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I have an old Magura Julie disk brake. It seams that new pads are too thick for the brake. I already tried 2 different types. But when I insert the new pads the gap between the pads is completely closed. There's no gap left for the disk.

Re-inserting the old pads is no problem.

Are there brake pads with different thicknesses?

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  • After all I ended up replacing the break. I got a brand new one for 60 CHF. That's just twice the price of new pads. Not XTR of course. But good enough to replace the ~10 years old julie. – BetaRide Aug 17 '15 at 20:38
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Did you push the pistons back into the callipers?

Hydraulic brakes automatically adjust for pad wear and the home position of the pistons moves slightly out. When you change pads you need to gently push the pistons back in gently with something like a plastic tire lever to return the fluid to the reservoir, then pump the lever to set the correct level of adjustment for the new pads.

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  • Yes I did. I even dismanteled the whole break shoe, emptied the whole fluid and put it together and refilled the system. But there's no change. The pads still do not fit. – BetaRide Aug 17 '15 at 14:26
  • Can you add some pictures to your question? – alex Aug 17 '15 at 14:45
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I solved this by inserting the new brake pads even though they were pressed together tightly, then twisting a flathead screwdriver between the metal outer edges of the pads, forcing them apart a bit. Then I used the small gap between the pads to wedge a big flathead screwdriver between them (carefully), which completely pushed them apart and reset the calipers. This was the only way I could get enough leverage to reset the calipers with limited tools, even though the screwdriver does slightly damage the resin on the pad. Wasn't an issue for me.

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  • I had the same problem with my former pads. They were close to impossible to get in and they took some beating before I was finished. The ones I changes last weekend were much easier. They are of different brands (i cannot remember which) Next time they are so very hard I intend to file a sharper edge on the disc in one of the places it is wider. Not Sharp but so sharp I can get it between the pads. – LosManos Aug 27 '18 at 19:41
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    Welcome to the site. If you're spreading pads using a tool like this, you could always pop the old pads back in to lever against. If you're throwing them away it's less of a trouble if they get damaged instead. – Swifty Aug 27 '18 at 20:42
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Are there brake pads with different thicknesses?

No. You need to reset your pistons before installing the new pads.

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  • The problem is indeed that it's no longer possible to fully reset the pistons. Even dismanteling everything, cleaning and refelling the break system didn't solve the problem. It seams that something prevented the pistions from completely resetting. After investing several hours I decided to give up and spend 60 CHF for new breaks. – BetaRide Aug 18 '15 at 6:02
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Just fixed the exact same issue. Drilled with 1.5 and 2mm, then used flathead with enormous pressure. Even with the poorly cut out head I managed to get it out. My trick was to put really a lot of force on the screw.enter image description here

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    This seems to be a useful answer to a different question. If such a question hasn't been asked yet, you could ask and answer one yourself. maybe explain the problem with a photo of the caliper in the question as well – Swifty Nov 8 '20 at 12:46

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