Pedalwise
How-to guide

Stop disc brake rub: center the caliper

Fix a rubbing disc brake by checking the wheel and rotor, then centering a hydraulic or mechanical caliper over the rotor with Park Tool's method.

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Difficulty
Easy
Time
10 to 30 minutes

A disc brake that rubs makes a ticking or swishing noise and drags on the wheel. Most of the time the fix is to center the caliper over the rotor. This guide follows Park Tool's alignment methods for hydraulic and for cable pulled (mechanical) disc brakes (Park Tool, hydraulic, Park Tool, mechanical). For other brake checks see e-bike brakes.

Brakes are safety critical. Keep fingers and tools clear of a spinning rotor, and let brakes cool before you touch them. Squeeze the brakes and test them at walking speed before you ride.

What you need

Check these first

  1. Seat the wheel. With the bike on the ground, loosen the axle or quick release, press down so the axle sits fully in the dropouts, and retighten (Park Tool). On a hub motor wheel, use your bike's axle nut torque from its manual.
  2. Spin the wheel and look at the gap on each side of the rotor with a light behind it. Check pad wear at the same time (Park Tool).
  3. Check the rotor. A small wobble is normal, but a badly bent rotor can't be centered around. True or replace it first, see clean and true brake rotors (Park Tool).
  4. Check that the rotor bolts are tight and the wheel bearings have no side to side play (Park Tool).
  5. On hydraulic brakes, a piston that sticks can pull one pad against the rotor. Park Tool recommends cleaning sticky pistons (Park Tool), and SRAM describes working them in and out with a pad spacer fitted (SRAM troubleshooting).

Steps for hydraulic calipers

1Step 1

Loosen both caliper mounting bolts just enough that the caliper slides side to side (Park Tool).

2Step 2

Squeeze the brake lever firmly to pull the caliper onto center, and hold it (Park Tool). Tektro and Magura describe the same lever held method (Tektro owner's manual, Magura MT manual).

3Step 3

Still holding the lever, snug the bolts, tightening them a bit at a time in turn (Magura MT manual).

4Release the lever and spin the wheel

5If it's quiet, torque the bolts

Park Tool gives about 6 to 8 Nm (Park Tool). Use your brake's own value where it differs, for example Magura gives 6 N·m maximum for its MT caliper bolts (Magura MT manual).

6Step 6

If it still rubs, loosen one bolt and nudge the caliper away from the rubbing side until there's a gap on both sides, then try the other bolt, and torque both (Park Tool).

Steps for mechanical calipers

Start with a taut cable and the barrel adjusters wound in (Park Tool). Then follow your caliper type:

1Inner adjuster only

loosen the mounting bolts, turn the inner adjuster fully in and back off about 1/4 turn, hold the lever to center the caliper, snug the bolts, then back off another 1/4 turn (Park Tool).

2Inner and outer adjusters

back the outer adjuster out then in one turn, wind the inner in until the pads lock the rotor, snug the bolts, then back both off evenly 1/4 to 1/2 turn (Park Tool).

3Both pads move

back both adjusters out, hold the lever, and wind both in evenly until you feel pad contact, then snug the bolts (Park Tool).

4Check the pads bite by the middle of the lever's travel

Park Tool tightens the mounting bolts to about 6 Nm and the cable pinch bolt to about 4 Nm (Park Tool). For the full cable setup see adjust mechanical disc brakes.

Common mistakes

  • Centering the caliper before the wheel is seated, so it rubs again after the next wheel removal.
  • Adding washers that weren't made for the brake. Park Tool says the pads then won't line up with the rotor (Park Tool).
  • Chasing rub caused by a bent rotor or loose bearings.
  • Forgetting to recheck after new pads. Magura says to realign after a pad change if needed (Magura MT manual).

Videos

How to Align a Hydraulic Disc Brake on a Bike from Park Tool: diagnosis and the lever held centering method.
How to Align a Mechanical Disc Brake on a Bike from Park Tool: centering each type of cable caliper.

When to get a pro

  • Nothing gets rid of the rub. Park Tool notes the frame or fork mounts may not be square to the rotor and may need facing with a shop tool (Park Tool).
  • A piston won't move or won't retract, or a hydraulic brake leaks.
  • The brake feels weak or soft after you've centered it. See fix a spongy brake lever and when to call a pro.

Sources

Stuck after these checks? Find a shop near you.

Need a pro?

If these steps didn't fix it, find a shop near you in our partner network. For battery or wiring trouble, look for shops marked Battery and electrical.

Talk

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