Rear Brake caliper- stuck

Aussie Steve said:

this is getting annoying...bike shop fixed it 3 wks ago but is happening again.
Shimano 105 caliper is stuck and won't return, brake cable hangs loose...
- is it the spring
- should I remove the caliper and apply some grease inside the pivot?
has anyone else had the same problem?

I've been having exactly the same problem, the bike shop have replaced the cables and housing twice but it was still happening.

It's not the caliper that is jamming, it's the cable inside the rear housing. Last time it happened I watched what the tech at the bike store was doing. When he replaced the housing he only used a bit of 3in1 oil on the cable, the oil wears off and then the cable seizes up inside the housing. So now I've freed it up and coated the cable with some silicon lube, as well as spraying some inside the housing. It seems to be working so far.

Not sure what would cause the cable to seize in the housing but we suspect that sweat is making it's way in a causing corrosion inside the housing.

I sweat a lot when I ride and I have to rinse my bike off or else the residue builds up fairly quickly, I already have a couple of places on my 6 month old frame where the paint has bubbled which I almost certain is due to me not rinsing the bike soon enough after a ride.Nice.

hey thanks for the advice !!!😄 you mentioned you had watched the tech. After mine was fixed, I asked them what was wrong and they wouldn't tell me...they want you to keep coming back, otherwise if they told you, you could do it yourself!!
maybe one strand has broken inside the cable housing and is sticking...
I will apply some heavy grease to the cable in the meantime (oil will just disappear)

Cheers dude😎

There is a type of cable you can buy that is "pre-coated" that might help.

Other than that - get a new cable - which is not particularly expensive and rethread it yourself.

It is most likely a frayed cable that is sticking in the housing.

Steve, I have the cable cutters, I can pick up an inner and 500mm of outer if you want it done for cheap. Will re-grease the caliper too. 😄