I got some 7s off here. i've fitted them but the wheels do not spin freely as the disks brush against the pads. any idea how to align the discs within the caliper/any way of getting rid of the drag? cheers!

Are the pistons pushed back fully?
Have you centred the caliper on the discs properly- slacken off the caliper mounting bolts squeeze the lever-tighten up bolts?

which pistons + how can i see whether i have or not? i've centred the caliper on the discs now but there is still drag
thankye

i think the pistons are too far out but i cannot push them back in enough to fit both pads back in at the same time. how can i get the piston to go further into the bore to allow me to put the pads back in? the adjustment screws on the levers are fully 'out'. do i need to release some fluid? can i do this without needing to rebleed the brakes?
anyone know? cheers

Hi – I had exactly this problem with my 7s a month or so ago and solved the problem by asking the same question 🙂

If the pads are already fitted, get in there with a bluntish screwdriver and force the pads apart. If not, use the same driver to force the pistons back into their housings before fitting the pads.

A top tip given to me by a member on here is that you really have to shove the pads in with a bit of force (I used a screwdriver again – handy tool!), at which point you'll get a nice, positive CLICK.

Also, it's worth noting that 7s run very, very close to the rotor – mine are permanently brushing the rotor – just the nature of the beast…

Ace, i'll give it a shot with a bit more muscle. one more n00b question, how will i know when they need a bleed?
thanks for your help!

what pads are you using? If they are not Avid pads & the backplates are painted, then remove the paint from the edge of the pads using a scalpel or similar. This will stop them binding in the caliper.

With regard to the pistons I am not quite sure whether the are supposed to fully retract or not. The bleed kit comes with a spacer to push the pistons back while bleeding, but it isn't wide enough to push them completely back so they sit flush.

I have got 7's and they dragged like mad when I replaced the pads for the first time. I re-centred them, tried freeing up the pistons by lightly lubing them & then pumping them in & out. Didn't make any difference. I then bled them which made them a bit better, but not great. Finally the bike shop down the road recommended scraping the paint off the pads as described above & that sorted it out completely.

I've got 7's on my Stumpy and although they stop me fine I find they love to chew up the little spring that holds the pads apart (forcing a change of pads) and are the biggest pain in the @rse to change pads on. I usually end up having to file a bit off the back of the pads so I can get them in the caliper. 👿

Took me ages to figure out that the 'In' arrow on the contact point adjuster actually means the pads move back in to the caliper (so 'out' in my eyes) and not in towards the rotor 😳

In contrast my very very cheap original Hope Mini's stop my 456 perfectly well for my use, look fab, original pads are way cheaper, last much much longer and take seconds to change 🙂

If you are on your first pad change, or are changing the pads after bleeding the calipers there just doesn't seem to be enough space (due to the piston 'peg').

So open the caliper bleed valve a turn, push the pads/pistons back in, close the valve. Insert new pads. Sometimes you need to re-bleed.

Its all due to the stupid 'tools free' pad change…, mind the newer Hopes have a stupid pin now rather than screwing in relies on the worlds smallest locking-spring…

For me the best/easiest pad change I've come across are on an old set of XTR's I have – allen pin and then pads from the top – often you don't even need to take out the wheel.

Thanks for all the replies, i think i've sorted it. Sharkbait – i thought exactly the same thing as you about the in/out dial, that seemed to be the problem as i had it wound out all the way which meant that the pads couldn't retract all the way. once i'd wound them in then i could fit the pads in. i actually gave a little 'hurrah' when i'd done it as they are the last components to be fitted so now i can actually ride the thing!
the pads have bronze backs rather than painted so there wasnt much i could scrape off. the rear brake is still dragging a lot, its like the piston just doesnt retract properly after being compressed. the front wheel has an acceptable amount of drag. test ride out in the road nearly killed me, almost flew over the bars due to hydraulics despite going at a rapid pace of about 2 miles an hour.

cheers for the help, and any advice on fine tuning that back brake would be grand. i've tried adjusting the knob on the levers and aligning the calliper with the rotor. the rotor may be slightly warped as the dragging sound is irregular. the wheel is in squarely and to the eye the rotor looks flat.
thanks again to all