I bike shipped with these two SRAM plastic thingies. Are they tools, or was I supposed to install them somewhere? I've poked them around the bike but can't spot any uses for them.
My bike has SRAM Apex 11 speed and SRAM hydraulic disk brakes, my totally amateur feeling is the thingies are related to either of those.
by japakapalapa
9 Comments
They go between the brakes pads when you take the wheel out, to simulaye a disc rotor and to stop you pushing the pads too far in if you use the brake lever while the wheels are out.
Use these is you have the wheel out for service or if you are traveling. If you squeeze the brake lever and the pistons over extend, then you will need to reset them. These avoid that issue.
They’re brake shim for when you remove the wheels, so the brake pads don’t close up if you accidentally squeeze the levers.
others already answered,,, but what they didn’t say:
KEEP THEM , (and use them … every time you think “it’s ok, i won’t be pulling the brake”… trust me… you will lean your bike against something that pushes the brake and you will wish you would have used those….
ask me how i know
also there are two sides,
in your picture the bottom side is angeled, so that you can push them between the brake pads when they are really close ( or even closed for)
the top side as a small “hook” that fits the little screw that holds the brake pads, so when you push the plastic thing in, the hook on the top clips to the little screw on you caliper, so that the plastic thingy doesn’t come off during transport or something
also: those fit all sram brakes and not only the ones you have (yes, also mtb)
Pad spacers. Put them between the brake pads when the wheels are removed, so that if the brake lever is accidentally squeezed nothing bad will happen.
If you take your wheel off you pop them in between your brake pads to keep them properly spaced and prevent the pistons from coming all the way out if you bump into your levers. I always ride with at least one in case I have to take a wheel off to change a flat or install a tube on a bike that is setup tubeless.
I believe you can also use them for brake pistonn serviceing with the pads out. They can be used when alligning your pistons without falling out
Pad spacers, they’re used for transport, brake bleeds, or any other instance where one or both of the rotors aren’t in the calipers.
I have been recently rescued by these because some idiot me) tried to depress my breaks while riding on my indoor trainer lol. They work great 😊