Brake Problem

[twelvepoint]

I just redid my fork seals, which required removing the front brake and handlebars. Putting the brake back on, I had to pry the shoes open a little. Now the brake doesn't work smoothly. It takes a little extra pressure to engage and has sort of a creaky feel.

2 possibilities:
1) I got something stuck or misaligned prying the caliper open
2) Maybe while the handlebars were loose, the reservoir got tipped and introduced air into the brakes.

Is this familiar to anyone? Any suggestions what I should look at?

[Deros514]

Did you try pumping the brake lever several times to get the pads to seat properly? If it's still feeling spongy and not firm it could be some air got into the line. It only takes a few mins to bleed so it's worth a shot.

[burning1]

I'd advise you to pull the caliper back off, remove the pads, and pull the piston body completely off the mounting bracket. Clean and lube the slide pins, then put it all back together.

[twelvepoint]

I feel like it's a mechanical issue, but I need to replace my brake fluid anyway, so hopefully one of those will take care of things.