disc-brake wear

[alecstilleyedye]

anyone know how to tell when disc-brake pads are in need of replacement?

my commuter (disc braked) has done more mileage than the summer (rim braked) bike, which has had a new pair of rear pads already.

the brakes still stop the bike ok, and there's no sign of any wear on the rotor disc.

short of removing the pads for inspection, is there an easy way of telling when the pads have had their day?

 

[Tangoup51]

Any metallic scraping noises?
- Realistically the best way and Only way to check if your pads are in need of replacement is to look at them, rather than wait for them to physically wear out until it is metal on metal.

- As a side note, don't compare rim brake to disc brake wear, disc pads are made differently and are better at clearing harmful debris so your rotor pads may be fine, but as I say there is only one way to be sure.

 

[Pale Rider]

You can usually see the depth of the friction material from back of the caliper, although that's not much use if you don't know how thick the material on a fresh pad is.

A less precise indication, even with hydraulics, is increased lever travel.

Do you know how many miles the bike has done?

Wear rates vary, but if you've done more than 5,000 commuting miles on one set of pads you are almost certainly on borrowed time.

 

[raleighnut]

You can usually see the depth of the friction material from back of the caliper, although that's not much use if you don't know how thick the material on a fresh pad is.

A less precise indication, even with hydraulics, is increased lever travel.

Do you know how many miles the bike has done?

Wear rates vary, but if you've done more than 5,000 commuting miles on one set of pads you are almost certainly on borrowed time.

Yep, I took my pads out to check the caliper on one 'service' of my Saracen and thought "God they're nackered" until I saw how little material there was on a new set, not even half worn (But I don't ride that bike much)

 

[alecstilleyedye]

You can usually see the depth of the friction material from back of the caliper, although that's not much use if you don't know how thick the material on a fresh pad is.

A less precise indication, even with hydraulics, is increased lever travel.

Do you know how many miles the bike has done?

Wear rates vary, but if you've done more than 5,000 commuting miles on one set of pads you are almost certainly on borrowed time.

over 5,000km, so not quite that bad...

 

[cosmicbike]

Wear rates vary, but if you've done more than 5,000 commuting miles on one set of pads you are almost certainly on borrowed time.

Really? My Boardman is on over 8000 miles of year round commuting and still on the original front pads which have a good couple of mm life left in them. The rears were changed after 7000 miles as they got scuffed to bit by something stuck in there...

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

My 2 1/2 yr old PX London Road is still on original pads

There's no right answer here, a bike +set of pads might roll through 10,000 miles but how much of that is braking?

 

[Slick]

Unless I've just picked up a bit of contamination, I reckon my pads are on the way out with 2000 on the clock, maybe even a bit less.

 

[buzzy-beans]

Somewhat off post, but surely shouldn't the front brakes wear out far sooner than the rears?

 

[Tangoup51]

Somewhat off post, but surely shouldn't the front brakes wear out far sooner than the rears?

Generally yes, but I run my brakes with softer pads up front and harder pads at the back, because I tend to use the front for heavy braking and the rear for lighter breaking. Commuting around the city I don't get up enough speed in traffic to bother using the front brake often.

 

[LeetleGreyCells]

Somewhat off post, but surely shouldn't the front brakes wear out far sooner than the rears?

Generally yes, but I run my brakes with softer pads up front and harder pads at the back, because I tend to use the front for heavy braking and the rear for lighter breaking. Commuting around the city I don't get up enough speed in traffic to bother using the front brake often.

I believe, very generally speaking, that we use (and please take this with a pinch of salt) our front brakes 60% and rear brakes 40% of the time for slowing and stopping. Which would suggest, as mentioned, that your front pads will need replacing before the rear. Especially if you use softer pads up front and hard at the rear.

Check your front pads regularly folks!

 

[cosmicbike]

Somewhat off post, but surely shouldn't the front brakes wear out far sooner than the rears?

Depends on how you ride. I tend to 'drag' on the rear brake quite a lot on the commute to scrub off speed, and only tend to use the front when stopping.

With regards lifespan, it seems to vary based on where you ride, with some folk wearing through a set of pads in a weekends riding at Swinley Forest, something to do with the ginge stuff apparently.

 

[Levo-Lon]

If the pad spring touches the rotor there done

 

[chriscross1966]

Yep, I took my pads out to check the caliper on one 'service' of my Saracen and thought "God they're nackered" until I saw how little material there was on a new set, not even half worn (But I don't ride that bike much)

I had that with mine, had a look at them, thought there wasnt much left, got a new set.... ah.... they're barely worn in.... Brompton with a custom rear triangle and an 11-speed Alfine.... it's my commuter so it gets ridden in all conditions through the winter and the brake setup is pretty close to the floor compared to one of your old-fashioned penny-pennies....

 

[chriscross1966]

I believe, very generally speaking, that we use (and please take this with a pinch of salt) our front brakes 60% and rear brakes 40% of the time for slowing and stopping. Which would suggest, as mentioned, that your front pads will need replacing before the rear. Especially if you use softer pads up front and hard at the rear.

Check your front pads regularly folks!

Not me... front brake for emergencies only.... I learned to ride on a Raleigh Chopper, a locked back brake is a controllable skid, a locked front comes with a dentists bill.... Nowadays I stay like that because I've got carbon rims on my Brompton and a custom rear with disc brake, but the front is still rim..... and I don't want to wear that rather expensive carbon rim out...