Quote:
Originally posted by Redruth Ok, well in the absence of anything more challenging, I have a question. Why do my front brakes lock up in these circumstances: 1. Ride the bike on a cold winter's day. 2. Hose it off and put it in the garage 3. Next time I come to move it, I can't budge it. 4. Try to bump it up and down a bit and it and eventually manage to move it forward but it makes a horrible grinding noise. 5. Brake lever seems much stiffer for the first few miles but then eases up. 6. Is it safe to keep riding it when this happens? This is a genuine question based on real facts. No names have been changed to protect anyone at all. |
This can happen with stainless discs to, not just cast iron. I think your bike has the stainless rotors Ruth?
The cast are more prone, because they are ferrous, but the pads can suffer minor corrosion from damp and the scientific bit mentioned beforehand about disimilar metals reacting with each other also effects things.
Once you've freed the pads from the discs, have a look at the discs and you'll see the outline of the pads on the disc faces.
The grinding noise is from the pads rubbing over the now rough disc area where they were stuck. The surface of the pad has been "roughed up" where the corroded part was left on the disc face. As the pads are smoothed off again, and the disc face cleaned through use of the brakes, the noise will disappear.
Not too sure of the "stiff lever"............maybe it's just a feel thing whilst the pads are bedding down again?
I don't think it's sticky pistons though, as they'd be sticky all the while.........
It's not a real problem. The main thing'll be a slightly accelerated pad wear rate. Every time you break the pads free, you're ripping a layer from the pads rather than wearing them in the normal way.
If you wanted to prevent it, when you park it up or wash it, push the pads back in the calipers so they aren't touching the discs................................Just remember to pump the brakes a few time before you ride it again.
Maybe that last bit wasn't so clever

"no 5hit Sherlock"
