About 1K miles ago I put some Ultegra brakes on my 2007 Specialized Roubaix. After a ride on damp roads, the brakes (especially rear) don't spring back, although I can pull them open. When my previous brakes had this problem I disassembled them, cleaned, lubed, and reassembled. That worked fine, although it made me aware that the brakes were pretty beat, and not very good (and a mechanic [at a club century] had told me I should get new brakes).

But maybe there's a shortcut... So I ask you mavens - is it sensible to:

1. Spray with WD-40 and them lube the two pivots with oil dripped from an old-fashioned oil can and I'm done if it frees up?
2. Loosen the two brake pad holding arm pivot screws and I'm done if it frees up?
3. Buy a new bike? Just kidding...

Thanks, as always. These forums are an amazing resource.

PS - I am not sure of the Ultegra number - they were the newest style before Ultegra changed to the new levers when Shimano specifies that the brakes should only be used with those levers.

Hmm. That does not make much sense. Is there an issue with your cables? I have found certain brake issues on my beater bike, which I ride frequently in rain, sleet, snow etc, are a result of cable problems. Check to see if exposed cable is running along your top tube and is getting road spray. Keep the brakes AND cables clean.

Nope, no cable resistance. Clean? All I did to clean it was spray the brakes with a garden hose.

Have you attached the calipers too tightly to the frame itself? Perhaps this is why the springs are not allowing the calipers to release.

Sounds like a cable issue. Disconnect the cable and see if the brakes pop open easily on their own.

Does this happen while riding too? Sometimes a pad can wear to a point where the brake will wedge itself stuck on the rim. Usually very noticeable while the wheels are still but not nearly as bad when in motion because the rotation of the rim bucks them back off.

Cleaning didn't help - there wasn't any significant dirt or grit. Lube didn't help. The cure was to take the brake off and loosen the right-side pivot bolt (after loosening the locking Allen screw).

I cannot think of any reason anything would have changed other than the ride on wet roads, but that doesn't seem to have been the problem. So I didn't learn why but I did fix it.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Can't stress enough that about 99% of brake problems are cable related. But if that's not the issue, I think you've found it:

I'm not quite sure what that other pivot bolt does, but I too found that tightening it too much (on an Ultegra caliper I pulled from the trash) causes the brake to bind.

As far as your old brakes are concerned, what exactly went wrong with them? I've never heard of brake calipers "wearing out" unless you're talking about my ~30 year old Mafac Racer centerpulls that have been bent so many times and are so corroded I'm surprised they still work at all...

Yeah, you make em sound ultra-crappy... IMO you should be able to expect 30 years or more from RX100 brakes.