Sometimes people bleed brakes with worn out shit and then when the new shit goes in there’s too much fluid in the system to allow pistons to fully retract.
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Damn it.
This is the first pad change on this new used bike. Likely the cause.
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Def came dangerously close to that on my mtb. Put new pads in a few days ago and could barely get the rotors between them. Brakes feel like a million bux now tho!
Also did that on my trance 29. Accidentally squeezed brakes without wheel and then they felt great after not a great bleed, but were always rubbing and howling on slow rolls. Finally had to release the pressure in the caliper so a bit of fluid out. Lever feel not as great, but no more rubbing.
Never a bad idea to give a used bike a full bleed when one acquires it.
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i do a lever bleed pretty often to get bubbles out, since there’s always a bit of air seeping into shimano brakes, so i’ve run into this with the pistons not wanting to go back in. i just open the bleed port and put the funnel in with some fluid in it, then push the pistons in with the funnel installed, should lower the fluid level. then you can install pads and the wheel and pump the lever a few times (with the funnel still installed) to get back to a good level of fluid.
but i imagine the process is not quite as streamlined with non shimano brakes… the funnel makes it nice and easy.
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Since I now own two hydro bikes, I should probably get a bleed kit.
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I think I bled too many avid brakes back in the day at the shop and never want to work on anything hydro ever again. Ptsd from all the syringes and multiples bleeds
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Thanks for reminding me that I need to bleed all 3 of my hydro bikes, y’all.
At least two of them are XT and I have a funnel.
I haven’t bled a set of brakes in quite a while. I came home from work the friday before last and sup was like “Oh yeah so I rebuilt your fork and bled your brakes”. Unrequested bike service is not something i’d complain about.
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It’s the small things–if I already have a bottle sealant out I might as well do the other wheels 
yes, definitely. i don’t know how to service suspension forks, so he usually does that. i def know how to do brakes, but it was definitely a “i was bleeding my brakes, so i went ahead and did yours” situation.
i try to do the same if possible.
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So I have been adjusting saddle set back on my bikes and my mariachi had a straight post on it and I can’t get it back as far as the other.
So, question is: is there an expected difference in setback for mtn compared to other bikes? Any reason for a saddle to be further forward? Before I go buying a seat post.
Imo less setback on mtb is typical to keep the front end weighted on steep climbs and such. There’s probs other benefits too
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Depends on the era of the bike and whether it has a dropper. Trying to put new trends on an older bike might not work holistically.
its a 2012 salsa mariachi. it does not have a dropper.
Then you probably want to sit where you want to sit and get a post with some offset.
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looking for a workstand that can fit in my compact apartment that i share with a nonbike person.
something that folds and can be stashed in a closet? whats worth a damn?
feedback pro elite fits that bill. i kinda hate their heads but it folds down real nice and holds a bike fine
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this is the tarck consensus.
i have had one for many years. folds up easily and is relatively light due to the aluminum legs. only downside is that it tips more easily when holding a heavy bike, but kind of what you get if you want folding + easy to tuck away.