Throwing a brake pad is this common??

[currystomper]

I was coming down a hill the other day and breaking fairly hard and suddenly I lost the back brake stopping power, when I looking the brake pad had come away from its metal backing and disappeared up the road.

I had also heard of another rider out on an Audax and he lost a front brake pad. He was left with little front stopping power on the front even when he adjusted the brake clearances for the lost pad.

Is this a common thing? has anyone else heard of this type of issue...

 

[presta]

Rim brake or disc brake?

 

[PedallingNowhereSlowly]

It's happened to me in a car, so no reason it can't happen on a bike.
What type of brake, how much friction material was left and how old were the pads?

 

[berty bassett]

Put the pads in wrong ? Left in right ? There’s a metal bit to stop the brake pad unless they are in wrong way round , then they will shoot out like , well like you have put them in the wrong way round !

 

[currystomper]

It's was pads for a disc brakes, I didn't put the pads in, but I don't think there is a right and wrong way is there (unlike rim brakes) there was a fair amount of meat on the pad that was left..

 

[currystomper]

I had a motorbike for years and never heard of anyone losing a motorbike pad!!

 

[roley poley]

No its not common ..I would politely mention and show it to the person /shop who fitted them for you and see what they say they should be interested

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I lost a front brake pad on an audax. Not sure if it’s my story you heard. The reason I lost it is because the bolt securing the pads had dropped out. I lost the whole brake pad not just the braking material. It pinged off when braking in dark and I couldn’t find it. I’ve gone back to split pins ever since and not had an issue subsequently.

How many miles had the brake pads done and what thickness of pad was left before they went to metal on your outing?

 

[currystomper]

Here is a picture of the brake pad pair. I assume they are original pads from when the bike was new (I purchased it 2nd hand)

 

[BrumJim]

I was coming down a hill the other day and breaking fairly hard and suddenly I lost the back brake stopping power, when I looking the brake pad had come away from its metal backing and disappeared up the road.

I had also heard of another rider out on an Audax and he lost a front brake pad. He was left with little front stopping power on the front even when he adjusted the brake clearances for the lost pad.

Is this a common thing? has anyone else heard of this type of issue...

So brake pad backing plate still in the holder, but the actual friction material had separated from the backing plate?

I've heard of that on train brakes - not the whole pad, but just a segment or two. We quickly found a new brake pad supplier (and design) and replaced all the pads as soon as possible. Never really got to the bottom of why, but didn't really care.

Looks like a bonding issue between the pad and backing plate. Given that they are not new, looks like a temperature and force issue, i.e. hadn't failed before as the brakes had never got that hot and been applied that hard. Still a manufacturing issue, though.

 

[presta]

It looks to me as if the back plate had been rusting underneath the friction material, in which case it can't have been bonded properly to start with, and the expansion of the rust would have forced it off the plate.

 

[currystomper]

Yup, just the friction material had gone, sounds like it's just a one off, it could have subject to some abuse by a previous owner as now I think of it the bike had a replacement rotor on the back when I got it.....

I may try knocking the other pads friction material off to see how much force it takes and how much rust there is.

 

[presta]

Yup, just the friction material had gone, sounds like it's just a one off, it could have subject to some abuse by a previous owner as now I think of it the bike had a replacement rotor on the back when I got it.....

I may try knocking the other pads friction material off to see how much force it takes and how much rust there is.

The point I was getting at is that rust is seven times the volume of the metal that created it, so once the water gets in and the rust starts, the expansion will be enough to force the pad off. It's just like water in cracks breaking up rocks when it freezes.

 

[T4tomo]

Yup, just the friction material had gone, sounds like it's just a one off, it could have subject to some abuse by a previous owner as now I think of it the bike had a replacement rotor on the back when I got it.....

I may try knocking the other pads friction material off to see how much force it takes and how much rust there is.

or just buy new pads front and back and not worry too much about it....

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Here is a picture of the brake pad pair. I assume they are original pads from when the bike was new (I purchased it 2nd hand)

View attachment 729149

Might have been close to the metal already then. Best to periodically check thickness of pads and change before they drop below 1.5mm.