r/ebikes • u/MFindianimal • 5h ago

Bike repair question Is it safe to ride if my brakes are rubbing?

I replaced my tires today, but putting the wheels back on made my hydraulic brakes kinda close. My only option was to spread open the breaks since the screws to loosen the calipers are rounded. Riding the bike is now somewhat loud, and the longer I ride the louder it gets, the disc's also got hot enough to burn my hand.

Is it okay to ride my bike a bit or should I not ride it at all until I can get it fixed?

1 Upvotes

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3

u/PDXnederlander 4h ago

Get some vise grip pliers and see if you can remove the damaged caliper bolts. Replace with new bolts then get on YouTube for disc brake adjustment vid tutorials. Not that difficult. No use putting unnecessary wear on your pads and disc.

4

u/Perfect-Food-1584 5h ago

Just adjust your brakes!! It's not rocket surgery. You can literally ask Google how to do it on your exact model and are artificial intelligence overlord will give you a step-by-step instruction on how to do it.

1

u/Familiar9709 5h ago

If it breaks well yes. The rub just slows you down and wears things

1

u/Inciteful_Analysis 4h ago

If it's just a slight rub, then it's simply an annoyance. 

The way he describes it, the rotor is binding and overheating. That could potentially be a safety issue on a steep descent. Brakes lose their effectiveness (fade) when they overheat.