New to disc brakes
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New to disc brakes
I recently acquired a brand new 2021 Trek Emonda. I noticed that the lever pulls nearly all the way to the handlebar before the brake is fully engaged. It also has brake rub on the front wheel. I have not rode the bike yet. I feared that brakes needed bleeding. The service advisor told me this is how the brakes come from the factory and that it's normal, especially considering that it's using short-reach levers (size 52 frame). I just did a brake bleed, although I am unsure if I did it correctly. After bleeding the brakes and buttoning everything back together, the lever still has the same pull-stroke and brake rub. I will test the bike on the road tomorrow to bed the brakes in. I just wanted to know if this is par for course with disc brake bikes.
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What shifters do you have? Shimano or Sram and what model? Some have a reach adjustment so you might be able to adjust them.
My bike with hydro disc, the levers have plenty of room and never get that close to the bars when engaged.
My bike with hydro disc, the levers have plenty of room and never get that close to the bars when engaged.
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Sounds like this is a new bike, and you got it from a dealer. Take it in and have them fix it. Your brakes should not rub, and your levers should not go almost to the handlebar when engaging the brakes.
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I did take it back. They told me they would have to charge me ($60). I accepted. They are flooded with business so they didn't get to my bike in time. I took the bike home to do the brakes myself because they didn't seem to care for my small-fry business.
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Shimano 105 hydraulic
I did take it back. They told me they would have to charge me ($60). I accepted. They are flooded with business so they didn't get to my bike in time. I took the bike home to do the brakes myself because they didn't seem to care for my small-fry business.
I did take it back. They told me they would have to charge me ($60). I accepted. They are flooded with business so they didn't get to my bike in time. I took the bike home to do the brakes myself because they didn't seem to care for my small-fry business.
My LBS includes free service for the 1st year and a tuneup at the end of it.
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What @GlennR wrote above is spot-on. I have bought less expensive bikes and received much better service, even more than a year later.
If you've described it accurately, the brakes are not set up properly, and they should not have let the bike go out-the-door for a test ride in that condition. No way that they should be charging you to straighten it out.
If you've described it accurately, the brakes are not set up properly, and they should not have let the bike go out-the-door for a test ride in that condition. No way that they should be charging you to straighten it out.
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Contact Trek Customer Service and have them put pressure on the dealer.
I have a Emonda SLR and a number of Bontrager products and found Trek's customer service very helpful. If they can't get your dealer to fix it they can have you go to another dealer and they should cover it.
You don't want to have "iffy" brakes.
I have a Emonda SLR and a number of Bontrager products and found Trek's customer service very helpful. If they can't get your dealer to fix it they can have you go to another dealer and they should cover it.
You don't want to have "iffy" brakes.
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The situation is complicated in that I didn't buy the bike from them. I bought it out of state and had it shipped. They did, however, charge me $70 for setup fee. They claim that's how the brakes come from the factory and that's not part of the bike setup. This bike shop is known for this type of behavior, but I had no other choice since they are my local Trek dealer and they were nice enough to allow me to buy out of state- due to the bike shortage (thanks covid). So it's kinda a catch-22 where the bike shop is flooded with business they can't keep up with and I didn't buy the bike from them so they owe me no loyalty. I mean, I did spend some money of bike setup, bottle cages and some tools. It is what is is. I just wanted to confirm whether or not my brakes are functioning as designed, which it's not looking like. I will report back after I bed the brakes. If the lever pulls back way too much, I will stop riding it and attempt another bleed.
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I have never had my LBS not ensure the bike is rider acceptable before I took it home and then, if I had an issue after I took it home, they always fixed it no charge. When I got my domane, I was having some brake rub, after 200 miles, I could not figure it out after trying to tweak it and so I took it back and they took a look and replaced the pads, set them, and boom, perfect ever since. I was not charged a dime. GlennR is spot on, getting charge $60 is unacceptable on a new bike, my next call is to Trek. If you have another Trek shop in town, I would look at making them my new LBS.
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Understood.... then bring it to another shop with a good reputation, it doesn't have to be a Trek dealer.
My shop does a number of bike builds from Amazon. With very little inventory building bike that customers supply brings in money.
Since you have Shimano 105, any shop can work on it.
My shop does a number of bike builds from Amazon. With very little inventory building bike that customers supply brings in money.
Since you have Shimano 105, any shop can work on it.
