Hey Tobias......so about disc brake noise. I also listened to the #cyclingtips podcast and was surprised how puzzled everyone was about this - including brake pad OEM. I am in the auto industry so have experience with this. Aside from pad compounds, the other causes are always glazing of pads/rotors, vibration of the brake components or temperature (low or cold). Go look at the brake disc on a car - it’s a cast iron disc ( vented double sided if in front) and has a lot of mass. Bike discs are what 1mm? Those thin discs vibrate like mad and there is also very little fork or frame mass to dampen that. Ever notice MTB brakes aren’t quite as loud - more fork / frame mass and lower speeds to dampen vibration of rotors. It’s almost surprising when bike discs don’t make noise. You had some great tips but the one I would add is simply to run some sandpaper over the discs and pads when washing the bike to deglaze the braking surface (as well as cleaning with alcohol). CyclingTips pod was also right about compounds - only pros descending big mountains need metallic compounds. Those need to be hot to work right and aren’t designed to be quiet. You can’t imagine how noisy and dead feeling race car brakes are until they get up to temp - nearly unusable when cold and shake like hell........ Anyway apologies for the rant and keep the awesome content coming. Sliding graphics were very cool BTW 😉
Cheer mate! Always good to hear from people with real knowledge, I’m definitely no expert, I only share what has worked for me :) apart from a few rides in crazy down pours my brakes are very quiet. I have one “hack” I wanna try in the future if I ever get a couple of howling brakes... if it ever happens, there will be a video. Thanks again!
Front brake has a high sound and also vibrates like hell on heavy braking. No matter what I do it is not fixed. Rear disc brake is fine. Very annoying and disappointing.
@@zakymaa There's the common solution that everyone uses, but sometimes it's the forgotten solution. The front brake takes more force, which makes the smaller variances in the shape amplified. Glazed pads and contaminated surfaces are a likely cause. ~400 grit sandpaper to both rotors and pads, clean both with acetone or specific disc brake cleaner, and re-bed. If it doesn't with at this point, 90% of riders and mechanics say you'll need new pads, the next cheapest solution. But if that doesn't work, you'll need new rotors. I'm trying to do my own experiments on it, but rotor design is a critical factor in noise and vibration. If the pads aren't soft enough to dampen the rotor's vibrations, it'll squeal. Lighter and colder rotors squeal more and stop less. The connection from the hub to the braking surface must be designed to disrupt vibrations, as should the vents in the braking surface to prevent the vibrations from traveling along the outer edge. Shimano Dura Ace rotors are designed for short bursts of hard braking at high speeds, where they spin up quickly and shed heat. They can't tolerate buildup from continuous braking, and definitely aren't designed for stopping. They're designed for speed control and slowing down. Fantastic at 45kph to 30kph, but going below that speed or trying to stop and you fall out of their optimized zone. The pads, calipers, and rotors work together to turn motion into heat, then dump that heat into the air and not the brake lines. Sound is proof that the system isn't working at the optimized level. More noise means less heat, which is proof that energy is being wasted. Lack of noise just means that there's no noise -- if the pads are getting chewed up too fast you may not hear it, especially after resurfacing them with sandpaper. If your pistons are dirty and your brakes need to be bled, you won't deliver the full force to the rotors and they won't retract fully, which leads to dragging the brakes and glazing pads. Warped rotors can do the same. Vented resin pads, rotors with more surface area, ceramic pistons, and a tune up (cleaned pistons, trued rotor, etc). Uncommon solutions for people who've tried everything else.
Not a bike mechanic but 100% agree with you. About the noise - it depends on the circumstances whether it's bugging or embarrassing. E.g. at CX races, cool drizzle in the air, (probably metal pads being used?), the first corner after the start sprint of the peloton is outright spectacularly loud, reminiscent of a squadron of Star Wars' Tie Fighters. Afterwards in the race the systems either are heated up or I don't pay much attention to it. (Btw, the noise of sand grinding the drivetrain is a much greater horror to witness - must be so nice to have a pro mechanic and abundance of spares afterwards.)
@ridesofjapan what if we sand rotors downand simulate the same pad sanding/scoring grain and clean with alcohol? I used to use a rough sand paper but now i jyst use a wet sandpaper 240 grit to just remove the smoothness, but been wanting to go 1 or 2 grits corser. I feel like this will help, at least if u dont bother breaking in more proper way. I feel like it would remove the fist step maybe second 🤔. I would love it if u post a video on this experiment
Solid advice. Few things to mention: number of stops depends on bike/rider weight, pad compound and disc size. It's all about how quickly you can heat them up and lay down the layer of the pad material on the disc. One important thing to mention is also never come to a complete stop after slowing down. If you do it in the city it may be hard not to.
I found Roman's comments very reasonable, the question: what is the optimal disc temperature for this task, practically we can do this exercise on the way back from the top of the hill, but we should avoid overheat, right? but from another perspective if the temperature should be as low as possible, then I would do one stop with front brake and the next with a rear one, and then again with front... and so on. And the second question: what are the benefits of the speed increase and use of 2 brakes at the same time? thanks
Thank you! My rear brakes stopped squealing on my ride today. They still chatter/vibrate but it's a much more tolerable noise and only happens on harder braking.
