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Simple way to remove free play from brake levers

Verskis

Monkey
May 14, 2010
458
8
Tampere, Finland
There was really annoying free play on the levers of my Avid Code R brakes. At the end of the lever the play resulted in probably 1 cm of movement before the actual master piston started to move. Well, today I found a really simple way to remove this play altogether. I cut a small section of an old innertube and wrapped it around the handlebar and the brake lever, like this:



This may be an old or really obvious way to some of you, but if someone is struggling with a solution to fix the play, I recommend this, it seems to work really well.
When the piece of the tube is at the base of the lever, it produces enough force to remove all the play, but not really engage the brake piston. If I moved the tube towards the end of the lever, the force will be too much and the brakes are engaged all the time.
 

poekie

Chimp
Mar 21, 2009
59
0
Yeah either that or buy better brakes.

The 9 y/o Deore on my commuter still has very minimal lever play.
 

Kntr

Turbo Monkey
Jan 25, 2003
7,526
21
Montana
My brand new XOs do the same thing. My old XOs don't. Is there any way to actually fix this?
 

lachy_mtb

Monkey
May 25, 2008
124
0
you need to get a lever rebuild kit to sort it out I'm pretty sure. Atleast that's what I've done in the past with Juicys
 

Uncle Cliffy

Turbo Monkey
Jan 28, 2008
4,490
42
Southern Oregon
Yeah either that or buy better brakes.

The 9 y/o Deore on my commuter still has very minimal lever play.
I also have the original Deore 525 brakes (probably 7 years old) on my trail bike and they have a lot less play than these Codes developed in a year.
I went with the XT service kit. fixed all my avid issues
:rimshot:
 

Verskis

Monkey
May 14, 2010
458
8
Tampere, Finland
Yea...I think it's called bleeding your brakes as jackalope alluded to...
The play is not caused by bad bleeding, it is caused by horrible play in the pivots. Both pivots, the one that connects the lever to the lever body and the one that connects the lever to the master piston, are pretty loose after only one year of use.
 

Kntr

Turbo Monkey
Jan 25, 2003
7,526
21
Montana
The play is not caused by bad bleeding, it is caused by horrible play in the pivots. Both pivots, the one that connects the lever to the lever body and the one that connects the lever to the master piston, are pretty loose after only one year of use.
Mine are brand new and they click out, when I let go of the brakes. Yes they are already that loose.
 

Huck Banzai

Turbo Monkey
May 8, 2005
2,523
23
Transitory
Floppy levers suck, but how about back in the Hayes MAG HD days with super mega floppy levers, AND the creeping adjuster screw?

FUN FUN FUN

new lever bushings CAN help (did for Hayes) and snugging the pivot bolt (if it has one, my J7's have a set screw, dunno about newer Avid)
 

DhDork

Monkey
Mar 30, 2007
352
0
Hell, AZ
The play is not caused by bad bleeding, it is caused by horrible play in the pivots. Both pivots, the one that connects the lever to the lever body and the one that connects the lever to the master piston, are pretty loose after only one year of use.
AND... those can all be replaced. Head down to your LBS, and have them order the lever service kit, and if your lever is "sticky", the master cylinder kit.