BB7 brakes pads - what happens when they wear out?

[scotsbikester]

I can hardly see the pads on my BB7 brakes. At least not the rear brakes. I've got a rack which makes it a bit more difficult. I can see, just, that there is some friction material left on the inner pad, but I can't really see the outer pad. I assume, rightly or wrongly, that they wear at roughly the same rate. And it's a pain taking the wheel out (especially rear), to actually extract the pads and measure them with a vernier gauge.

What happens if they actually wear out? Presumably I get metal on metal? Or do I get a warning? The tab thing on the outer pad is actually bent inwards slightly. So I wonder if that will catch the "spokes" of the rotor before all friction material has gone? By design, maybe?

 

[Webbo2]

I can hardly see the pads on my BB7 brakes. At least not the rear brakes. I've got a rack which makes it a bit more difficult. I can see, just, that there some friction material left on the inner pad, but I can't really see the outer pad. I assume, rightly or wrongly, that they wear at roughly the same rate. And it's a pain taking the wheel out (especially rear), to actually extract the pads and measure them with a vernier gauge.

What happens if they actually wear out? Presumably I get metal on metal? Or do I get a warning? The tab thing on the outer pad is actually bent inwards slightly. So I wonder if that will catch the "spokes" of the rotor before all friction material has gone? By design, maybe?

If they wear out usually you find out by being unable to stop.😱

 

[Drago]

I assume, rightly or wrongly, that they wear at roughly the same rate.

Thats far from a given.

Why remove the wheel to extract the pads?

 

[brommieinkorea]

Back off the adjusters. Remove pads with needle nose pliers. No need to remove wheel. Compared to rim wreckers they're silly easy to replace.

 

[ColinJ]

I assume, rightly or wrongly, that they wear at roughly the same rate.

When you brake hard both pads are forced hard against the disc so wear in that situation is probably similar for both pads.

This does not necessarily apply for light braking though. If the brake is not adjusted properly then one pad could be doing a lot more work than the other. Worst case scenario is for one pad to be dragging on the disc and the other not even to be touching.

Mechanical disc brakes can work very well, but make sure that they are adjusted properly. There are plenty of videos on YouTube showing how to do it. And how to change the pads!

 

[FrankCrank]

I'm reminded of my apprenticeship days as a fabricator/welder. One of the new lads was practicing his oxy-acetylene welding, and stopped suddenly looking a bit perplexed. He asked what happens when you run out of oxygen, and was told that you die

 

[Ming the Merciless]

If you haven’t already, buy replacement pads. When you have, take out the existing pads and measure. If pad material below 1.5mm, time to replace. Don’t mess with running pads to their limits. Your brakes will fail when a brick wall or cliff is straight ahead.

 

[biggs682]

Imho opinion they normally squeal like a pig being chased by hound

 

[88robb]

I can hardly see the pads on my BB7 brakes. At least not the rear brakes. I've got a rack which makes it a bit more difficult. I can see, just, that there is some friction material left on the inner pad, but I can't really see the outer pad. I assume, rightly or wrongly, that they wear at roughly the same rate. And it's a pain taking the wheel out (especially rear), to actually extract the pads and measure them with a vernier gauge.

What happens if they actually wear out? Presumably I get metal on metal? Or do I get a warning? The tab thing on the outer pad is actually bent inwards slightly. So I wonder if that will catch the "spokes" of the rotor before all friction material has gone? By design, maybe?

When they wear out, metal grinds on the rotor. You'll hear a loud screech and your braking power will disappear. This will quickly ruin your expensive rotor. Replace the pads now to avoid this.

 

[T4tomo]

Your brakes will fail when a brick wall or cliff is straight ahead.

or both or a Cliff Richard billboard

 

[ColinJ]

This has reminded me that I need to check the pads on my CAADX!

 

[GarthW]

Back off the adjusters. Remove pads with needle nose pliers. No need to remove wheel. Compared to rim wreckers they're silly easy to replace.

Shimano pads are rim wreckers. Kool stop pads are not, and they give better braking, and a set lasts me 25,000 miles

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Don’t mess with brakes. Not being able to brake has killed riders.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Shimano pads are rim wreckers. Kool stop pads are not, and they give better braking, and a set lasts me 25,000 miles

You seem to get an extraordinary number of miles from various consumables. Chains and cassettes each last 20,000 miles (other thread).
Why would "Shimano pads" be "rim wreckers" given the type of brake the OP has? I've added pictures to help you.

the pads on my BB7 brakes.

 

[GarthW]

You seem to get an extraordinary number of miles from various consumables. Chains and cassettes each last 20,000 miles (other thread).

Some other time I'll post what I've done to extend tires' life too.

Why would "Shimano pads" be "rim wreckers" given the type of brake the OP has? I've added pictures to help you.

I was responding to what brommieinkorea said, by which I think he meant that it's easier to change pads on these disc brakes than it is on rim brakes. It's quite easy to change rim brakes' pads anyway though.