The main sign that indicates brakes rubbing is your bike moving slowly despite pedaling fast. There are two main reasons your disc brakes might be rubbing. You can also subscribe without commenting. Theres no need to undo them fully, just enough so the caliper is free to move. (Make sure you can still stop the wheel easily.) Make sure the wheel is tight. Once theyre loose, Perejmybida says to squeeze your brakes so that they engage the rotor. Bleed your brakes: If you have hydraulic disc brakes and the levers feel spongy when you squeeze them, there may be air in the hydraulics. Rotate your bikes wheel severally to ensure the disc brake and wheel dont come into contact. If this technique hasnt solved the issue, you can try to align the caliper by eye. Hopefully, this helps you silence brake rub on your bike. Just make sure the jaws are clean so you dont contaminate your rotors with oil or grease. If your brakes suddenly feel super tight, are increasingly mushy, or one of your pistons in the brake is stuck, your hydraulic brakes may need a good bleed. However, if only one caliper moves, you should reposition your caliper. If you decide to change your disc brakes pads from one material to another, make sure you use a new disc rotor thats compatible with the pad material to ensure optimum performance. To fix this, loosen the screws securing the calliper onto the fork/frame, and pull the brake lever. Image 4. This is often because the brake callipers are not exactly centred. Spin the wheel and watch the rotor. If any pads rub against the rim, even without pressing the brakes, your pads are not at the center. Make sure the disc rotor and brake caliper are tightened correctly. #1 With my bike up on a stand over the weekend, I noticed that if I spin my front wheel it stops spinning rather quickly (unlike the back which spins perfectly). Next, evenly tighten the bolt next to the first bolt you started to tighten and then opposite and so on. Fixing a stuck bicycle disc brake piston [1019], 2015 - 2023 BikeGremlin Powered by bacon & electricity, Guest posts, linking, and advertising policy, rubbing is an inherent problem of disc brake technology, Square drive socket wrench (ratchet) size standards, Screwdriver hex-bit size standards and types, Configuring a comfortable riding position, SPOKE LACING: What makes Sense and what is Nonsense!