Sram code r piston question

[Dpickin1]

I have to remove my front wheel for transport as I don't yet have a suitable rack. I lost the plastic piece that I usually put between the rotors and then of course the brake Lever was accidentally actuated which caused the pads to rub like crazy.

After a few you tube videos I decided I could remove the pads and gently push the piston back in place which I did. The brakes don't rub but now there is too much pull in the Lever before the brake bites. How can I adjust this so that the brake bites at the same point as before?

 

[paquo]

you may have gotten air in the system which would require bleeding which is pretty straight forward. The sram bleed kit with bleeding edge attachment is a bit pricey but is good quality

 

[slippery pete]

The pistons will gradually settle back out again. Potentially a piston is sticky. Does the rotor get pushed to one side as the pads make contact?
If so, push the rotor against the pads while tapping the lever (difficult to describe). Easiest with bike on a workstand and the wheel axle loosened.

Theory says:

The pistons have no particular preferred position. They just take up slack. You should be able to align the caliper perfectly centred on the rotor and then align the pistons to suit.

Problem is:

Some pistons are stickier than others. The rotor is flexible and won't resist the first piston that makes contact so by the time the opposing piston reaches the rotor, the rotor will be off centre. Doesn't mean you can't push back against the over eager piston though.

There is a more detailed point about the piston deforming the seal Vs sliding past the seal and how that determines the behaviour.

 

[Dpickin1]

The pistons will gradually settle back out again. Potentially a piston is sticky. Does the rotor get pushed to one side as the pads make contact?
If so, push the rotor against the pads while tapping the lever (difficult to describe). Easiest with bike on a workstand and the wheel axle loosened.

Theory says:

The pistons have no particular preferred position. They just take up slack. You should be able to align the caliper perfectly centred on the rotor and then align the pistons to suit.

Problem is:

Some pistons are stickier than others. The rotor is flexible and won't resist the first piston that makes contact so by the time the opposing piston reaches the rotor, the rotor will be off centre. Doesn't mean you can't push back against the over eager piston though.

There is a more detailed point about the piston deforming the seal Vs sliding past the seal and how that determines the behaviour.

WOW!! What an amazing answer really! I will try this tonight and see if it works. Thanks again.

 

[Trickz]

I do this with my code r brakes,I Remove the wheel and give the lever a tiny pull,this will advance the piston return position ,if you go to far just reset again by pushing the pistons back in,it’s not ideal but it’s a way of adjusting the contact point if you dont have the adjustment on the levers

 

[z1ppy]

I’m probably going to buy one of these Piston release tools to try

 

[BikeRepairsDirect]

The brakes don't rub but now there is too much pull in the Lever before the brake bites. How can I adjust this so that the brake bites at the same point as before?

How many times have you pulled lever since doing this? try a around 10 quick pumps of lever.

 

[Mattwilko92]

I’m probably going to buy one of these Piston release tools to try

Wow that looks neat. Purchased.

 

[Tim69]

Or......just never touch SRAM brakes!
Because their crap!
(Everybody wait before you crucify me! I'm talking from experience)
Their quality and materials, are pure crap. From experience. Bought the original "code" when they first came out.. never! Worked right, felt like crap, either too "harsh" or too mushy, constantly had to bleed them.. and soon after I bought them the lever piston froze up, impossible to repair! An aluminum piston in an aluminum sleeve.. stuck forever. Had to throw the pair out! Bought Hope brakes. Never looked back!
Not to say there aren't other great brakes out there, Shimano, and others, but Hope quality is the best. Just saying.
Got "code R's" on my Kenevo... Never could get them to work satisfactorily, pads wore out almost immediately, finnally put my old Hope's on them.. work like a charm! Still on original pads.. after a year, btw.

 

[Aragaiki]

My experience is different, I always was Shimano’s fans, and owned XTR - 2 pistons brakes in my Yeti SB6. I decided to move 4 pistons brakes, looking for maximum stopping power and modulation for Enduro/Bikepark trails.
After reading a lot magazine‘s review I decided to buy the Code RSC. At the beginning I was very reluctant considering the bad reputation of avid Brakes, base of the new Code, but after more than one year they are working flawless, no need of new pads (metalic) nether bleeding them.
In November, I bought the Kenevo 2020 Comp and came with Code R, No problem up to date. Any case, I prefer the Code RSC, same braking power but better modulation and fine adjustment than R, so I just bougth from ebay the RSC levers to replace R ones.
I believe you had bad luck or the Hope brakes are so good!

 

[Trail-Niels]

Or......just never touch SRAM brakes!
Because their crap!
(Everybody wait before you crucify me! I'm talking from experience)
Their quality and materials, are pure crap. From experience. Bought the original "code" when they first came out.. never! Worked right, felt like crap, either too "harsh" or too mushy, constantly had to bleed them.. and soon after I bought them the lever piston froze up, impossible to repair! An aluminum piston in an aluminum sleeve.. stuck forever. Had to throw the pair out! Bought Hope brakes. Never looked back!
Not to say there aren't other great brakes out there, Shimano, and others, but Hope quality is the best. Just saying.
Got "code R's" on my Kenevo... Never could get them to work satisfactorily, pads wore out almost immediately, finnally put my old Hope's on them.. work like a charm! Still on original pads.. after a year, btw.

