Brake rotor centering spacer gizmo ?

I use one. It takes seconds and never seems to fail. I'm pretty sure they're all much the same but this is the one I bought (I bought a batch as gifts some mates too).

https://www.weirdosonbikes.com/product/disc-brake-spacers/

Another vote for them here, £2 we’ll spent

I use them and like them.

However I centre the calliper by eye with the pads / pistons fully retracted (Hope style, works nicely for Shimano road too), then use the shims (Birzman in my case) to centre the pistons.

Works brilliantly.

I use the R3 pro stuff, I have the caliper alignment tool and the piston release tool: https://www.r3pro.co.uk/collections/brake-tools

looks like prices have crept up since I got them though!

Another vote for the tool and that seller. Finest £2 spent on my bike.

Sounds like £2 to spend on something else? Why ever would you need this?

Running two sets of wheels

Have one, as above, use it all the time with two sets of wheels, it helps quite a bit with the caliper movement you can sometimes get when you do the pull brake and tighten bolts method. It's just really easy to do and use, so no real downside, especially at the cost of it.

I just use feeler gauges (as in the ones you use to set spark plug gaps). Has the advantage that you can play around with different clearances if you have a troublesome caliper.

I have a slightly posher version of the one posted above;

http://www.birzman.com/products_2.php?uID=2&cID=4&Key=350

Works an absolute charm. There's been times in the past when I've spend literally an hour or so trying to centre a calliper by sight. Saw these on a German site a few months back and thought why not. It's one of those amazing little tools that makes bike fettling fun.

smiffy
Full Member

Sounds like £2 to spend on something else? Why ever would you need this?

Because they are the fastest and most effective way I’ve yet found for aligning calipers

or if you have Magura brakes, at about 2:00 in

This thread has prompted me to buy one. I've been thinking about it for ages. I'm going to be bleeding my brakes at some point soon, so this will hopefully be a positive addition to the process.

+1 for the weirdos on bikes took

The best couple of quid I've spent on tools.

So we're just talking about non-post mount brakes here?

I use mine for post mount and flat mount. Never used it on IS mount - but I don’t have any anymore.

It could work on IS mount. Remove the fixing bolts, insert the tab, pull the lever and then use washers to shim out the caliper from the mounts. Not as easy, but possible.

Whats the deal on sizes ?. I see some sell you a single gizmo, while others come in a pack or 3 or more. And then there's an extra long one 😕

Im intending on using it to space out V4's, on the solid extra thick ebike rotor.

I got the tool from Joe at Weirdos on bikes. Sorted out my road shimano brakes a treat! Thanks!

I use an old folded business card.

For those that find they need to constantly adjust the callipers because they have two sets of wheels you could try some shims from Cyclocross. I bought some and they have lined my rotors up a treat so I rarely need to adjust them now...

Hang on, with that Joe weirdos tool, the process is almost exactly the same as with out the tool.
Loosen bolts, spin wheel (on in this case rotate to align too), squeeze brake and hold, tighten bolts
What's the tool helping with?

Hang on, with that Joe weirdos tool, the process is almost exactly the same as with out the tool.
Loosen bolts, spin wheel (on in this case rotate to align too), squeeze brake and hold, tighten bolts
What’s the tool helping with?

Its giving it space or equal space each side of the rotor.

You cannot always guarantee the pistons will move exactly in unison, and in fact some think the pistons nearest the hose move first and might come out further, so if it is uneven then the spacer gizmo means that no matter how the pistons have come out, the distance from pad to rotor is equal.

I dont know the thickness of the gizmo sides, but tolerances are tight in there already, so any discrepancy of uneven pistons is at an absolute minimum.

Ideally a feeler gauge, a internal measuring instrument and a bit of simple arithmetic would mean you could work it out exactly Pad thickness, rotor thickness, space inside the caliper between the pistons. Add subtract etc.

I'm struggling to see what this is for, when callipers self-align as above.

Callipers don't always self align correctly. You need the disc to be central in the narrow slots in the bottom of the calliper. Often when using the piston alignment method it will push the calliper to one or other side of the slot. The tool will hold the calliper centrally over the dic while you pump the pistons out to hold it in place while tightening the bolts.

Can't believe I didn't know about these, life saver .

I think, as do Hope so not just me, there are two issues.

Hope instructions suggest you a) centre the calliper around the disc, then b) centre the pads/pistons around the disc.

This gives you both a set up where the pads are centred on the disc, but also the pistons are equally advanced.

I reckon it helps not just with short term brake rub, but also with power & modulation and with long term lack of need for re-fettling.

The way I use those shims is for helping with the b) bit.

Works for me.

I received mine the other day. With a little handwritten note from Joe, thanking me for my order. Lovely touch.

In practice, I can't say they are the easiest things to use, especially with 4 pots. The spacer disappears nearly entirely into the calliper, and needed a little help from an allen key to retrieve it. Still a little bit of rub once I'd done the squeeze and tighten bit. I think I'll need to have a little more of a play with it.

That birzman one does look nice though. The handle is a very useful touch.

and needed a little help from an allen key to retrieve it.

Roll the bike forward/back a little and dab the brake. Should pop out then

@mashr nice tip! Cheers!