ls01

I am having issues with dragging pads. I've adjusted the calipers multiple times bit still end up with some drag.
My set up is 12 speed Force with red post mount calipers. 160mm disks with spacers.
​​​​ I have done the recomended adjustment procedure. Pump the brake x times hold the brake and tighten the caliper bolts. Still drags. Not a lot but its there. Did I miss something?

DrIsotope

Turn the wheel and look straight down through the top of the caliper so you can see the rotor moving between the pads. Is it rubbing constantly, or is it only touching in a few (or even just one) spot(s)? It's most likely that the rotor needs truing, pretty much all of them do.

I personally seldom use the "hold the lever and tighten the bolts," instead choosing to do it by eye. As we're talking about maybe 0.75mm of movement either way, sometimes squeezing and tightening just pushes the bent rotor closer to the pad it wants to rub against.

rayooo

Did you by chance check the brake troubleshooting items (starting page 93 in the eTap AXS manual) There are procedures to reset the pad GAP and Retraction.

Even when running through all the setup things, Lastly I view down and see where the rotor sets between the pads (without brake applied of course). The pads will eventually self center (my experience with both Shimano and SRAM).
However, I virtually always loosen the caliper bolts slightly and center the rotor between the calipers. Assuming the rotor is not warped, I fine tweak the caliper position such that I can see light between the calipers and the rotor throughout a revolution. This can be a bit tedious but in the end it minimizes the annoying rub/drag.

Andrew R Stewart 

For an initial beginning of a centering adjustment the hold the lever tight while tightening the caliper bolts is fine. But most times some minor tweaking will still be needed. I will slightly loosen one caliper bolt and completely loosen the second. Then nudge the loose bolt's caliper end this or that way and just snug that bolt down. Test the clearance and repeat with the other bolt/caliper end as needed. By "walking" the caliper back and forth with one bolt snug enough to hold it's end of the caliper in position and prodding the other end one can make very small amounts of clearance adjustments in a very controlled manor. I find a bright backround or flashlight helps me to see the pad/rotor gaps. Andy

cpach

You usually have to do some adjustment by hand as others noted, which is a bit of an acquired skill. Aside from that a not insignificant number of new bikes do not have perfectly faced mounts perfectly perpendicular to the rotor. Sometimes it's just a little paint on the mount that can be cleaned up with a razor blade, but some of the time it really does need to be faced, with https://www.parktool.com/product/dis...ing-set-dt-5-2, which is a $465 tool and thus probably best left to a shop, which I know sucks a lot in this particular moment.

Rest assured that a little bit of rub will not kill you or your bike, and if everything else is fine you can ride it like that until its easier/safer/most possible to bring it into a shop.

ls01

Thank you all. All very good info.

fooferdoggie 

this guy made it so easy to set the calipers. just put it between the pads of the loosened caliper squeeze tight and tighten the bolts. https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...alignment-tool