Great stuff! And very timely. I just bought a new gravel bike with disc brakes...and planning my first shakedown cruise on the bike today, so I'll definitely try this break-in technique. This is my fourth bike with discs...and I have never broken in the disc brakes previously. The only advice I ever got was that new disc brakes take a few rides before they begin working optimally. This controlled process makes much more sense. Thanks.
Very late to the party, just watching all of your videos currently and you convinced me to buy an Open cycle 😉 What I did. on my last disc brake bike was pedaling with slightly pulled brakes on an even road. By this you heat the up quicker but also having equal pressure on them while heating up. I do this 3-4x for around 10-15 seconds per side. After some cooling down I did 2x emergency braking until almost full stop - just release the brakes shortly before the stop. Never had an issue with noise and got good braking power out of it. My weight is 92kg though, which heats them up quiet quickly 😉
I bought a Giant TCR in February of 2021 and had nothing but problems with squealing front brakes. I tried cleaning them, sanding them etc and nothing worked. I recently replaced the pads and used the technique described in this video to bed the pads in. Worked like a charm! I've gone on a 30 mile and then a hard 70 mile road ride and not one hint of a squeal. I can only conclude that the pads were already screwed up when I bought the bike, or I didn't bed them in correctly initially. Thanks you.
Hey mate. Mine are fine in the dry, howling banshee in the wet. One thing to mention is perfect centering can help prevent this. I always use sintered pads for the heat capability on long downhills.
Cheers for the report! I’ve had hit and miss experience with sintered pads, the resin (or organic) have worked better for in most cases apart from pad life. I do very rarely ride in shitty conditions though is has to be said.
Another great video! Similar to the process I've used for years - a nice gradual break-in process without stopping has worked great for me as well. FWIW - on Shimano 9170 and 8070 calipers I use the K02 resin pads without the fins. Easy to find for $10 to $12 and work just as well for me. I've used the similar resin pad on XT brakes and have had no issues with fading from heat using 160mm rotors.
Great video. Enjoyed it. A bit of a hint: Try Swissstop yellow pads. No sqealing even in the wet. Much greater modulation and stopping power. I have not found any difference whether I bed them in or not.
EBC gold pads all day long on my trail and DH bikes. I don't know off the top of my head if they do the same compounds for road bike brakes but if they do, get them on yer bike they're great pads. If I get a disc brake dropbar bike they'd be the first thing I'd upgrade other than the tyres. Ps
Firstly if you end up using nail polish remover please be sure it doesn't have coconut oil in it. Some nail polish removers do use things like coconut oil to be more gentle for your fingers and that is something you don't want to cover your brakes with. Isopropanol alcohol or brake cleaner is always a safe solution for your brakes. Secondly, if you have SRAM brakes, please do not use dot fluid for your brake caliper/piston seals. SRAM has their own lube for this and any thing grease like lube is better than dot fluid. Because dot fluid act as paint remover and getting it to your calipers / frame / wheels or where ever something is painted you should immediately remove it with water. If you leave it on painted surfaces the painting will get damaged over time.
Tjena! Just installed new pads, and a pair of Dura-Ace rotors on my Exploro, and followed your advice. I could certainly feel brake power improve, but that 30 km thing was a bit scary, I did one of the stops in a slight corner, and nearly hit the deck when the rear wheel suddenly locked up slightly! I believe I got them fairly well bedded in anyway. :)
Gonna have to try this. I didn't bed mine in properly and its making horrible noises. Like the new pad is fighting against the old material on the rotor.
Yes, I definitely would do some kind of breaking in, maybe not this strict but I would want to lay down an even layer on a new rotor as well for best performance.
Denis Roy you don’t really want to clean off what you “bedded in” with alcohols etc, but I would (and do) clean them regularly when I wash my bike with soapy water just to remove dirt, oil and other contaminants. Especially the rear rotor that easily can get chain lube on it. If you don’t you run a risk of contaminating the pads and you could end up with noisy or weak brakes.
Michiel Nooren that could very much be the case, I’ve not done any scientific test with this so to speak, I’ve just stuck with what works for me. This is already excessive to most people and goes beyond what Shimano recommends 😅
The pads and rotors don't care how fast you're going. All you're doing in the bedding in process is getting the brakes hot enough to transfer pad material onto the rotor. So long as you get a decent bit of heat into the brakes (not overheating them) and don't come to a complete stop (as that causes 'hot spots' of extra pad material, which then can cause juddering) you can go as fast or as slow as you need. The slower you go, the more braking you'll need to do to get the same heat. Oh and loud, squealing brakes are just a side effect of wet rotors. Watch an MTB video of anyone riding in the snow, it's like a flock of geese. It's not a science, no need to stick to any speeds, just get them hot enough over repeated braking cycles.
Hi Rides of Japan, can you give us some advise? We plan to do some cycling beginning of May in Japan. Idea is to fly from Frankfurt to Osaka, taking bikes with us. I think then to cycle to Kyoto and on to Biwa lake and bit along the west coast. can I contact you to discuss a bit?Many Thanks.Zeki
zeki aslan hey mate! Sorry, I’ve actually never ridden in that area (or western Japan) at all, so I’m afraid I can offer any assistance. Sound like a sweet trip though! Have fun!
