Frozen brake

[hozn]

@Raymo853 170857 wrote:

Of course those brakes using mineral oil (like most Shimano units) can have problems with the mineral oil getting too stiff below about 0 F.

I have noticed it, but just dealt with differnt feel, no locking open

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Is that the downside to mineral oil (vs. dot-5.1)? I’ve never ridden below 0º and don’t plan to, so it’s not a big deal, but I was wondering if the mineral oil would suffer a bit in the cold. I still vastly prefer working with it — and prefer Shimano brakes. I want Shimano brakes and SRAM shifting.

[Brandon]

@hozn 170880 wrote:

Is that the downside to mineral oil (vs. dot-5.1)? I’ve never ridden below 0º and don’t plan to, so it’s not a big deal, but I was wondering if the mineral oil would suffer a bit in the cold. I still vastly prefer working with it — and prefer Shimano brakes. I want Shimano brakes and SRAM shifting.

One or two times this week in the morning I noticed my Shimano hydraulic discs (with mineral oil) to be a little stiff when I hadn’t used them in bit. But one or two pumps of the brake lever got them working again. So you’re probably right about them suffering performance below 0º but it was easily remedied. If I left my bike outside overnight I suppose it could be worse. But in an unheated/semi-insulated workshop it hasn’t been too bad.

[Boomer Cycles]

@excimer34 170692 wrote:

In the cold, by my estimation in temps below freezing, my rear brake seizes up (it’s a disc brake). The brake is frozen “open” and the wheel can turn freely. The first time it happened, I remember trying with all my might to squeeze the hand brake but it would not budge. Later that day, when the temp reached the 50’s, the brake worked fine. I mentioned this to my mechanic and proffered my possible explanation–water in the brake cable housing–but he seemed skeptical. I trust him as he has been working on bikes for a long time and has seen pretty much everything. He didn’t replace the cable or housing, but he sprayed lubricant on the brake. I hoped that would be sufficient. This morning I took my bike out of the house, breaks working fine. Within 2 minutes of my ride in 15 degree weather, the rear brake froze tight again. Has this happened to anybody? Your speculation is welcomed!

My caliper brakes freeze all the time but work again if I squeeze body-temp water on them to thaw out; I keep a small water bottle inside my jacket excitedly for this purpose. If you are getting water in your your brake housing, it might be freezing up the pads. If so, my trick might work for you, too.

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[dkel]

@Boomer2U 171150 wrote:

My caliper brakes freeze all the time but work again if I squeeze body-temp water on them to thaw out; I keep a small water bottle inside my jacket excitedly for this purpose.

Vodka works better than water because it doesn’t freeze as easily. My only problem is that the flask I keep inside my jacket is always empty when I need to use it on my brake!

:rolleyes:

(Also, disk brakes FTW.)

[JorgeGortex]

@Steve O 170709 wrote:

I’m pretty certain if you just pour vodka into your cable housings, that’ll solve the problem. I always keep some in stock.

Makes life easier if you have a flat too. The whole bike issue seems a lot less frustrating. Salut!

[Author]

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