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The situation is complicated in that I didn't buy the bike from them. I bought it out of state and had it shipped. They did, however, charge me $70 for setup fee. They claim that's how the brakes come from the factory and that's not part of the bike setup. This bike shop is known for this type of behavior, but I had no other choice since they are my local Trek dealer and they were nice enough to allow me to buy out of state- due to the bike shortage (thanks covid). So it's kinda a catch-22 where the bike shop is flooded with business they can't keep up with and I didn't buy the bike from them so they owe me no loyalty. I mean, I did spend some money of bike setup, bottle cages and some tools. It is what is is. I just wanted to confirm whether or not my brakes are functioning as designed, which it's not looking like. I will report back after I bed the brakes. If the lever pulls back way too much, I will stop riding it and attempt another bleed.
If I paid a shop (a dealer for the bike I just bought) to set up a new bike, and the brakes weren't bled properly, I would politely ask them to rectify it. If they balked and tried to charge me more money, I would raise holy hell.
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Is the shop you took it to for this service an authorized Trek dealer? If it is, do as suggested and contact Trek customer service.
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I have recent 105 hydros on my Topstone gravel bike and have the same experience in that it feels like the levers will hit the bars. I did a bleed, didn't improve. A year and change later with may rides in steep downhills I realized they just have a lot of (unexpected) travel and that otherwise the bike stops just fine. I stopped woryying about it.
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I have recent 105 hydros on my Topstone gravel bike and have the same experience in that it feels like the levers will hit the bars. I did a bleed, didn't improve. A year and change later with may rides in steep downhills I realized they just have a lot of (unexpected) travel and that otherwise the bike stops just fine. I stopped woryying about it.
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I have Sram hydro disc and the brake levers engage just like my Sram mechanical on my other bike.
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If there is air in the hood reservoirs, which isn't necessarily abnormal, it can get in to the line, particularly during transport, and cause these kinds of issues. The good news is that this usually an easy fix.
The first thing that I'd do is flick the brake levers vigorously for 20-30 seconds. If that doesn't firm them up, try standing the bike upright on the rear wheel and doing it again - what you're looking to do is to get the bubbles in the lines back up and in to the reservoirs, on the other side of the master cylinder. Flicking the levers agitates the fluid, standing the bike up gives the bubble an upwards path and eliminate "traps" where they might get stuck.
Brake rotor rub could be a couple of things - improper TA tightening, a disc that's out of true or a caliper that's misaligned. Check them in that order. Most often, it's just one high spot on the rotor that's kissing the pad. In that case, either pick up a Park truing lever or use an adjustable wrench to give the disc a little tweak at the high spot.
The first thing that I'd do is flick the brake levers vigorously for 20-30 seconds. If that doesn't firm them up, try standing the bike upright on the rear wheel and doing it again - what you're looking to do is to get the bubbles in the lines back up and in to the reservoirs, on the other side of the master cylinder. Flicking the levers agitates the fluid, standing the bike up gives the bubble an upwards path and eliminate "traps" where they might get stuck.
Brake rotor rub could be a couple of things - improper TA tightening, a disc that's out of true or a caliper that's misaligned. Check them in that order. Most often, it's just one high spot on the rotor that's kissing the pad. In that case, either pick up a Park truing lever or use an adjustable wrench to give the disc a little tweak at the high spot.
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The situation is complicated in that I didn't buy the bike from them. I bought it out of state and had it shipped. They did, however, charge me $70 for setup fee. They claim that's how the brakes come from the factory and that's not part of the bike setup. This bike shop is known for this type of behavior, but I had no other choice since they are my local Trek dealer and they were nice enough to allow me to buy out of state- due to the bike shortage (thanks covid). So it's kinda a catch-22 where the bike shop is flooded with business they can't keep up with and I didn't buy the bike from them so they owe me no loyalty. I mean, I did spend some money of bike setup, bottle cages and some tools. It is what is is. I just wanted to confirm whether or not my brakes are functioning as designed, which it's not looking like. I will report back after I bed the brakes. If the lever pulls back way too much, I will stop riding it and attempt another bleed.
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There is no such rule, bike shops are free to build and service any bike they want. A new Trek company store opened 15 miles from me and on a ride I stopped in. In the service department they had 2 Specialized bikes that were getting serviced. At the time I was on my Cannondale and they side they can work in it also. I told them i do my own work and only trust Russel at a different shop to do what I can't. And even then I go over the entire bike whenever anyone else touches it. Last thing I need is for the bars to slip some something else come loose when going down a steep hill at 40+mph.
I have Sram hydro disc and the brake levers engage just like my Sram mechanical on my other bike.
I have Sram hydro disc and the brake levers engage just like my Sram mechanical on my other bike.
If there is air in the hood reservoirs, which isn't necessarily abnormal, it can get in to the line, particularly during transport, and cause these kinds of issues. The good news is that this usually an easy fix.
The first thing that I'd do is flick the brake levers vigorously for 20-30 seconds. If that doesn't firm them up, try standing the bike upright on the rear wheel and doing it again - what you're looking to do is to get the bubbles in the lines back up and in to the reservoirs, on the other side of the master cylinder. Flicking the levers agitates the fluid, standing the bike up gives the bubble an upwards path and eliminate "traps" where they might get stuck.
