Just changed the pads on the rear brake – now have quite severe brake rub. Have loosened the caliper bolts and put the brake on, then re-tightened and done the same with the bracket screws which worked on the bike stand, but when I went for a ride the rubbing came back.
Any ideas?

brake bleed time.
or try loosening the nut on the lever reservoir and levering the pistons apart a bit more. this will spill out some excess brake fluid, retighten nut and rinse off spilt fluid.

Bled the brake two months ago so its not that. Its the new pads rubbing against the rotor so need to know how to adjust so it doesn’t rub whilst still fully tightening all fixing bolts

what about some shims? Avid claim they are not needed but I have used them in the past when the caliper itself was rubbing on the disc.

I think tontos second suggestion has the answer, I take it youve pushed the pistons fully in? If you have and they are protruding slightly theres too much fluid in them.

I had exactly the same prob with mine and was scratching my head as they came from the factory like it, dropped some fluid and it sorted it

Thanks guys i’ll take a look tomorrow

Ok so tried to alter the positioning of the caliper, didnt really work. Took pads out cleaned the pistons then noticed they weren’t moving when pulling on lever – probably overdid that when brake was not attached to wheel – now have no pressure in the hose and lever pulls fully against bars.
Do i go ahead and bleed? then remove pistons from caliper – Stuck need Help!

Help!!

take caliper off
put flat screwdriver between pads
wiggle it lots to push the pistons back
put caliper back on but leave the bolts slack
squeeze brake, release, squeeze brake, do up bolts whilst holding brake on
spin wheel, should be no rubbing
ride around at low speeds to check that they work ok
should be problem solved, otherwise it could be a buckled rotor or something else! 😀

If the pads don’t come back and bite the disc, or they feel spongy, you have air in the system. Bleeding will then be necessary.

Bleeding isn’t a that trickier a task, but you have to be careful not to get fluid on the pads or rotor.

Each brake should have a set amount of fluid. If there is too much, it may work fine for a while, but depending on whether it is an open or closed system, will present binding issues – especially when the brake gets hot. If it does, put a length of bleed hose on the bleed nipple and loosen to allow about a quarter of a lever pull’s worth to flow out. Re-tigthen without letting go of the lever, put a rag round the pipe and make sure no fluid spills when you remove the pipe. If you want to go belts and braces, after locking off the bleed nipple,drop the wheel out, remove the pads before removing the bleed hose. Test ride and see how it behaves. I have done this in the Alps several times. It’s when you get fluid heating up that you get trouble. Long decents cause pump up (heating of the brake fluid), hence why I have had to fix several of my mate’s bikes as well as my own. Use DOT 5.1 fluid if you intend doing any Alpine Downhill runs.

The other issue is that you might have a loose wheel cone. This will allow lateral movement of the hub and can cause light rubbing and “chinging” noises of the rotor when cornering.

Yeah, also check that the rotor is running true

Thanks guys, looks like its bleed time as the pistons aren’t returning.

Rode yesterday without a back brake- sad how reliant id become on it but I reckon you could train yourself to ride fine with only the front

I find that leaving a wedge in the caliper overnight sorts this out without needing to bleed. Usually, unless they aare, OME they will come with something you can use?

couple more things to bear in mind…

Without the pads in check that both pistons move out the same amount when you pull on the brake lever, and that you can push them back easily. If you can’t then the pistons may need cleaning and a bit of work to free them off.

The pads rely on the spring between the pads to keep them off the rotor (provided the pistons are retracting) so if this is old or weak that can cause rub too.