Can i ask about braking hard. Ive come off twice at fairly slow speed one in dry, one in wet. Is it just bad luck, are wheels locking? May adjust cleats. Any other advice...pull rear fractionally before front?
That’s a very good question actually. What I do is I make sure to clean both sets of rotors with alcohol/nail polish remover when I replace an old set of pads. I do this full bedding in process on my main wheels. As the bedding in process is meant both for the pads and rotors I would do a quick couple of “bedding in brakes” on the second set of wheels as well to get some of that compound on to the rotor, not quite as thoroughly like in this video but I try to get a few nice even “brakes” without locking up the wheel or coming to a full stop with brakes on. Might seem excessive, but I rather over-do it then under-do it :)
Questions. I'm living in big city, so no chance for such quaiet strach of road (for the 20x15km/h). Do doing just the part with 30km/h + the downhill will be enough?
This video is quite over the top leaving nothing to chance. You can easily get away not doing all the steps. I do definitely recommend starting slow and one brake at a time for best results. But most important part is to not lock up the brakes on brand new pads and rotors before they get that initial break-in
Hej, du en nyfiken fråga. Jag ska köpa Easton EC-90 SL vevparti med Cinch PM och 46/30 klingor, hade du bra tips var de finns till bra priser? Vill minnas att du sa du köpt delarna på lite olika?
Gerry Askefalk jag hittade mina Amazon US market place... ingen jätte deal, men betydligt billigare and vad dom är i Japan. Hur det blir i Sverige med moms etc vet jag inte... så där kanske det inte blir någon skillnad alls.
I have really big issues with my brakes, I can never really get the pads to bed in properly and how much I grab it feels as I dont get as much power as I need. And yeah, I do not bled my brakes like how it is in the stores where they feel soft and spongy, my brakes feel pretty solid like if it was mechanical through and through or like a motorcycle brake, so the bleeding can not be the issue here, or is it? Anyway. Discbrakes sux if I really have to compare to v-brakes with ceramic coated rims.
Clean and dry the disk, if you got oil on your pads, pull them out and heat them up to a few hundred to burn off the oil (butane torch) then repeat this procedure (you really want to get them hot, so keep pedaling with the brake applied to help bed them in), you might notice your disk getting darker with some grey dust, i tried adjusting my brakes too when they wouldn't bite, almost snapped the handle off trying to lock up the tyres... now i only have to pull 1/4 as hard yet still havent finished the procedure yet.
Peter Dewar the front hub end-cap is just a tad to big to get the cassette tool between the cap then the lock ring, you can do it if you tilt the tool, but I’ve messed up 2 lock rings doing this, so I just you the external lock ring instead. (Also wanted to subtlety show the two different types of center lock rings there is)
The lock rings with the "teeth" on the inner side only work for 12mm axles and quick release wheels. on most frontwheel hubs (that also offer the possibility of using 15mm axles with different endcaps) they dont fit most of the time. so you need the different lock ring.
rikkiola I’m pretty much maximum at the end of the session... I try to start a bit gentler though. The key is not to lock up the brake (or come to a complete stop with the brake applied) other than than you don’t have to be that crazy careful... I’m just playing safe.
I was going to ask: Does this qualify as interval training, as well? Two seconds later you commented that it was quite a workout involving intervals. LOL
It's been going really rough these past two weeks. I contaminated my brakes, i snapped my chain, my transmission broke. Idk if this is worth it anymore
I just bought a 2022 Giant TCR and was told by the shop that the bike was fully prepared to ride. I thought they would have bedded in the brakes but it appears they have not... I get a lot of vibration when braking at higher speeds. Is there a way to fix this or do I already have to get new pads? *I hope I don't need new rotors. If there is no way to fix the current pads, would changing to new pads and cleaning the rotors with alcohol wipes be enough?
The contacts points between pads and pistons are so small the risk of contaminating either pads or rotors are probably too high to recommend doing that. I have toyed with the idea in the past though.
@@ridesofjapan Good to know you have a sense of humour! I'm a Brit expat living in the Philippines, I ride a Giant fathom sometimes in wet sometimes in the dry and dusty. I too suffered noisy brakes and crave silence. I cleaned the pads and sanded and cleaned the rotor, but the noise returned. It did not occur to me to clean the calipers and pistons, following watching your previous video I took a old tooth brush and some denatured alcohol to the dirty aperture! and guess what no more noise and better braking! - Tooth brush sand paper denatured alcohol and some rag is all that's needed. Thanks! 😁
Correct, that’s why you need to be very careful and make sure to wipe of any excess oil before putting the back... or you might end like me in the latest upload 😅
Haha! I understand that sentiment :) Don’t be put of by this part though, as many people already commented going this far might not be necessary, I like to be on the safe side, my process even goes further than shimanos own recommendations. 😅 I like to be thorough... maybe a bit too much some time.
Basic bike wash with soapy water and a brush is no problem. But if you use stronger solvents or disc brake cleaners you might have to bed them in again.
