I think my brake is dragging lol?

[Jamezo]

After alarumba showed me how to raise my front wheel off the ground, I gave it a bit of a spin, and I was rather suprised when it did not rotate all that readily, and quickly slowed to a stop.

Further investigation indicated that it was the front brake caliper that was causing this.

This was the first time I had ever checked for this, I was a little apprehensive because I feared the rotor could have been bent somewhat in my recent off (though I checked it for obvious visual distortions).

So I let it be, and after coming back from a healthy mebbe 40 minutes of something vaugely resembling sports riding, I checked the rotor at home, and it was quite hot to the touch. Is that normal for that kind of time and use?

I also noticed that if I listened carefully at low speeds, I could detect the wheel squeaking at a point in it's revolution when the front brake was lightly applied. Could this mean an assymetric rotor? (but bear in mind, when I hand-turned the wheel, it slowed quite evenly at all points of its rotation)


alarumba said that it's possible that the brake pad could just wear to the point that it no longer drags, but that doesn't sound very happy to me.....


So I'm just looking for any kind of advice or help from somebody who knows more about this shizzle than I do.

[nadroj]

When riding, any slight runout of the rotors rub on the brake pad pushing in the caliper pistons until the don't create pressure. 2 scenario's are than there is a slight dirt buildup behind a piston (dirt in brake fluid) causing it to not release right off. To fix it requires stripping and cleaning of the calipers and a checking of seals etc + new fluid. The other problem cuold be a little air in with the caliper brake fluid which can hold a little pressure on the caliper as air can hold a little pressure. this fix only requires a (preferably pressure) brake bleed. Drag on the discs can only be checked by going for a ride without using the suspect brake & then checking it's temperature. Also check the front wheel for any sideways play - wheel off ground and wiggle side to side at the top. This is caused by loose or worn wheel bearings. Hope this helps.