Is it necessary to bed in new disc brakes?

hard-rider
hard-rider Posts: 460
edited March 2010 in MTB beginners
Will hopefully collect me new bike tomorrow and was wondering if the new disc brakes require any sort of bedding in like car brakes? If so what's the procedure?

Comments

  • -liam-
    -liam- Posts: 1,831
    Yup.

    Find a hill. Ride to the top of it and travelling as fast as you can, slam on the anchors without locking up the wheel. Repeat about 10 times per brake :D

    Seriously. It toughens the surface of the pad.
    Kona Fire Mountain
    Kona Kula
    Duster
    Mmmbop
  • Rickbus
    Rickbus Posts: 39
    Cheers for that Liam, collecting my bike on Saturday so no doubt will have to follow this procedure! Not to steep of hill i assume or i can see myself going straight over the handlebars!! :D
    Specialized Hardrick Pro Disc 2010
  • hard-rider
    hard-rider Posts: 460
    Thanks, I'll be out blitzing down a hill when I get my bike then.
  • .blitz
    .blitz Posts: 6,197
    Remember to let the rotors & pads cool inbetween stops or you will just fry them.
  • TowerRider
    TowerRider Posts: 430
    Best advice would surely be to ask the place you are purchasing it from or read the manual?
  • hard-rider
    hard-rider Posts: 460
    TowerRider wrote:
    Best advice would surely be to ask the place you are purchasing it from or read the manual?
    The Elixir manual just said they the brakes will not be at optimum until after about 20 brakes during which time the braking performance should increase.

    I just wanted to check if there was a "good practice" for bedding them in.
  • llamafarmer
    llamafarmer Posts: 1,848
    My last couple of changes have been at the trail head before a ride. The first descent is usually lively, but they soon bed in :lol:

    They probably just last a bit longer if you do it properly
    Giant Anthem X
    Cube Ltd Race
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    If they're elixirs, be really carefull, mine were very very grabby (ie two fingers will lock up either wheel trivially easily) which calmed down as they bedded in
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • vdu7x
    vdu7x Posts: 48
    Why do they need to be bedded in? If it's to get them to shape up for your rotors then I get it but if it' a curing process to make them more durable, why can't they be supplied pre heatcycled?

    With organics, I was going through almost a set a ride (peak district grinding paste!) whether they were bedded in or not, but finding a hill to bed them in every time was a PITA. My current set of sintered pads which I did bed in have lasted 4 rides and I actually like the feel of them too.
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    I believe it is to transfer some of the braking material onto the rotor and to harden the surface of the pad.
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • ed_arnold
    ed_arnold Posts: 65
    hard-rider wrote:
    TowerRider wrote:
    Best advice would surely be to ask the place you are purchasing it from or read the manual?
    The Elixir manual just said they the brakes will not be at optimum until after about 20 brakes during which time the braking performance should increase.

    I just wanted to check if there was a "good practice" for bedding them in.

    I have Elixir 5s - they were fairly powerful from the start, but properly started to bite about 30mins into a ride. It was quite noticeable when it happened. My undertanding is that the outer surface of the pad needs to be worn away before the material starts perform properly, as well as the contact area wearing to fit the rotor. Just start using them normally I'm sure they'll be fine.
  • captainfly
    captainfly Posts: 1,001
    I didn't think bicyle brakes got hoy enough for the classic automobile bedding process. I had assumed that the bedding process was more to true up the pads and rotor so you ge optimum surface area for best braking.
    -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
    Mongoose Teocali
    Giant STP0

    Why are MTB economics; spend twice as much as you intended, but only half as much as you wish you could afford? :roll:
  • sniper68
    sniper68 Posts: 2,910
    Its do do with heat hardening the pads in a similar way to cars/motorcycles.Bike rotors can get very hot.I've regularly had my rotors "blueing" and on one very steep tarmac descent in the Yorkshire Dales my rear disc went yellow with heat which is known as "strawing" to do this the rotor surface has to be (IIRC)400degs+.
    I saw a photo of an American who touched his rotor with this calf and he had a perfect branding of a rotor on his leg :(
    Lynskey R480

  • captainfly
    captainfly Posts: 1,001
    ibbo68 wrote:
    Its do do with heat hardening the pads in a similar way to cars/motorcycles.Bike rotors can get very hot.I've regularly had my rotors "blueing" and on one very steep tarmac descent in the Yorkshire Dales my rear disc went yellow with heat which is known as "strawing" to do this the rotor surface has to be (IIRC)400degs+.
    I saw a photo of an American who touched his rotor with this calf and he had a perfect branding of a rotor on his leg :(

    How fast and heavy are you? :o I would have though you would have boiled your brake fluid first.
    -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
    Mongoose Teocali
    Giant STP0

    Why are MTB economics; spend twice as much as you intended, but only half as much as you wish you could afford? :roll:
  • sniper68
    sniper68 Posts: 2,910
    I'm 14 st my mate was then 17.5st,his were worse than mine.It was a very long steep tarmac descent and at the bottom you could smell burnt pads 8) The rotors were pinging as they cooled down :D
    Lynskey R480

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