Erm............help!

RockyRaccoon
RockyRaccoon Posts: 21
edited August 2009 in MTB beginners
Hello again. I gave my bike it's first proper clean/hosedown since I got it. I think I may have inadvertently got GT85 on my disc rotors/pads :oops:

When I took it out for a ride, the brakes were squealing at low braking speeds.

Now, from the info I've gathered on the forum, I have cleaned the rotors with a cloth and some white spirit to remove any residue.

What is my next move? I imagine the pads are now contaminated also? Is there a way to remove any residue on those? I've only had the bike for a couple of weeks, so don't really want to change them if I don't have to.

Sorry if this post is in the wrong section, but I figured only a beginner would make a schoolboy error like this!

Any advice greatly received.

Comments

  • Andy B
    Andy B Posts: 8,115
    If you have contaminated the pads, by using the brakes before cleaning the GT85 off, then you will have to buy new ones.
    2385861000_d125abe796_m.jpg
  • rhann
    rhann Posts: 383
    try emery cloth or sand paper on the the pads, if not some one on here mentioned a while back baking them at 200 for 5 mins.
  • Andy B
    Andy B Posts: 8,115
    Do not bake (or boil) the pads, it can cause the friction material to detach from the backing plate
    2385861000_d125abe796_m.jpg
  • RockyRaccoon
    RockyRaccoon Posts: 21
    Thanks for the replies. The sandpaper solution seems viable in theory. Have you tried this before (with success?)
  • xtreem
    xtreem Posts: 2,965
    I tried the oven for 25min and little with the sandpaper and the cooking oil was gone.
    And my friction material did not detach from the backing plate. :wink:
    NS Bikes Eccentric Alu custom - 2016
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    You said they're squealing, but are the actually weakened? That's the big deal, even brakes in perfect nick can squeal so it's not neccesarily a problem.

    What I do to sort contaminated pads is just nuke them with brake cleaner, then rub them down with a scotchbrite pad, then repeat a couple of times til I become bored. That sorts it on many occasions, combined with a series of hard stops to bed them back in.
    Uncompromising extremist
  • RockyRaccoon
    RockyRaccoon Posts: 21
    Again, thanks for the replies. With regards to performance, I can't say that I noticed any difference when stopping. It's just that before I cleaned the bike the rotors/pads were squeak free. I then just assumed that the GT85 was the cause. Anyhow, I will have a go with the sandpaper and see how I get on. Thanks again.
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    Sometimes you'll just find that washing the bike can cause squeals etc to erupt... As long as the brakes actually work fine, I wouldn't worry about it too much- if the stopping power is unchanged then the pads aren't significantly contaminated, if at all.
    Uncompromising extremist

Categories