Drmmrlittle

My front disk rotor wont line up and is rubbing on 1 on the pads, it wont stay centered, what do i do!

scrublover

Uh, what brakes? What fork mount? You either have a bent or misaligned rotor, a crappy caliper setup, or possibly a caliper piston that is not retracting as it should.

Between this and your cables/housing issue, perhaps rolling down a home built ramp 10' up is not the best of ideas. . .

Drmmrlittle

haha that was good i like it!

Its shimano disk brake donno what model and theyre on marzocchi drop offs. The rotor is not bent, may be misaligned? but how do i fix it!?

And i dont know what type of life your living but just because my front brake isnt working i dont restrict my bike to flat ground.

scrublover

i don't restrict my bike to flat ground either, and live a nicely comfortable life. thanks for your concern.

all i mean is: if you're this clueless about what is going on with/how to work on your own bike, maybe give some good thought to what you're going to build.

Drmmrlittle

but why do i have to put thought into it? Im fifteen years old all i need is some speed and a jump to have a good time? What is there to think about?

scrublover

just advice, that's all. do with it what you will.

i've seen a lot of crappy home built wooden stunts in the woods - they all fall apart after a while. wouldn't it be nicer to spend a little time/effort/money to do it right so the thing last, and doesn't fall apart or rot away????

Drmmrlittle

oh yeah no i will put a lot of time and effort into it. Im going to have my dad help me build it, im sure it will last. I thought you were talking about me getting hurt. Theres no such thing as injury when your my age.



and about that, how am i ever supposed to be educated on my bike if you wont even help me out with a some what simple problem?

Sorry im not trying to be a jerk im just trying to help you realize everyone has to start off new to the sport at some point, my time is now, i just need someone to teach me the ropes. Thats why i came to this forum website

scrublover

people are trying to help you, but you have to give us the info to do so. that was why i asked about your brakes/fork/setup. can't help you fix something if we don't know what it is...

work your way through this for your brakes:

https://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=126

and yes, yes there is injury at your age. you may not feel so, but trust me - there is. need speed for the jumps? pedal faster.

Drmmrlittle

thats another thing with us teenagers, why pedal when you dont need to?

Believe it or not i really do appreciate your help and i think this park tool site should help me through my problems. Thanks a ton!

JonnyV

what have you tried so far to fix it?

Dannihilator

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger? It sounds nice but it doesn't really make you stronger, it will only make you smarter.

Before you go and do anything learn how to work on your equipment. Once you have a feel for that, then start out at like say 5'. Once you get comfortable there, then start raising the height, until you feel like you have reached the edge of your comfort level at the time. Also, keep this in mind, it hurts a bit more when taking a spill with jumps and drops. When you go to make your run at it, go at it like you mean it. Don't leave any doubt in your mind, if you have some doubt about it, don't go for it you will make an error which will result in a crash, wait for another day.

ca7erham

What ever doesnt kill you could leave you maimed or for ever crippled.

S.D.XC

DARNNIT!!

You were a step ahead of me!!

Well i guess you'll always be...

luker

hmmm...sounds like y'all need some of this, maybe.

cryptid01

If everything else is as it should be (straight and mounted correctly) you'll need to adjust the position of the caliper using washers/shims or a facing tool.

mcoomer

Dude, if you've not been able to keep it from rubbing then you should start at the beginning and check everything again.

Take the rotor off the wheel and lay it on a flat surface to make sure it's trie. If not, fix it with a crescent wrench or replace it. When you put it back on the wheel use a torque wrench to make sure you're not overtightening one of the fasteners and pulling on the rotor.

Squeeze the lever brake lever and check that the pads grip the rotor firmly. Watch the caliper closely and release the lever, making sure that the pads pull back slightly from the rotor. If not, pull the caliper, pull the pads out, and then SLOWLY squeeze the brake lever till the caliper pistons almost completely extended. Dribble a few drops of brake fluid onto the exposed piston surface and then force the pistons back into the calipers. Repeat and then reinstall the pads and mount the caliper on the bike. Test again to see that the pads pull back from the rotor when the lever is released.

Finally, align the caliper to your rotor by slightly loosening the caliper mount bolts, spinning the wheel, stopping it with the brake, and tightening the caliper mounting bolts without releasing the lever. Spin the wheel, check for clearance and repeat as necessary. Some manufacturers require shims to align their brakes, as gastro noted. My Stumpy has Maguras that required shims till I chucked their hardware, put a new post mount caliper on the rear, and installed Avids CPS hardware front and rear. You can shim it or go that route if you wish.

If everything is working as it should you will be able to get your brakes aligned. If something's broken, bent, or worn out you won't.

Mike