Brake rotor rub could be a couple of things - improper TA tightening, a disc that's out of true or a caliper that's misaligned. Check them in that order. Most often, it's just one high spot on the rotor that's kissing the pad. In that case, either pick up a Park truing lever or use an adjustable wrench to give the disc a little tweak at the high spot.
The first thing that I'd do is flick the brake levers vigorously for 20-30 seconds. If that doesn't firm them up, try standing the bike upright on the rear wheel and doing it again - what you're looking to do is to get the bubbles in the lines back up and in to the reservoirs, on the other side of the master cylinder. Flicking the levers agitates the fluid, standing the bike up gives the bubble an upwards path and eliminate "traps" where they might get stuck.
Brake rotor rub could be a couple of things - improper TA tightening, a disc that's out of true or a caliper that's misaligned. Check them in that order. Most often, it's just one high spot on the rotor that's kissing the pad. In that case, either pick up a Park truing lever or use an adjustable wrench to give the disc a little tweak at the high spot.
Last edited by Princess_Allez; 02-23-21 at 11:26 AM.
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Can't fix poor business tactics when unaddressed.
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I have recent 105 hydros on my Topstone gravel bike and have the same experience in that it feels like the levers will hit the bars. I did a bleed, didn't improve. A year and change later with may rides in steep downhills I realized they just have a lot of (unexpected) travel and that otherwise the bike stops just fine. I stopped woryying about it.
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It's a non-compete issue. I bought from a Trek authorized dealer out of state. They wouldn't sell and ship to me unless they received confirmation from my local Trek authorized dealer. I paid for boxing and insured shipment, then I paid of bike setup. That means I purchased the bike from the original point of sale, which means if I inquire directly with Trek they will inquire about the details. It might not be an issue, but then my local Trek dealer knows I called the Trek police on them and they aren't happy either way
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It's a non-compete issue. I bought from a Trek authorized dealer out of state. They wouldn't sell and ship to me unless they received confirmation from my local Trek authorized dealer. I paid for boxing and insured shipment, then I paid of bike setup. That means I purchased the bike from the original point of sale, which means if I inquire directly with Trek they will inquire about the details. It might not be an issue, but then my local Trek dealer knows I called the Trek police on them and they aren't happy either way
I don't know what rubbing issue you have as disk brakes will always be contact. But if the feel isn't right or the handle travel isn't correct, I wouldn't settle that easily. And I wouldn't try bleeding them if you don't know how.
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I recently acquired a brand new 2021 Trek Emonda. I noticed that the lever pulls nearly all the way to the handlebar before the brake is fully engaged. ... I have not rode the bike yet. I feared that brakes needed bleeding. The service advisor told me this is how the brakes come from the factory and that it's normal, especially considering that it's using short-reach levers (size 52 frame). I just did a brake bleed, although I am unsure if I did it correctly. After bleeding the brakes and buttoning everything back together, the lever still has the same pull-stroke and brake rub. I will test the bike on the road tomorrow to bed the brakes in. I just wanted to know if this is par for course with disc brake bikes.
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One thing that has yet to be pointed out is there are a number of adjustments that can be made to Shimano hydraulic levers. Free stroke and reach adjustments can affect the feel of the lever while braking as well as air in the brake system.
Here is a copy of the Shimano Delaer manual for your hydraulic 105 shift levers. In this PDF is an explanation of every step required to install, bleed, and adjust the brake levers. Free stroke and reach adjustments can be found on page 53 of the attached PDF.
https://si.shimano.com/#/en/DM/RADBR01
As Whi-Fi pointed out. The brake rub is related to brake caliper alignment or an out of true brake rotor. Both of which can easily be fixed with a little patience.
Here is a copy of the Shimano Delaer manual for your hydraulic 105 shift levers. In this PDF is an explanation of every step required to install, bleed, and adjust the brake levers. Free stroke and reach adjustments can be found on page 53 of the attached PDF.
https://si.shimano.com/#/en/DM/RADBR01
As Whi-Fi pointed out. The brake rub is related to brake caliper alignment or an out of true brake rotor. Both of which can easily be fixed with a little patience.
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The whole never-ridden-the-bike thing didn't really register as I quickly read the OP the first time around. Throwing a leg over the bike should have been the Step 1 and squeezing the brakes as you roll the driveway Step 2. Attempting to bleed the brakes before riding the bike was a big waste of time, IMO. If this is your first hydro rodeo, I wouldn't let lever feel or travel, while in the work stand, confuse you. I routinely 1-finger brake downhill; it doesn't take a lot of force to meaningfully engage the brakes.