Topic: Sticky brakes when removing from Winter storage?

[Woody]

It seems that each Spring when I uncover my bike and get ready for a new riding season, the first pull of the front brake lever results in a sticking brake caliper. It goes away within a mile of riding. Is there a way to prevent his?

[razor02097]

be sure to remove surface rust from the brake disk when you pull out of storage.  Idealy you should replace the brake fluid every 2 years.

[Philly550K1]

when's the last time you popped out the piston and cleaned behind that seal that sits in a groove in the cylinder wall?  (this is the caliper piston i'm talking about).  i replaced my seal when i did it, and they're cheap, but the one i found in there was still rather flexy. clean gently with toothpick or other stiff-but-soft implement.

as to whether this step will prevent the symptom next season, it probably depends on a lot of environmental factors.

also cuts down on the "peep peep peep" syndrome, as endearing as that is. 

jc

[Woody]

Thanks for the help. I took the caliper completely apart today and cleaned everything up. It needed it, and now everything is nice and smooth. I also changed the fluid and pressure bled the system.  I'm thinking about putting the bike up for sale, so I wanted to make sure that the brakes were good first.