I've had a new bike for a week or two. I bought it online and I'm paying the price of not being able to chat to the store about the brakes.
It is a cyclocross bike with SRAM Rival hydraulic disk brakes.
The front brake seems to be fine, although it is definitely a little bent already, which I will attend to. When the level is applied, the stopping power seems to be quite strong. It bites quickly and is powerful.
However, the rear brake is very ineffective. The reach is the same as the front brake, it is reasonable and if the brake was powerful, I think it would be fine. However, once I reach the point of contact it is very spongy and ineffective.
Is there an obvious way to tell whether it might need bleeding? It strikes me as unlikely, due to the fact is almost brand new.
Are there other things I can try to improve the performance?
I've read about adjusting how close the brake pads are to the disk, I will probably try bringing them close to see if that helps.
Is there a sure fire way to bed in the brake-pads? I'm not convinced they are bedded-in yet.
What's the best way of cleaning the rotors and pads to ensure I haven't managed to get an WD-40 or anything on them?
Any other tips?