More like first pads bed in the rotor since the rotor will take longer to lose its thickness yes you will burn through brake pads during this process then meaning my new brakes I have brought are gonna be very dangerous to begin until I burn through them great
From what I understand it't because a properly bedded in brake has an even layer of brakepad-compound "bedded" in to the rotor surface resulting in even friction without irregularities when applying the brakes. As soon as you have an un-even surface it will wear down the pads faster. That's why you should make sure not to lock the brakes, or come to a complete stop with the brakes on before the brakes have been bedded in. (Particularly important if you have new or newly cleaned rotors.)
pfft last week alone it was so muddy/wet that my 160k mud ride burned down 2mm of brackpad down to the metal ..... plz give more lasting pads for in the winter I have to change my pads 3-4 times on my front wheel back a bit less. never did bedding of any kind, will try my new pads tommorow to test this :) my bike :) with winter tires (summer is WTB byway 47mm) www.flickr.com/photos/169187867@N06/32820410798/in/photostream/
Lorenz Siggel yeah, I realize this might seem too excessive to a lot people, and that’s totally fine, if you have a method that works for you definitely stick with that 👍 I’ve had such good results with this process, I’d rather go a bit overboard than the other way around. Cheers!
I have 4 rim brake and two disc brake bikes. Disc brakes to me are just not worth the time and expense to maintain. A simple thing such as shortening the hoses is an expensive process that can take all day compared to rim brakes. I never ride in the rain, so rim brakes work great. No hassle. I will never buy another disc brake bike.
That’s great mate! No need to change what works for you. I generally haven’t had much trouble with noisy or weak brakes even when slacking on the bedding in part, however I’ve have noticed increased life span after doing this. Again my method is really over the top for many people. But better be safe than sorry is my philosophy here 😉
NEVER lube your brake pistons. The pistons are pulled back after pulling the lever by a ring of rubber that gets deformed. If you lube the pistons this ring of rubber won't stick to the pistons. So the pistons won't return to their intended position and the brake is more likely to rub on the rotors. Greetings from Germany!
Yeah Jonathan, what you said. Plus you get the interval benefits. I know SRAM is insistent about bedding in their brakes, I haven't heard this from Shimano yet.
I'll just treat my new hybrid fitness bike with hydraulic brakes just like my car brakes. Just break them in slowly. No quick stops. None of this mumble jumble stuff.
i don't know why i watched someone brake for 10minutes or why i enjoyed it. still staying subscribed, though.
I just had the same thought.
😂😂🤣 same
I watched it twice, no regrets
Hey Tobias......so about disc brake noise. I also listened to the #cyclingtips podcast and was surprised how puzzled everyone was about this - including brake pad OEM. I am in the auto industry so have experience with this. Aside from pad compounds, the other causes are always glazing of pads/rotors, vibration of the brake components or temperature (low or cold). Go look at the brake disc on a car - it’s a cast iron disc ( vented double sided if in front) and has a lot of mass. Bike discs are what 1mm? Those thin discs vibrate like mad and there is also very little fork or frame mass to dampen that. Ever notice MTB brakes aren’t quite as loud - more fork / frame mass and lower speeds to dampen vibration of rotors. It’s almost surprising when bike discs don’t make noise. You had some great tips but the one I would add is simply to run some sandpaper over the discs and pads when washing the bike to deglaze the braking surface (as well as cleaning with alcohol). CyclingTips pod was also right about compounds - only pros descending big mountains need metallic compounds. Those need to be hot to work right and aren’t designed to be quiet. You can’t imagine how noisy and dead feeling race car brakes are until they get up to temp - nearly unusable when cold and shake like hell........ Anyway apologies for the rant and keep the awesome content coming. Sliding graphics were very cool BTW 😉
Cheer mate! Always good to hear from people with real knowledge, I’m definitely no expert, I only share what has worked for me :)
apart from a few rides in crazy down pours my brakes are very quiet.
I have one “hack” I wanna try in the future if I ever get a couple of howling brakes... if it ever happens, there will be a video.
Thanks again!
Front brake has a high sound and also vibrates like hell on heavy braking. No matter what I do it is not fixed. Rear disc brake is fine. Very annoying and disappointing.
@@zakymaa There's the common solution that everyone uses, but sometimes it's the forgotten solution. The front brake takes more force, which makes the smaller variances in the shape amplified. Glazed pads and contaminated surfaces are a likely cause. ~400 grit sandpaper to both rotors and pads, clean both with acetone or specific disc brake cleaner, and re-bed. If it doesn't with at this point, 90% of riders and mechanics say you'll need new pads, the next cheapest solution. But if that doesn't work, you'll need new rotors.
I'm trying to do my own experiments on it, but rotor design is a critical factor in noise and vibration. If the pads aren't soft enough to dampen the rotor's vibrations, it'll squeal. Lighter and colder rotors squeal more and stop less. The connection from the hub to the braking surface must be designed to disrupt vibrations, as should the vents in the braking surface to prevent the vibrations from traveling along the outer edge.
Shimano Dura Ace rotors are designed for short bursts of hard braking at high speeds, where they spin up quickly and shed heat. They can't tolerate buildup from continuous braking, and definitely aren't designed for stopping. They're designed for speed control and slowing down. Fantastic at 45kph to 30kph, but going below that speed or trying to stop and you fall out of their optimized zone.
The pads, calipers, and rotors work together to turn motion into heat, then dump that heat into the air and not the brake lines. Sound is proof that the system isn't working at the optimized level. More noise means less heat, which is proof that energy is being wasted. Lack of noise just means that there's no noise -- if the pads are getting chewed up too fast you may not hear it, especially after resurfacing them with sandpaper.
