Just changed the front pads on avid elixirs. Pushed the pistons back like it said & got wheel spinning freely. When I applied the brake the pistons wouldn’t retract and I’m now riding with the new pads rubbing hard on the rotor. Do I have to take the pads out and blast the pistons with some penetrating oil to stop ’em sticking? Advice please.

just mtfu until the new pads wear a bit…

use the correct brake fluid to lube the piston seals

Carry on, push through the extra effort.

Then in 6 months time take them off get them fixed and you’ll be loads faster.

HTH

This works for shimano and hope brakes. Never had any avid brakes so can only speculate

With the pads out, keep one piston held in with a flat object and pump the lever. This will make the other piston come out on its own. Here you have two options:

1) Attempt to lubricate the entire piston with some silicone grease and then push it back in. Repeat for other side

2) Keep on pumping the lever till the piston pops out. Clean the piston and lube it. Replace it. Now to do the opposite side you will have to get some fluid back into the system first.

I’ve always found that option 2 works better (though takes more time)

don’t use penetrating oil. Will swell the seals and make it worse.

I’d probably drain the old oil out, give them a good clean up and lube with a nice fresh bottle of brake fluid (assuming they use Dot4). Mineral oil doesnt need to be a fresh bottle as it won’t suck up water but you have to stick with the fluid your brakes are designed for.

DON’T use DOT fluid to “lube” your disc brake seals, its not a lubricant in any sense and makes the seals swell, it will certainly help with initial re-installation when rebuilding a caliper (pushing pistons into the caliper halves) but that’s all it will offer…

…what you need is silicon grease, although this involves stripping the brake calipers and a full rebuild with rebleed which is pain for most home mechanics

if you buy a Hope “tackle box” for a bike workshop kit it contains Hunter silicon grease for the caliper piston seals, we also have supplies of RS silicon grease for Avid, Shimano and Hayes rebuilds

a quick fix (temporary) is to remove the brake pads and pump the pistons out several cycles using the brake lever (but not so many times they fall out!) and then apply a silicon spray like “Fork Juice” before reseating the pistons with a 10mm ring spanner

before reinstalling the disc brake pads, make sure to remove any excess silicon from the caliper bay using iso alcohol or disc brake cleaner

Thanks for advice guys. Blimey, I only needed to change the pads and now it appears I’m in for some serious fettling. The lbs man might be getting some of my dosh soon 🙁 Is this “sticky piston” thing a common occurrence when renewing pads? I had no probs when I changed the rear brake pads.