Just bought a road bike with Shimano hydraulic discs and was wondering if corosion or seizure of the pistons is a real issue on the road in winter due to road salt etc.

I’ve seen it mentioned by the naysayers, but has anyone had any problems in the real world?

I bet they’ll last longer than a set of rims.

if you keep em clean be fine

by far and worst the most problimatic brakes we had were on commuting bikes – but they probably dont get the love that a pride and joy road bike would get.

as you say – road salt ate the caliper and siezed the piston – and in extreme cases the pistons actually started to break up.

this was formula/avid/shimano/hope – it didnt seem to be brand specific – the common link was road based commuting in all weathers. seemed to happen about 18 months old … cant think of the last time i changed a set of open pro rims in 18months – only ultra light rims with thin brake surfaces – such as shimano factory wheels – but the brake caliper will be comparible cost to the rim swap imo.

I’m intending to use it as a general winter bike including commuting on it.

I’d better keep them clean then!

Not a problem if it’s your best bike because you will clean and fettle it lovingly after every ride.

by far and worst the most problimatic brakes we had were on commuting bikes – but they probably dont get the love that a pride and joy road bike would get.

^ this

commuter = f’k it, ill just keep riding…

They don’t get the love and attention they need and Bad Things ™ happen. I’ve even seen calliper bodies start to corrode significantly and in one case led to an unfixable leak and the calliper needing to be binned.

If it’s for a nice posh road bike you’re going to look after though you’ll be fine, even 5 mins,pads out, toothbrush and rinse once every couple of weeks will make all the difference.

I’ve seen it happen on one my bikes and it didn’t take long.

When we had really bad snow in 2012 I rode my mountain bike to work for a few days. It was below freezing so there was no way the bike was getting cleaned. I just brushed the worst of the snow off and put it away.

When it eventually thawed the calipers were badly encrusted with salt and the pistons were stuck (Shimano Saints)

So yes road salt is bad!

BB7s anyone?

that would be a good idea colin – thats how i deal with the corrosion issue.

how ever i do suggest you take the fine thread adjusters out both sides and coat threads liberally with antisieze.

Couldn’t this be avoided by just pouring a bit of drinking water over the caliper when you arrive at work/home? It’s hardly a full wash, and plain water will be much better for the calipers than salty water.

BB7s anyone

BB7’s are not made of some magical invulnerabtanium you know!

Pistons less likely/won’t seize, i’ll give you that, but the calliper bodies and internal parts are vulnerbable to corrosion as well, but at least your cables wont leak out everywhere 🙂

What others have said, I reckon a few days commuting in salt/snow does more to trash my bikes than the rest of the year put together, it just eats components. My solution was a watering can with hot water and cheap car shampoo, just rinsed it over the brakes, rims, and other bits of exposed metal to remove the salt each evening.

cant think of the last time i changed a set of open pro rims in 18months

Weren’t open pro’s but I got through a set of 117’s on my commuter a few years ago when we had a bad (snowmageddon, ran out of salt etc) winter. They just seemed to dissolve in front of my eyes over the course of a week!

Since then I’ve just given up commuting December/January, I’m sure the salt trashes my car too, but at least it’s warm!

I rode my CX bike through the worst of last years winter, the disc brakes took a lot of work to keep them working, it’s a definite problem.

I’ve been running disks on my commuters for 3 years and haven’t hand any problems.

If it’s been a particularly messy ride home, I rinse the bike with the hose and palce it in the utility with the dehumidifier to dry off, but it usually gets washed every few weeks regardless.

I do around 5000-6000 miles per year on the commuter(s).

Just for ballance, I’ve siezed more road rim brakes than I have disk brakes.

“I’ve been running disks on my commuters for 3 years and haven’t hand any problems”

the same pair …. i only ask as you frequently pop up selling what looks like disk equiped commuter bikes in the classifieds – of course this wont be an issue if your a serial bike changer.

Motorbikes ridden in winter with road salt suffer the same issue.

Have to remove the pads and force Pistons out slightly. Then carefully clean and polish the piston .

Push the Pistons in and out to ensure they move freely.

I apply a very thin coating of red piston grease to the piston surface area to ensure they move freely and have a little protection from the salt.

I don’t ride my motorbike if salt is on the road now though, just too much hassle and damage caused to the motorbike.

possibly

i have a frakenbike disc front mini v rear and the winter has killed a front mech and one of the mini v pivots and many v pads but front disc is fine (touches wood)

Not sure this is road bike specific as previously my Avid Juicy calipers went the same way.

The salt gets under the seals and crystallises, this hardens and attaches to the piston surface causing the corrosion and scoring.

A blast of clean cold water after a ride is better than nothing, follow with a spray of brake cleaner behind the pads helps keep the crud at bay.

Are roller brakes any better for a commuter? I imagine they would have similar issues is used in bad weather?

trail_rat – Member

the same pair …. i only ask as you frequently pop up selling what looks like disk equiped commuter bikes in the classifieds – of course this wont be an issue if your a serial bike changer.

I’ve only sold 1 bike in the past 3 years, the Pompetamine. I’ve sold a CDF frame, from which all the components have been transferred to the Pickenflick and a Day One Alfine 11, the components of which are currently being transferred to a Niner RLT, bar for the brakes which are currently being swapped for R785.

I also briefly tried Hope V-Twins on the Pompetamine, but they were rubbish, so quickly swapped back to the BB7s. The brakes

My Avid Juicy’s corroded too, and the piston stopped moving (I think they are particularly bad for this).

Also noticed corrosion on Avid BB7 calipers, though it didn’t stop them working.

Also noticed corrosion on Avid BB7 calipers, though it didn’t stop them working.

my point exactly

Motorbikes get similiar problems but not quite the same- most road motorbike calipers have dirt seals as well as fluid seals, they still clog up/sometimes corrode but over the space of years of long use.

I think pushbike stuff just isn’t designed with winter commuting in mind at all, it’s a different environment. But then extra seals, maybe different coatings etc might impair performance. Probably some are more highly strung, I’m using a set of ancient Oros and it seems like having survived this long, they’re now immune to harm