If your pistons are dirty and your brakes need to be bled, you won't deliver the full force to the rotors and they won't retract fully, which leads to dragging the brakes and glazing pads. Warped rotors can do the same.
Vented resin pads, rotors with more surface area, ceramic pistons, and a tune up (cleaned pistons, trued rotor, etc). Uncommon solutions for people who've tried everything else.
Not a bike mechanic but 100% agree with you. About the noise - it depends on the circumstances whether it's bugging or embarrassing. E.g. at CX races, cool drizzle in the air, (probably metal pads being used?), the first corner after the start sprint of the peloton is outright spectacularly loud, reminiscent of a squadron of Star Wars' Tie Fighters.
Afterwards in the race the systems either are heated up or I don't pay much attention to it. (Btw, the noise of sand grinding the drivetrain is a much greater horror to witness - must be so nice to have a pro mechanic and abundance of spares afterwards.)
In part 2 we will do 60/100/120kph
A. Random I have some working out to do 😵
@ridesofjapan what if we sand rotors downand simulate the same pad sanding/scoring grain and clean with alcohol? I used to use a rough sand paper but now i jyst use a wet sandpaper 240 grit to just remove the smoothness, but been wanting to go 1 or 2 grits corser. I feel like this will help, at least if u dont bother breaking in more proper way. I feel like it would remove the fist step maybe second 🤔. I would love it if u post a video on this experiment
Solid advice. Few things to mention: number of stops depends on bike/rider weight, pad compound and disc size. It's all about how quickly you can heat them up and lay down the layer of the pad material on the disc. One important thing to mention is also never come to a complete stop after slowing down. If you do it in the city it may be hard not to.
I found Roman's comments very reasonable, the question: what is the optimal disc temperature for this task, practically we can do this exercise on the way back from the top of the hill, but we should avoid overheat, right? but from another perspective if the temperature should be as low as possible, then I would do one stop with front brake and the next with a rear one, and then again with front... and so on. And the second question: what are the benefits of the speed increase and use of 2 brakes at the same time? thanks
All excellent points! 👌
I took your advise on cleaning my pads, now I will try this to bed them in! Thanks for you advise and help.
Thank you! My rear brakes stopped squealing on my ride today. They still chatter/vibrate but it's a much more tolerable noise and only happens on harder braking.
I loooove wrenching on bikes. Great video. TY
I used this method to bed in some new brake pads and it worked really well. Thank you. 👍🏻
Great stuff! And very timely. I just bought a new gravel bike with disc brakes...and planning my first shakedown cruise on the bike today, so I'll definitely try this break-in technique. This is my fourth bike with discs...and I have never broken in the disc brakes previously. The only advice I ever got was that new disc brakes take a few rides before they begin working optimally. This controlled process makes much more sense. Thanks.
T McD good luck mate! I’ve heard the same when I jumped on the disc brakes train a few years back. It’s definitely worth it.
Very late to the party, just watching all of your videos currently and you convinced me to buy an Open cycle 😉 What I did. on my last disc brake bike was pedaling with slightly pulled brakes on an even road. By this you heat the up quicker but also having equal pressure on them while heating up. I do this 3-4x for around 10-15 seconds per side. After some cooling down I did 2x emergency braking until almost full stop - just release the brakes shortly before the stop. Never had an issue with noise and got good braking power out of it. My weight is 92kg though, which heats them up quiet quickly 😉
Serious next level attention to detail!
I bought a Giant TCR in February of 2021 and had nothing but problems with squealing front brakes. I tried cleaning them, sanding them etc and nothing worked. I recently replaced the pads and used the technique described in this video to bed the pads in. Worked like a charm! I've gone on a 30 mile and then a hard 70 mile road ride and not one hint of a squeal. I can only conclude that the pads were already screwed up when I bought the bike, or I didn't bed them in correctly initially. Thanks you.
i can really appreciate the video game effects, excellent touch!
I was doing this bedding on my new giant xtc few years ago, broke 1 wheel spoke after a few times. So yes, brake power does seem increase.
Benson Chong ouch!
Hey mate. Mine are fine in the dry, howling banshee in the wet. One thing to mention is perfect centering can help prevent this. I always use sintered pads for the heat capability on long downhills.
Cheers for the report!
I’ve had hit and miss experience with sintered pads, the resin (or organic) have worked better for in most cases apart from pad life.
I do very rarely ride in shitty conditions though is has to be said.
Another great video! Similar to the process I've used for years - a nice gradual break-in process without stopping has worked great for me as well. FWIW - on Shimano 9170 and 8070 calipers I use the K02 resin pads without the fins. Easy to find for $10 to $12 and work just as well for me. I've used the similar resin pad on XT brakes and have had no issues with fading from heat using 160mm rotors.
Todd Donovan cheers mate!
good to know! I’ve been sticking with the finned pads, but I’m pretty interested in trying out the Swisstop pads next.
Great video. Enjoyed it. A bit of a hint: Try Swissstop yellow pads. No sqealing even in the wet. Much greater modulation and stopping power. I have not found any difference whether I bed them in or not.
Rides in Nature after listening to the podcast where they interview the guy from swiss stop I definitely got curious to try them out. 👍
Cheers!
