Is there a way of removing pistons from hayes stroker trail other than using an air compressor or by using track pump with airbed adaptor connected (as recommended by somebody on here last week)?
I used a pair of side cutter pliers to grab hold of the pad locator bit in the middle to gently lever them out.
anything else risks marking the piston or snapping the pad locator
best to split the caliper, track pump on bleed nipple via a piece of hose, wrap the whole thing in a cloth so the piston doesn't shoot across the garage and put your finger over the transfer port before you push the track pump down.
It works for Avid brakes so I guess it would work for others. If you are renewing the piston i have used the side cutter method mentioned above.
Look at your brakes and see what side of the calliper the hose comes into, hold the piston on that side in with a spanner or flat bladed screw driver then pump the brake. This should pump out the far away piston (this is the difficult one to get with a pump as you can’t rig something up to the hose connection of the caliper).
Next you need to disassemble the calliper and do something like in the video below (apologies for the foreign commentary).
As you can see the piston will come out with a lot of pressure behind it, rather than fire it across your room aim it into a bag or something. Also I’d advise wearing some safety glasses as if you get dot fluid in your eyes it is not pleasant.
It's very easy to snap the pad locator pins.
The only way I know without an air compressor is a track pump with a football or airbed connector, pushed through a couple of layers of an old latex glove to help get a seal. You might be able to do something dangerous with a CO2 inflator and an old presta valve too!
Deffo worth wrapping it up with a cloth, if only to catch some of the atomised DOT fluid!
sssimon - your method deals with the side of the caliper the bleed nipple is connected to, what about the other piston?
If you put the air adapter into the transfer port, and a rubber gloved thumb over the hose connector you can do either side. It does require 3-4 hands though.
I have an old hose I use or a bigger bleed nipple
I used a pair of side cutter pliers to grab hold of the pad locator bit in the middle to gently lever them out.
This is bad news based on my experience with Hayes 9. Assuming the same type of piston you run a real risk of breaking the pin off the piston. If you do then you need a new piston.
Best way is compressed air if you have it. If not then see if you can rig a track pump up to the open bleed valve.