You may be one of the few who experienced problems with the Code brakes. I’ve run SRAM/Avid 4 piston brakes for around 14.000 km’s over the past 5-6 years, and I’ve only had one problem with a caliber giving up after +8.000 km. They work reliable like clockwork and are very easy to maintain, and bleed. I can’t say which other brakes are good or bad, except for some cheap crap 2 piston Shimano I had on a bike years ago.

 

[Tim69]

You may be one of the few who experienced problems with the Code brakes. I’ve run SRAM/Avid 4 piston brakes for around 14.000 km’s over the past 5-6 years, and I’ve only had one problem with a caliber giving up after +8.000 km. They work reliable like clockwork and are very easy to maintain, and bleed. I can’t say which other brakes are good or bad, except for some cheap crap 2 piston Shimano I had on a bike years ago.

I can't argue with you personal experience of course, glad you have had good use from them but from my experience... And I used to do a lot of downhilling, just about everyone I knew at the time, who had them, dumped them, for "saints". As they were problematic, not verry adjustable, and faded badly.
You can't in all fairness compare them to a cheap two piston brake, as they are supposed to be a fancy top of the line four piston "leading edge" set of brakes... When they are really just a cheap mass produced low quality copy of other manufacturers brakes.. and almost any other top of the line brake, would be better!
But that's just my opinion of course..
Cheers!
Tim

 

[Trail-Niels]

I can't argue with you personal experience of course, glad you have had good use from them but from my experience... And I used to do a lot of downhilling, just about everyone I knew at the time, who had them, dumped them, for "saints". As they were problematic, not verry adjustable, and faded badly.
You can't in all fairness compare them to a cheap two piston brake, as they are supposed to be a fancy top of the line four piston "leading edge" set of brakes... When they are really just a cheap mass produced low quality copy of other manufacturers brakes.. and almost any other top of the line brake, would be better!
But that's just my opinion of course..
Cheers!
Tim

As I wrote, I can’t say which is good and which is not, since my experience is SRAM and some cheap Shimano brakes.
I tend to take my own experience - as you also do - and I can only speak for myself.
Looking at tests many parameters come into play, please see The best MTB disc brake you can buy | ENDURO Mountainbike Magazine

 

[Kernow]

Or......just never touch SRAM brakes!
Because their crap!
(Everybody wait before you crucify me! I'm talking from experience)
Their quality and materials, are pure crap. From experience. Bought the original "code" when they first came out.. never! Worked right, felt like crap, either too "harsh" or too mushy, constantly had to bleed them.. and soon after I bought them the lever piston froze up, impossible to repair! An aluminum piston in an aluminum sleeve.. stuck forever. Had to throw the pair out! Bought Hope brakes. Never looked back!
Not to say there aren't other great brakes out there, Shimano, and others, but Hope quality is the best. Just saying.
Got "code R's" on my Kenevo... Never could get them to work satisfactorily, pads wore out almost immediately, finnally put my old Hope's on them.. work like a charm! Still on original pads.. after a year, btw.

You think sram brakes are crap talking from experience ? yet you can get hope to work without wearing pads unevenly , ?

 

[Scford]

I have to remove my front wheel for transport as I don't yet have a suitable rack. I lost the plastic piece that I usually put between the rotors and then of course the brake Lever was accidentally actuated which caused the pads to rub like crazy.

After a few you tube videos I decided I could remove the pads and gently push the piston back in place which I did. The brakes don't rub but now there is too much pull in the Lever before the brake bites. How can I adjust this so that the brake bites at the same point as before?

hey I have/had similar issues with sram code R brakes, check out this video from gmbn, he does a great job of telling what the problem
is and how to fix it.


Hope this helps!

 

[Funky Bolly]

Or......just never touch SRAM brakes!
Because their crap!
(Everybody wait before you crucify me! I'm talking from experience)
Their quality and materials, are pure crap. From experience. Bought the original "code" when they first came out.. never! Worked right, felt like crap, either too "harsh" or too mushy, constantly had to bleed them.. and soon after I bought them the lever piston froze up, impossible to repair! An aluminum piston in an aluminum sleeve.. stuck forever. Had to throw the pair out! Bought Hope brakes. Never looked back!
Not to say there aren't other great brakes out there, Shimano, and others, but Hope quality is the best. Just saying.
Got "code R's" on my Kenevo... Never could get them to work satisfactorily, pads wore out almost immediately, finnally put my old Hope's on them.. work like a charm! Still on original pads.. after a year, btw.

I’ve got this great tool for problematic SRAMs it’s a lump hammer NEVER had any trouble with them again ?

 

[KTMJack]

My wifes 22 evo alloy has Code R on it and there Garb way to much slop. I bought a 22 EVO comp carbon and it had those on it
Before it went home I had the bike shop put Magura MT 7 on it Problem solved