My Shimano rear brake feels sticky compared the front. The bite feels good but It just lacks that snappiness of the front brake. I have bled them, cleaned the pistons, and checked to make sure the olive and barb are installed correctly. My other Shimano servo wave levers feel identical between the front and back. I’m lost on what could be causing the issue. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Why is my rear brake “sticky”?
byu/Melodic_Theme7364 inbikewrench
by Melodic_Theme7364
8 Comments
Might need a bleeding.
Probably a sticky caliper. Remove your pads and clean it out really well.
Are there any visible crimps or kinks in the hoes? That is always my first guess
I had something similar on a brand new bike. I believe it was a tolerance issue with the lever because it was sticky even when pushing the lever away from the bars. If you push the lever the opposite way it should move a tiny bit and if you let go it should spring back to its neutral position. The shop I bought the bike from ended up sending me a whole new front brake (lever and caliper pre bled). This was in a deore brake lever.
My rear caliper is similar. Shimano m7000. What I ended up doing is cleaning the pistons.
Does your lever have a bushing or a bearing that it pivots on? If it is a bushing, those can definitely get sticky with dust and cause a similar sticky feeling.
Remove the oil line at the lever. Then try it again. If it’s still sticky. Then the problem is inside the lever. You might need to remove the piston inside the lever, clean and add new grease.
Otherwise it’s the air in the system.
Could be the lever. I had a lazy lever straight out the box. It never bothered me in use but the tech mentioned it again last time my bike was serviced…. Still doesn’t bother me in use 5 years later. Think last time I checked it had stopped doing it.