Originally Posted by
Fentuz
After a winter of mud, i noticed that the rival brake lever were getting closer to the handle bar. The squeeze increased as the pads wore out.
I aware that the reach is adjustable but the issue more the added degree of rotation.
Although I do most servicing/repair/upgrade myself, i took the bike to a pro shop for the yearly inspections (bb swap, wheel check, fluid bleed). The bike shop said the brakes were fine and it is just a result of the wear and tear.
so to get the brake feel back as I like it, new pads seemed to be the answer but was it?
the pads lost 0.15mm per side (2.05mm material left), discs are 0.05mm worn (0.2mm above minimal thickness).
So I took my filler blade and found there was just above 0.13mm clearance between pads and disc on either side.
pick up a can of coke (best and cheapest 0.1mm shim material) and cut some pads back shims (pad backing plate contour) as fitted a shim on either side.
results is good; brake feel is back to how I like it…
cost: not much
I can't believe I'm typing this, but I would definitely recommend you remove the DIY Coke can shims you installed, and figure out what is causing the problem and fix it. SRAM brake systems are poorly designed and notoriously difficult for inexperienced shops to troubleshoot. If your shop is sending you home with malfunctioning brakes and just telling you it's normal, you need to find a new shop that has experience working on SRAM hydro brakes. The lever bottoming out is not normal, nor is it caused by worn pads. SRAM brakes (like nearly every hydro brake system out there) are supposed to self adjust to compensate for pad wear. If your system isn't self-adjusting, something is probably stuck/broken or the contact point/reach adjustement has been changed, etc.. My guess is you've got a stuck piston(s).