! So mech off, adjustable spanner out to correct that. Managed to free ip the pistons a little with some GT85 and eventually got the bikes on the car for the drive to Grizedale. An hour and a half later, we were parked at the visitor centre. Bikes off the car, Mefster Junior in the trailer and off we went.

3 crank turns later and I managed to snap my chain! At least I wasn’t in the middle of nowhere. So off to the bike shop. New chain purchased, fitted, and EBB adjusted. Only to discover Mrs M’s rear brake was now more than dragging; the rear wheel was now locked. At this point we were considering giving it up and sticking the bikes back on the car. Mrs M is 5 months pregnant. I knew there were hire bikes but all the small ones were hardtails. Even with her saddle I would have been worried about her comfort.

Thankfully, the mechanic from the Grizedale Shop came to our rescue. Even though they were really busy he spent 10 minutes bleeding a little fluid from the brake. Bikes now working without a problem, we managed to eventually have a great family day on the bikes!