EBC gold pads all day long on my trail and DH bikes. I don't know off the top of my head if they do the same compounds for road bike brakes but if they do, get them on yer bike they're great pads. If I get a disc brake dropbar bike they'd be the first thing I'd upgrade other than the tyres. Ps
Actually could pair that with some intervals and use the downhill as a cool down!!
I was ignoring the strap, until you mentioned it.
Thank you for the tip.
Firstly if you end up using nail polish remover please be sure it doesn't have coconut oil in it. Some nail polish removers do use things like coconut oil to be more gentle for your fingers and that is something you don't want to cover your brakes with. Isopropanol alcohol or brake cleaner is always a safe solution for your brakes.
Secondly, if you have SRAM brakes, please do not use dot fluid for your brake caliper/piston seals. SRAM has their own lube for this and any thing grease like lube is better than dot fluid. Because dot fluid act as paint remover and getting it to your calipers / frame / wheels or where ever something is painted you should immediately remove it with water. If you leave it on painted surfaces the painting will get damaged over time.
Tjena! Just installed new pads, and a pair of Dura-Ace rotors on my Exploro, and followed your advice. I could certainly feel brake power improve, but that 30 km thing was a bit scary, I did one of the stops in a slight corner, and nearly hit the deck when the rear wheel suddenly locked up slightly! I believe I got them fairly well bedded in anyway. :)
Rasmus Wiman good to hear you stayed up right! Ride safe 👍
damn, love these video game affects
NonchalantGarage haha, cheers, was messing around with a lot of sound effects as well... but I went a bit overboard, had to scale back 😅
Thanks for the video! Your technique worked for me!!
very interesting topic. I didnt know that this was necessary but i do like me some optimization
Marcel Faber yeah, my process is probably a bit excessive in most people’s eyes, but I rather overdo it a bit than the other way around.
Nice shout-out to the #cyclingtips podcast, a great podcast.
BGPaul it is indeed 👍
this gonna help me alot thanks for the guide
Gonna have to try this. I didn't bed mine in properly and its making horrible noises. Like the new pad is fighting against the old material on the rotor.
do you recommend leaning back behind the seat when bedding the front brake at higher speeds?
Thanks for the great video. Do you also recommend doing this if only changing the disc rotor and not the pads?
Yes, I definitely would do some kind of breaking in, maybe not this strict but I would want to lay down an even layer on a new rotor as well for best performance.
Once the brake pads are bedded in, is it necessary to clean the discs regularly? Thanks!
Denis Roy you don’t really want to clean off what you “bedded in” with alcohols etc, but I would (and do) clean them regularly when I wash my bike with soapy water just to remove dirt, oil and other contaminants. Especially the rear rotor that easily can get chain lube on it. If you don’t you run a risk of contaminating the pads and you could end up with noisy or weak brakes.
Rides of Japan Thank you! Love your videos!
The idea is to heat up the pads. Is it then not better to do 10xfront @ 15kmph and next 10x front @ 30kmph before switching to the back brake?
Michiel Nooren that could very much be the case, I’ve not done any scientific test with this so to speak, I’ve just stuck with what works for me.
This is already excessive to most people and goes beyond what Shimano recommends 😅
The pads and rotors don't care how fast you're going. All you're doing in the bedding in process is getting the brakes hot enough to transfer pad material onto the rotor. So long as you get a decent bit of heat into the brakes (not overheating them) and don't come to a complete stop (as that causes 'hot spots' of extra pad material, which then can cause juddering) you can go as fast or as slow as you need. The slower you go, the more braking you'll need to do to get the same heat. Oh and loud, squealing brakes are just a side effect of wet rotors. Watch an MTB video of anyone riding in the snow, it's like a flock of geese. It's not a science, no need to stick to any speeds, just get them hot enough over repeated braking cycles.
Hi Rides of Japan, can you give us some advise? We plan to do some cycling beginning of May in Japan. Idea is to fly from Frankfurt to Osaka, taking bikes with us. I think then to cycle to Kyoto and on to Biwa lake and bit along the west coast. can I contact you to discuss a bit?Many Thanks.Zeki
zeki aslan hey mate!
Sorry, I’ve actually never ridden in that area (or western Japan) at all, so I’m afraid I can offer any assistance.
Sound like a sweet trip though! Have fun!
Can i ask about braking hard. Ive come off twice at fairly slow speed one in dry, one in wet. Is it just bad luck, are wheels locking? May adjust cleats. Any other advice...pull rear fractionally before front?
Great stuff!
No wonder why my brakes don’t last, been using metal pads but ride in all conditions and brakes squeak so loud. Thanks for the heads up.
Metal pads are much noisier than resin, especially in the wet
How do you recommend doing this if you share a wheel set with two different bikes/ brakes. Does it have anything to do with the rotors themselves?
That’s a very good question actually.
What I do is I make sure to clean both sets of rotors with alcohol/nail polish remover when I replace an old set of pads.
I do this full bedding in process on my main wheels. As the bedding in process is meant both for the pads and rotors I would do a quick couple of “bedding in brakes” on the second set of wheels as well to get some of that compound on to the rotor, not quite as thoroughly like in this video but I try to get a few nice even “brakes” without locking up the wheel or coming to a full stop with brakes on.
Might seem excessive, but I rather over-do it then under-do it :)
Questions. I'm living in big city, so no chance for such quaiet strach of road (for the 20x15km/h). Do doing just the part with 30km/h + the downhill will be enough?
