Front brake pads touching rotors.

[CRMH Eagle]

After installing the forks and front tire (thanks GPS for the upgrade!), I had the front wheel suspended a few inches off the ground by my jedi powers. So I turned the front wheel by hand and heard the pads scraping against the rotors. I squeezed the brake lever a few times but to no avail the same issue resulted. I expected the front wheel to turn easily but this is not the case.

Is this normal?

 

[builderwill]

That's normal on all my bikes brakes, hearing them rub on the rotor. As long as they are not binding or really dragging, its fine

 

[wfooshee]

If the front wheel won't coast when lifted like that, or is hard to turn, you may be in need of new seals in the caliper cylinders. Old seals will stiffen up and not allow the pistons to relax, resulting in excessive pad friction when the brakes are off. It's gonna be a bit over a hunnert bucks for the seal kits, and installing them is not the simplest chore, although not really that complex. You have to remove the caipers, pop the pistons out, remove the seals and install the new ones, reinstall the pistons (after a thorough cleaning) and then a complete brake bleed at all front bleed screws, one of which comes from the rear with the linked brakes on your Gen-II.

You may get away with simply giving the pistons a good cleaning, getting the crud off the section that's exposed.

The pads will touch the rotors with the brakes off, but they shouldn't have enough friction to keep the wheel from turning fairly freely.

 

[r1byker]

That's normal on all my bikes brakes, hearing them rub on the rotor. As long as they are not binding or really dragging, its fine

+1. True for all my present and previous bikes.

 

[Harald]

You may get away with simply giving the pistons a good cleaning, getting the crud off the section that's exposed.

That's what I'd try first and what I do whenever changing pads. To get a more thorough cleaning, what I do is insert a wooden shim in the caliper (while it's not on the rotor and the pads are removed) and then apply the brakes to force the pistons out some. Then use a toothbrush and cleaning solution to scrub the exposed piston and the rest of the caliper. This is especially important when replacing pads because if you don't clean the pistons before shoving them into the caliper, then you jamb crud against/under the seals. :angry: