i keep having problems with these brakes. just got my bike back from lbs for another problem with the damn things, been out on the trails, brakes were howling when picking up speed. i took wheel off and put it back on, that stopped it, but now have drag ( i think that is the term) on front wheel. if i spin the wheel it slows too quicky. if i undo my quick release lever ( again i dont no the right word) there is no drag, tighten it back up, drag. just slows right up when i spin it.it doesnt sound like its touching as there is no scraping noise, the wheel just seems stiff if that makes sense.

any help please. new to sport, really enjoying it, its actually nice to get out ride and forget !!, but this is stressing me lol.

cheers guys

This sounds pefectly normal for Avid brakes.
All my Avids rub, (Juicies & Elixirs), but I cant say it bothers me when riding.

First attempt for solving.
1. Loosen the caliper with the wheel in situ.
2. Grab and pull the brake lever.
3. Tighten the caliper.
4. Smile.
http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/avid-reg-hydraulic-caliper-brake-installation-hose-length-changes

I got so tired of the issues you are having ( owned Juicy 7’s ) that I switched to XTR and now I’m a happier person 🙂

I used to be a brake lever puller and caliper tightener. I have switched to the lining the caliper up by eye method and it works!!

nice one, im going to try that now, seeing as the missus has stormed to bed as im using the kitchen as a bike shed, hey its dark outside 😆

AS DS said . Wheel in normally . Undo the 2 top mounting bolts 1 complete turn each . Grab brake lever and apply pressure .= hold.
Tighten both mounting bolts equally . Release lever . Spin wheel .
Relax .

I used to be a brake lever puller and caliper tightener. I have switched to the lining the caliper up by eye method and it works!!

+1, especially with Avid’s silly tri-align system. If all else fails, bin ’em and go Hope/Shimano.

The holding the brake lever method normally gets it most of the way there but doesn’t really work if the pistons aren’t coming out at the same speed. Take the calliper off and the pads out and slowly move out the pistons by squeezing the lever. If one is moving slower than the other then hold the one that moves back with a tyre elver and press the lever, which should make the stuck one move. Lube it with silicon spray or grease, push it back in and repeat until they’re both moving out at the same speed.

Undo the bolts that hold the caliper to the bracket a couple of turns, spin the wheel and pull the brake to stop the wheel then, holding the brake on, carefully tighten the bolts alternately. A lot of people tighten one bolt right up which then twists the caliper and they still drag afterwards. Tighten each one alternately and a bit at a time until they’re both fully tight.

Avid Elixirs are simple enough to keep working perfectly (Juicys, particuularly the Threes, are lousy – the pistons stick). First, you have to remember that they’re a closed system, so air in the system stays in the system. You’re best bleeding them with the bleed kit and brand new DOT5.1 fluid from a newly opened bottle, but slightly older fluid is OK if you lock off the syringe and pull the plunger to get the bubbles to accumulate on the walls of the tube. I buy little bottles of 5.1 from Halfords and I bin fluid that’s over 3 months old.

The bleed method in the Avid manual is rubbish – use the one on the Park Tool site. But I also tap the tubes to make air bubbles move up as I syringe fluid through the system.

A couple of things I’ve found:

If the pads are miles from the disc when you bleed them, they will pull back from the rotor and give you too much lever travel before they bite. Removing the wheel and pulling the lever gently so that the pistons extend (but not too much, or the rotor won’t go back in between the pads) sorts this. You need the pads to be closer together than the thickness of the rotor when pulled and to extend back so that you can get the rotor in. If you overdo it, gently push the pads apart with a big screwdriver or the Avid red pad separator thingy.

(This applies to other makes of brake, too) If you’re out on a ride and the lever is coming back to the bar, you can get them to self bleed by leaning the bike so that the hose points directly down from the lever then flick the lever. This allows the air in the pipe to travel up and trough the small top up hole inside the lever reservoir. If you’re doing this to the back brake and it isn’t working, stand the bike on its back wheel and bounce it up and down to move bubbles up the pipe then try again.

I hope this helps.

guys your all super stars !!

thankyou that worked. too wheel off, ligned caliper back up, squeezed lever etc etc etc. wheel spins like a dream.

many thanks again, i now its all basic but im learning all the time, my problem last week was the pistons wouldnt close, tried do it myself but couldnt get it work, so took it lbs. then this, but now sorted. i can go back on trails tomorow now.

wonderful guys thankyou 😀

edit

cheers shedful, got it sorted but some good tips there i can remember for the future and yes there 3’s lol