This video is quite over the top leaving nothing to chance. You can easily get away not doing all the steps.
I do definitely recommend starting slow and one brake at a time for best results. But most important part is to not lock up the brakes on brand new pads and rotors before they get that initial break-in
Hej, du en nyfiken fråga. Jag ska köpa Easton EC-90 SL vevparti med Cinch PM och 46/30 klingor, hade du bra tips var de finns till bra priser? Vill minnas att du sa du köpt delarna på lite olika?
Gerry Askefalk jag hittade mina Amazon US market place... ingen jätte deal, men betydligt billigare and vad dom är i Japan.
Hur det blir i Sverige med moms etc vet jag inte... så där kanske det inte blir någon skillnad alls.
You guys are talking in code, HA!
Mine are super loud, and I live in the city so its really hard to get a good bed in process :(
I don't need a bell
*I have my front brake*
Haha the angry looks and startled screams I get from applying a good handful of front brake
I have really big issues with my brakes, I can never really get the pads to bed in properly and how much I grab it feels as I dont get as much power as I need. And yeah, I do not bled my brakes like how it is in the stores where they feel soft and spongy, my brakes feel pretty solid like if it was mechanical through and through or like a motorcycle brake, so the bleeding can not be the issue here, or is it? Anyway. Discbrakes sux if I really have to compare to v-brakes with ceramic coated rims.
Clean and dry the disk, if you got oil on your pads, pull them out and heat them up to a few hundred to burn off the oil (butane torch) then repeat this procedure (you really want to get them hot, so keep pedaling with the brake applied to help bed them in), you might notice your disk getting darker with some grey dust, i tried adjusting my brakes too when they wouldn't bite, almost snapped the handle off trying to lock up the tyres... now i only have to pull 1/4 as hard yet still havent finished the procedure yet.
In the picture of you cleaning the pads, you use a different lock rings on each rotor, why use 2 different tools?
So that you know which one is the front and rear X)
Peter Dewar the front hub end-cap is just a tad to big to get the cassette tool between the cap then the lock ring, you can do it if you tilt the tool, but I’ve messed up 2 lock rings doing this, so I just you the external lock ring instead.
(Also wanted to subtlety show the two different types of center lock rings there is)
The lock rings with the "teeth" on the inner side only work for 12mm axles and quick release wheels. on most frontwheel hubs (that also offer the possibility of using 15mm axles with different endcaps) they dont fit most of the time. so you need the different lock ring.
Do you want to be applying maximum force without locking wheels for each of these brakes?
rikkiola I’m pretty much maximum at the end of the session... I try to start a bit gentler though. The key is not to lock up the brake (or come to a complete stop with the brake applied) other than than you don’t have to be that crazy careful...
I’m just playing safe.
@@ridesofjapan Sweet, thanks
I was going to ask: Does this qualify as interval training, as well? Two seconds later you commented that it was quite a workout involving intervals. LOL
It's been going really rough these past two weeks. I contaminated my brakes, i snapped my chain, my transmission broke. Idk if this is worth it anymore
Awesome bro! Well do they offer ceramic pads like cars?
Chet Langford cheers mate!
not that I know of anyway
Alligator sells ceramic compound pads.
Matt Surch oh nice! Didn’t know about those! Do you have any personal experience when them?
I just bought a 2022 Giant TCR and was told by the shop that the bike was fully prepared to ride. I thought they would have bedded in the brakes but it appears they have not... I get a lot of vibration when braking at higher speeds. Is there a way to fix this or do I already have to get new pads?
*I hope I don't need new rotors. If there is no way to fix the current pads, would changing to new pads and cleaning the rotors with alcohol wipes be enough?
Try this method th-cam.com/video/Hj9vSl2Vxns/w-d-xo.html
do you use copperslip on the back of the pads?, i do on motorbikes and cars
The contacts points between pads and pistons are so small the risk of contaminating either pads or rotors are probably too high to recommend doing that. I have toyed with the idea in the past though.
@@ridesofjapan yeah that makes sense , love the vids, thanks man
I understand the "bedding in" procedure as a Standing Operating Procedure. However 10 reps at 15 and 30 kph is this not braking OCD ?
David Payne severe OCD 🤪
@@ridesofjapan Good to know you have a sense of humour! I'm a Brit expat living in the Philippines, I ride a Giant fathom sometimes in wet sometimes in the dry and dusty. I too suffered noisy brakes and crave silence. I cleaned the pads and sanded and cleaned the rotor, but the noise returned. It did not occur to me to clean the calipers and pistons, following watching your previous video I took a old tooth brush and some denatured alcohol to the dirty aperture! and guess what no more noise and better braking! - Tooth brush sand paper denatured alcohol and some rag is all that's needed. Thanks! 😁
Doesn't lubing the pistons with oil mean the pads will just get contaminated with it?
Correct, that’s why you need to be very careful and make sure to wipe of any excess oil before putting the back... or you might end like me in the latest upload 😅
Can you do this after your pads already started squealing? I just got my first disc brake bike and I knew none of this beforehand 😅
You should deep clean you pads and rotors first for best results. th-cam.com/video/Hj9vSl2Vxns/w-d-xo.html
Great Video! awesome explication! thanks
SRAM recommends NOT to lubricate pistons AT-ALL !! That makes perfect sense since pistons are sealed and lubricated from the inside.
