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1) If you're replacing pads like for like, or
2) If you're changing compound eg. resin to sintered.
Remove, clean and sand the rotors?
Do a bleed at the same time?
Bedding in?
Stick them in and ride?
If everything was working fine before (no contamination of the rotor) then just push the pistons back, fit pads and ride.
Stick them in and ride.
They'll always be an improvement on the bare metal I'm replacing.
Pull out pads, stick new ones in, rode off. Trail side job
Stick them in, centre and ride - 10 minute job. Though the last time I did it my rear caliper piston was really tough to push back and I couldn't retract it all the way, so next time i'll try lubing the piston.
And the same if you're changing the type of pad?
clean the mud off, push the old pads/piston back into the calipre, change pads, give the disc's a wipe over with a isopropanol (disc cleaner) & assuming the new pads/brakes work now, away I go
Same every time....
Remove old pads
Fit new pads
Try 'em out
Ride away with a big smile
Changing compound doesn't change the process. I have never cleaned a brake disc and don't see any reason why I would 🙂
Type of pad wont affect how you install them. Some might have shorter or longer bed in times.
As above...but bed them in properly.
Yeah just change them out. Jury still seems to be out on wether they need bedding in or not. I'm in the 'bed them in camp' as from personal experience of not bedding one lot in, they didn't bite as hard as I had expected (there was an odd squeak from me as i struggled to shed the speed haha!) and they certainly got stronger after a few heavy stops and some heat suggesting your better bedding them in. If your light on the brakes then you probably wouldn't notice that too much though.
Ours are always changed at the side of the trail. Old pads out, push the pistons back in, put the new pads in and carry on with the ride.
Why would you want to sand the rotor?.
Glad to see I'm not the only one puzzled by the idea that there's anything to do when changing the pads...besides changing the pads.
I was reading a brakes thread that had a link to a pinkbike article which was going on about removing rotors, cleaning and sanding them and so on. It wasn't something that had ever even occurred to me, I just wondered if anyone actually did all that stuff.
removing rotors, cleaning and sanding them and so on.
I do that if the new pads are squeeling 😡
Always bed mine in now. 10-15 hard stops up and down the road.
The only time I'll sand anything is if they are howling, or have got some grease on the pads.
Clearly nobody so far has avid juicy or elixirs!
Personally push the Pistons back, fit new pads, ride.
Prep consists of:
Grab wallet
Sit at computer
click various links
Click pay
click confirm
wait for delivery.
Fit new pads
occasionally I'll wipe the aluminium dust off the rims before fitting new pads.. depends how clean they were when the pads wore down to the hard plastic.
The "science" of brakes suggests that the rotor should have an ingrained coating of pad material to work most efficiently. However, I tend to just whip the old pads out and put the new ones in. Maybe it helps that I'm not changing compounds?
As long as there is not contamination then just old and new in. If contaminated then I IPA the rotor and burn the residue off.
Old pads out
Pistons back
Clean rotor with brake cleaner
New pads in
Bed in on street and realign calliper if necessary
Do sick skids