Sram brakes locking, is there a fix?

Cropduster

Likes Dirt
I have a 2014 Zesty which i absolutely love, it ticks all my boxes for a trail bike and i coddle it a lot!

I haven't been riding recently for one reason or another and today i went for a ride and my brakes locked up, first the rear, then, as i was pushing it home, the front, levers both went hard, i had to carry it for about 3kms, i was very unimpressed!

I've heard of the issue and i did a search but couldn't find much (bit strange i thought) so here i am.

Is there a fix for this? if so is it reliable? or should i bite the bullet and replace them with Magura, Shimano etc.

Any advice from someone who has had the issue would be great, it's well out of warranty so i guess i'm paying for it but i'd rather that than a spill because they lock up at the wrong time i guess.

Cheers
 

Boom King

downloaded a pic of moorey's bruised arse
If they are Guides, there was an issue with the early piston design in the lever. It is fixed by fitting a new piston, relatively easy if you have some mechanical aptitude but Sram should warranty them no matter how far out of warranty they are. It was a design fault and they ask no questions, just throw new levers at you.
 

Cropduster

Likes Dirt
ahh nice, they are guides, yes.

I'll visit the LBS tomorrow and see what they can do for me.

Stupid question i know, with the replacement parts from SRAM the issue should not reoccur? I don't have a trust issue yet but they are brakes after all....
 

Boom King

downloaded a pic of moorey's bruised arse
Nope, they redesigned the piston, I have guides and put a new lever kit into them a year or two back, well.... @link1896 did. Faultless since.
 
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moorey

call me Mia
A set that came on Felix’s bike did same. Guide R. SRAM replaced them free, despite being 3 yo and s/h.
 

The Duckmeister

Has a juicy midrange
Two issues at play: One is that they're early Guides, with known problems as dicussed above. The second is that any brakes which use DOT fluid, especially 5.1 will absorb moisture over time, which increases the volume of fluid in the system, which pushes the pistons out & binds the brakes on..... Additionally, SRAM brakes tend to run with tighter pad clearance than others, so they're more prone to jamming on when the fluid goes off.

Which is why all brakes that run on DOT fluid need to be bled periodically to flush out the old shitty fluid.
 
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Boom King

downloaded a pic of moorey's bruised arse
Two issues at play: One is that they're early Guides, with known problems as dicussed above. The second is that any brakes which use DOT fluid, especially 5.1 will absorb moisture over time, which increases the volume of fluid in the system, which pushes the pistons out & binds the brakes on.....

Which is why all brakes that run on DOT fluid need to be bled periodically to flush out the old shitty fluid.
Take your facts elsewhere.... Heathen!
 

teK--

Eats Squid
Two issues at play: One is that they're early Guides, with known problems as dicussed above. The second is that any brakes which use DOT fluid, especially 5.1 will absorb moisture over time, which increases the volume of fluid in the system, which pushes the pistons out & binds the brakes on..... Additionally, SRAM brakes tend to run with tighter pad clearance than others, so they're more prone to jamming on when the fluid goes off.

Which is why all brakes that run on DOT fluid need to be bled periodically to flush out the old shitty fluid.
Yep exactly why I choose to run Shimano brakes on the missus' bike that hardly gets ridden. I cbf having to bleed the brakes for the 2-3 times a year she takes it out lol
 

fatboyonabike

Captain oblivious
Two issues at play: One is that they're early Guides, with known problems as dicussed above. The second is that any brakes which use DOT fluid, especially 5.1 will absorb moisture over time, which increases the volume of fluid in the system, which pushes the pistons out & binds the brakes on..... Additionally, SRAM brakes tend to run with tighter pad clearance than others, so they're more prone to jamming on when the fluid goes off.

Which is why all brakes that run on DOT fluid need to be bled periodically to flush out the old shitty fluid.
shit brakes aside,
on a closed system designed to hold pressure, how does the fluid adsorb moisture...if moisture is getting in, it also means that air is getting in and loosing prime which is probably more of an issue than the moisture.
 

Binaural

Eats Squid
I have exactly the same problem! Both levers kind of feel stuck on for a 2016 bike. I've previously managed to recover some function by pressing the pads out with a screwdriver to at least make the bike rideable, but this was just a kludge. I've tried to find contact details for SRAM direct to discuss, but can't find their details. Is this something you have to do via the dealer (Canyon in this case)?
 

The Duckmeister

Has a juicy midrange
Osmosis, and water vapour molecles are really small.

Although sealed against the the flow of large-volume liquid, the action of the pistons through the seals leaves a small film of fluid on the sides of the pistons, enough to attract water vapour molecules out of the air and suck them in. DOT 5.1 has a particularly voracious appetite for water vapour.
 
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