I drove my bike (Specialized Cirrus 2) halfway across the country and in order for it to fit in my car I needed to remove the front wheel. When I finally got to taking my bike back out of the car I went to put the front wheel back on and the disc brakes seem to be too narrow to fit the disc back into. I tried using a small flathead screwdriver just to gently see if they’d open up but they won’t. Anything else I should try?
by Ok-Plantain-9305
4 Comments
spread the pads with a screwdriver or something similar. make sure not to damage the pads
This happens when you squeeze the brake lever with the wheel removed. Perhaps it happened accidentally when the bike was in the back of the car. But regardless, you need to spread the pads using a screwdriver or something similar. You can stop this from happening in the future by installing a brake block when transporting the bike with the wheel off.
Plastic tyre kever will work without damaging the pads.
It’s best to take the pads out and then spread the pistons with a plastic tire lever. You don’t want to scratch your pads with a screwdriver.
Good news is you likely don’t need a brake bleed if they’re fighting you to retract.