How will I know when to replace my disc brake pads?

JohnH · Aug 27, 2012

Hi fellas,

When I was out yesterday evening, I noticed that applying my front (disc) brake made a sound like someone was rubbing wire wool around the bottom of an old saucepan.

It's been like that for a while and I don't know if this means that I need to change brake pads.

It might be no big deal, but it did get me wondering -- how will I know when those pads need changing? :?

Thanks for any advice,
John.

poweredbypies · Aug 27, 2012

Pop the wheel out and have a look at them see if there is any meat left on them also check/the disc for scoring.

velomaniac · Aug 28, 2012

Follow previous posters advice as waiting untill no brakes like me is stoopid

Possibly good idea to purchase the new pads now which also allows you to compare them with the old so you can make a judgement call !

Raging_Bulls · Aug 28, 2012

Ride the bike in complete darkness and apply the brake. If you see sparks coming out of the caliper, it's probably time to change the pads.

Joking aside, if the pad is almost completely gone, replace it.
If there's still plenty of meat left, just sand it down a bit and clean the disc with brake cleaner or degreaser (or vinegar, works just as good at a fraction of the cost).

JohnH · Aug 28, 2012

Thanks for all of the replies, guys!

I've taken your advice, removed the wheel and wiggled the pads around in the caliper until I could see their condition. And it seems that there's still about a millimetre of material on each pad.

I've also done a bit of snooping around on the net, and it seems that the replacement pads aren't too difficult to get hold of. Here's one example, although a bit more research will tell me if this price is competitive...
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Avid-BB5-Organi ... _33384.htm

EDIT: I've checked eBay, and there is a big price variation for Avid bb5 pads, from about £5 to about £15... :?

How will I know when to replace my disc brake pads?

JohnH

Senior Retro Guru

poweredbypies

Old School Grand Master

velomaniac

Raging_Bulls

Sbike Fan

JohnH

Senior Retro Guru

Similar threads

Latest posts