Tips: Avid Juicy 5 Pads

[Jordansrealm]

The original pads have over 1000 miles on them now and squeel like a B! Picked up a new set and just thought I would ask if anyone has any tips to changing them out? Looks basic but hey I havent messed with them yet so I thought I would drop a TIPS post (everyone has their own weird way of installing stuff)

Thanks

J

[Sprockethead]

Jordan,

There's a screw on the reservoir that you'll have to loosen. The screw relieves the pressure in the caliper and let's your move them out so that your new pads will be set properly. If you don't loosen the screw, you may not be able to get the pads in or disc in. Don't take the bolt/screw out, just loosen it. Use something to pry the calipers outwards, I use a screwdriver. Set the pads up in your fingers, insert and click them in.

Once you have everything put together, retighten and ride the bike around. You should atleast take off and brake 20 times for the pads to bed properly.

[Jordansrealm]

Originally Posted by Sprockethead

Jordan,

There's a screw on the reservoir that you'll have to loosen. The screw relieves the pressure in the caliper and let's your move them out so that your new pads will be set properly. If you don't loosen the screw, you may not be able to get the pads in or disc in. Don't take the bolt/screw out, just loosen it. Use something to pry the calipers outwards, I use a screwdriver. Set the pads up in your fingers, insert and click them in.

Once you have everything put together, retighten and ride the bike around. You should atleast take off and brake 20 times for the pads to bed properly.

grassy-asss! I will keep all this in mind. will probably install them after tonights ride!

[dstepper]

[SIZE=4]I posted this a while back. It is a old MTBR post. It is for Juicy Sevens but Five's are the same brake without the adjustment.[/SIZE]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Crucial Avid Juicy Seven Setup Tips.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Good thread everybody! Thanks for all the research and efforts by all those involved, even those who hate Juicy Sevens and love to pound me.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Topic: Most everyone is installing their Juicy Sevens wrong. [/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Avid doesn't help cuz their instructions leave out several important setup issues. One is a manufacturing pre-condition which I'll discuss first. The second in an almost universal setup blunder, even by a lot of LBS's... and they should know better. 'Castle'... pay attention, this will be on the test![/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Avid mistakenly designed the '05 - 160mm rotor rim to be an 1/8" too far from the axle. The 185mm rotor is about 1/16" off depending on the fork or bosses. This causes the pads to rub the top of the rotor arms and produce the famous 'turkey gobble' . It's not necessarily accompanied by a squeal - that's usually a separate setup problem, discussed last. Avid is fixing the rotor designs and that is why the last year's models are selling for $129 or less a wheel. [/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Our objective is to move the calipers outboard from the axle a tiny bit. The easy fix for the 160mm rotor is to slip TWO .04" thick washers (each a little thinner than a dime) on each bolt BETWEEN the supplied adaptor and the inner ball and cone combo. Four washers total. [/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Usually the 185mm rotor takes one washer for each bolt depending on the fork or bosses. Follow Avids instruction for the rest of the setup (plus my extra setup technique below). Don't squeeze the levers with no disc or spacer in the caliper. The hard fix is to grind off an 1/8" or aforesaid bottom of the pad.. some do this, but why bother with each new set of pads you put in ?!? [/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]The second setup issue. When you go to tighten down the loose cone and ball parts, spin the wheel VERY slowly WITH THE CRANKS --- NOT BY ROTATING THE WHEEL BACKWARDS. Slowly apply a little more force to the lever and very gently stop the wheel rotating, making sure you used the cranks for this! This slow rotation of the wheel/rotor in the correct direction the wheel naturally travels helps wiggle out the spaces in the ball and cones and align the parts correctly. Don't go too fast. While keeping the lever moderately engaged, go to each of the two bolts and tighten one a little, then the other and so on back and forth. It's kinda like the early XT linear V-brakes and the toe-in issues regarding squealing. Fractions of a millimeter make all the difference. [/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Okay here's the bad news, if you initially did the setup the wrong way or the way Avid advises and then rode your bike for a month or two, figuring to 'break 'em in and work out the squeals' you probably wore the pads unevenly. If so, toss 'em and start fresh cuz your old ones will make setup harder. Also, that's why your old setup sucked and you had bad modulation and noise. Constant squealing and grabbing tell me (when I'm on the trail) that someone did a bad setup on their Avids. I guarantee you'll love the results if you follow my simple tips. By the way, if it's wet, all disc brake squeal and squawk a little.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]X-factor levers? Who cares. If the Sevens are setup right you don't have to be ham-fisted with the levers; one forefinger will do the trick, even in the most dire circumstance. If you prefer, scratch up the smooth blade area under your fingerpad a little with rough sandpaper.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]You'll love the results if you follow my simple tips. Good modulation and powerful one-finger stops can be yours. Now, go grab some of those dirt cheap '05 Juicy Sevens before everyone figures this out.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Little known fact: Behind the lever blade, up near the brake body, is a small indentation --- your travel coffee mug's handle will hang there quite nicely while riding to the coffee shop.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[PHAT TIRE]

How do you know when it's time to change the pads?

[dstepper]

Originally Posted by PHAT TIRE

How do you know when it's time to change the pads?

You can take the wheel off and look to see how much pad is left. Or you can be like me and wait for that tell tale noise of metal to metal.

Dean

[guero]

Originally Posted by PHAT TIRE

How do you know when it's time to change the pads?

is this a set up to a joke matt? lol

just check them and if they start looking worn, probably a good idea to change them. or you can let them go down to the metal "clip thingy" and let that scar your rotor, and then you'll know its time to change them.

[Jordansrealm]

Originally Posted by PHAT TIRE

How do you know when it's time to change the pads?

Well, usually the obvious if your brakes start to suck! However, today when I went in to buy new pads I had a choice between metallic or organic. They said the metallic should last anywhere from 500-700 miles and the organic 100-300 miles. The organic would not squeel at all according to the tech but because of the low mileage number I went with metallic again. I know I have over 1000 miles on the bike so I would say based on what I heard, they are over due.

[dstepper]

The organic Avid Pads are farely new. I put a set on the back of my One-9 a few weeks back. So far they have been silent. I will give up longer lasting pads if they remain silent...time will see.

Dean

[Winger]

I have Juicy 5's and have been going with the Aztec organic pads. I picked up a bunch @ Performance for $10 ($8 including discounts). The Avid replacements were $18. I haven't had nearly as much noise with the organic pads than I did with the original avid pads. I used to have to wipe down the rotors every ride to shut them up. Now I never touch them.

Here is my replacement mileage:
600 - replaced Avid Rear (I cracked it when pulling it out to check wear)
1000 - replaced Avid Front
1053 - replaced Aztec rear
1604 - replaced front & rear Aztec.

I didn't know about the screw and have never used it during my replacements. I just pull the pads, then use pliers to push the calipers making sure to push on that round metal center thing.

The only issue I've had is that my rear caliper doesn't come out on the one side during normal usage. After a while I need to pull the rear pads and slightly spring the stuck side caliper before re-inserting the pads.

[PHAT TIRE]

Originally Posted by guero

is this a set up to a joke matt? lol

just check them and if they start looking worn, probably a good idea to change them. or you can let them go down to the metal "clip thingy" and let that scar your rotor, and then you'll know its time to change them.

Very good set up but no joke. Just change them when she gets cranky?I just set up my Avids a year ago and they just started making a weird sound the day I saw you at El Moro. Time to pull the wheels off. I just thought there would be some other advice besides tear everything apart and stare at it with a beer in hand.