After watching this I think I'll stick with my rim brakes a few years longer ;)
Haha! I understand that sentiment :)
Don’t be put of by this part though, as many people already commented going this far might not be necessary, I like to be on the safe side, my process even goes further than shimanos own recommendations. 😅
I like to be thorough... maybe a bit too much some time.
would it be good to clean rotors after the break-in ?
Basic bike wash with soapy water and a brush is no problem. But if you use stronger solvents or disc brake cleaners you might have to bed them in again.
What app do you use to play your podcasts?
Urko DaMaister just the native podcast app
@@ridesofjapan Thanks man, I appreciate your dedication to your fans 😉
I don't understand why the brakes wouldn't just be broken in from natural riding.
There is no explanation of why this bedding in process extends pad life.
because it doesn't - in fact he lowered it by something like 30 braking sessions ;)
More like first pads bed in the rotor since the rotor will take longer to lose its thickness yes you will burn through brake pads during this process then meaning my new brakes I have brought are gonna be very dangerous to begin until I burn through them great
What makes bedded brakes last longer?
From what I understand it't because a properly bedded in brake has an even layer of brakepad-compound "bedded" in to the rotor surface resulting in even friction without irregularities when applying the brakes. As soon as you have an un-even surface it will wear down the pads faster. That's why you should make sure not to lock the brakes, or come to a complete stop with the brakes on before the brakes have been bedded in. (Particularly important if you have new or newly cleaned rotors.)
Is this tutorial also good for mtb's?
Yep
Where in Japan do you live?
Ben Lubin Saitama
Oh, that's how it's done! No wonder I was getting weird looks at night from my wife.
pfft last week alone it was so muddy/wet that my 160k mud ride burned down 2mm of brackpad down to the metal ..... plz give more lasting pads for in the winter I have to change my pads 3-4 times on my front wheel back a bit less.
never did bedding of any kind, will try my new pads tommorow to test this :)
my bike :) with winter tires (summer is WTB byway 47mm)
www.flickr.com/photos/169187867@N06/32820410798/in/photostream/
Thats why you loose so much, sounds need to break them in, the pads get hot and therefore harder especially when using resin pads.
This seems excessive. What is the reasoning behind this? I find that a long hill with progressive braking does the trick.
Lorenz Siggel yeah, I realize this might seem too excessive to a lot people, and that’s totally fine, if you have a method that works for you definitely stick with that 👍
I’ve had such good results with this process, I’d rather go a bit overboard than the other way around.
Cheers!
I guess I’m less fussy and braking is vastly overrated 😵
Lorenz Siggel haha! I get that :)
After my accident I value braking more than ever before 😅
(Although that was my own fault rather than the brakes )
I have 4 rim brake and two disc brake bikes. Disc brakes to me are just not worth the time and expense to maintain. A simple thing such as shortening the hoses is an expensive process that can take all day compared to rim brakes. I never ride in the rain, so rim brakes work great. No hassle. I will never buy another disc brake bike.
Hmmm! I've never "bedded" in brakes and never had a problem.
That’s great mate!
No need to change what works for you.
I generally haven’t had much trouble with noisy or weak brakes even when slacking on the bedding in part, however I’ve have noticed increased life span after doing this.
Again my method is really over the top for many people. But better be safe than sorry is my philosophy here 😉
Remember kids, if you go above the set speed threshold, and accidentally come to a halt while trying to bed in your brakes, the world ends!
Unbias you have a few 💛💛💛💛 before its game over though.
👊🏻👊🏻
The people driving on the wrong side of the road scares the fuck out of me. Yes, wrong.
classic obsessive-compulsive disorder
have the same
Solution for the problem.. Go for Rimbrakes.. 😁
Antonis Kapnoulas haha, yeah that’s one solution 😉
NEVER lube your brake pistons. The pistons are pulled back after pulling the lever by a ring of rubber that gets deformed. If you lube the pistons this ring of rubber won't stick to the pistons. So the pistons won't return to their intended position and the brake is more likely to rub on the rotors. Greetings from Germany!
And putting water on the brake rotors/pads works great for me to wear in disk brakes.
Well, that's completely over the top in my opinion. Was never doing any of this and no issues whatsoever 🙄
All good mate, No reason to change what works for you 👍
As a bike mechanic, I strongly agree with RoJ. If you don't do this you risk weak, squealing brakes, why risk it?
Yeah Jonathan, what you said. Plus you get the interval benefits. I know SRAM is insistent about bedding in their brakes, I haven't heard this from Shimano yet.
Or you could avoid all that hassle and ride rim brakes.
aye . if youre lazy and prefer much less stopping power
I'll stay with rim brakes. This is ridiculous
Whats up with the corny 80's porn music? (:-)
Brian Maldonado hehe, I’m a child of the early 80s, the cornier the better 🤓
only - only - use sintered break pads
Rim brakes are lighter, more aero, cheaper and you don't have to break them in. But your ego won't let you do it.
what a pain in the ass
I'll just treat my new hybrid fitness bike with hydraulic brakes just like my car brakes. Just break them in slowly. No quick stops. None of this mumble jumble stuff.