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I see that SRAM "recommend" the brake rotors be replaced if you use a different pad compound (eg switch from Quiet*/Black to Quiet/Grey/Powerful).
I'm not a racer looking to eek out the very highest performance from my equipment and I've never really bothered changing rotors until they've worn too thin.
And I can't say I've noticed a dramatic difference in brake performance using old rotors with new pads (of a different pad type or manufacturer even), assuming I've given the rotor a clean (light sanding and/or IPA wipe).
So, is this just an arse-covering exercise by SRAM, or an attempt to eek out additional sales of rotors?
What do other SRAM brake users do?
(I generally have avoiding SRAM brakes for the last 15 years following a dreadful set of AVID Juicys ruined a road trip for me, so this is new to me...)
* "Quiet" = non-metallic in SRAM-speak...
Nobody will do this. As you say, clean them and bed the new pads in properly.
If you go from organic to sintered they can scream like a banshee.
Ask me how I know 😉
I don't know how you'd clean them well enough once pad material is baked into the surface. In my case about two sets worth. I'm fairly heavy and not shy with my brakes.
I will hold my hands up and say I thought this was all marketing bull to sell more rotors until I went to the Southern Lake District having changed to sintered pads a few weeks before. I had thought that after scrubbing and whatever that they'd settle down but the brakes persistently squealed and honked and felt rubbish.
I succumbed and bought two new dura-ace rotors as that was what I could get.
Like night and day after a bit of bedding in.
Your brake performance may vary but that's the Rivals on my gravel bike.
Running SRAM Centreline rotors 220 front 200 rear, Code RSC brakes with Uberbike Race Matrix pads with no problems.
They have had quite alot of hammer this trip, as they do every trip.
If you go from organic to sintered they can scream like a banshee.
I can sort of see the logic behind that but SRAM are saying that even changing from one organic compound to another organic compound "requires" a change of rotor. I guess I'll find out soon enough whether it's just bullshit...😲
Clean the rotors and bed in again. Bedding in leaves a thin smear of pad material on the disc
I'm still here....changed from sram metallic to sram organic on my front brake earlier in the summer, did not clean my rotor, and the organic are actually better than the bare metal of the worn sintered pads.
I also managed to pop a piston out on my guides while bleeding them with a hangover, and that doesn't seem to have negatively affected them either
Clean with brake cleaner. Tub with >150 grit sandpaper. Clean again.
Bed in new pads.
changing from one organic compound to another organic compound "requires" a change of rotor. I guess I'll find out soon enough whether it's just bullshit...😲
Even after my organic / sintered experience that change would be firmly in the "use the same rotors" box.
My earlier reply assumed you were going organic / sintered.
I’m not sure that ai’ve ever done this since I got disconnected brakes. I can’t even remember off my brakes came with organic, metallic or semi-metallic. They’re running semi-metallic now though. And about to be swapped to Uber E-Matrix (or something).
Definitely a "life's too short" thing for me.
SRAM are saying that even changing from one organic compound to another organic compound "requires" a change of rotor.
When SRAM disc brakes were relatively new, a guy from SRAM told the collected staff at the LBS that I worked for, with a straight face, that everyone should replace a disc rotor every time you replaced the pads. We laughed at him and said there's no way we could sell that to the general public.