Bedding in brakes

divingmoose

Hi guys,
Just had some new XT brakes fitted and want to know what I should do re bedding in before taking it out on the trail.
Thanks

Chunkers1980

Use them for a bit.

stubs

Find a quiet car park pedal as hard as you can and brake till you almost stop. Rinse and repeat till you can stand the bike on its front wheel will take anywhere between 10 and 20 hard stops.

bennett_346

20 hard stops from speed and they should be dandy.

bikaholic

Here is my method:

1. Shift into an easy-ish gear (middle chainring, third largest cog works for me) and pedal hard against the front brake, with it half on, then gradually increase the lever pull one step at a time until the bike hardly moves.

2. Build up speed, push your weight back as far as possible and do some hard front brake stops. The idea is to stop within the shortest distance possible but not go over the bars.

3. Build up speed then tap the front brake a few times with a single finger as if to scrub off speed. You will notice the brake has gained some bite and power already.

4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 for the rear brake, making sure to not skid too much at step 2.

5. Bring both brakes into use to guage the properties or percularities of your brakes - adapt your technique accordingly.

As the brakes become bedded in, you will notice the braking feel and the sound start to change.
Some people quench their brakes and rotors with clean water between hard stops, but I've never found this really necessary.

bennett_346

That's just rediculous.

cooldad

Just use them.

felix.london

My god! The world has truly gone mad!

Just go out and ride!

bikaholic

Incremental refinement of the method through observation.
If somebody offers some useful insights, I will incorporate them into the method and share it.
It's the reader's prerogative to make use of it or not.

The purpose of the bedding in procedure is to optimise braking performance prior to using them for real out in the field.

If you tell someone to go outside and do 20 hard stops within a short distance, then chances are that they will do the stops using both brakes simultaneously.

Since the front brake contributes most to stopping (some say it's 70% of braking power), how do you know that you've actually optimised the rear brake (or the front for that matter)?

My method optimises one brake at a time and so eliminates that doubt.

Most people who have had a good laugh at my method have given their advice based on their own setups. That is to say, paired model/brand levers and calipers, regular brake options when purchasing and such. But the world is a bigger place.

Here are some other benefits of using my method:

- Accounts for unusual setups (eg unusual rotor size choices for F&R, frankenstein brakes [non matching levers and calipers], ghetto brakes [one hydraulic, one cable operated];
- Isolates potential problems;
- Reveals quirks and gives useful feedback through braking feel and sound;
- Improves braking technique since you are effectively training each hand to modulate each brake.
.
.
.

The method looks long and complicated but actually isn't when you do it.

I intended it to be a systematic, fast, efficient and flowing method - a method suited to a bike builder who knocks them up and puts them out into the field as fast and as safely as possible.

supersonic

The method you should use is the one the pad manufacturers recommend. If they do...

ilovedirt

felix.london wrote:

My god! The world has truly gone mad!

Just go out and ride!

This. I have literally never had a problem by just fitting pads and then riding them. I changed my pads about four times in the alps this year, it literally isn't a drama in any way.

YeehaaMcgee

Just ride. There's a cornucopia of bullsh*t methods for bedding in brake pads, none of it based on anything but nonsense.

The Rookie

The more bizzarre techniques may indeed bed in brakes, but unless someone does a back to back then you have no idea if it was the best or even worst way to do it.

Car manufacturers go to great lengths when testing brakes to ensure consistent bedding in so that the subsequant test results are meaningful, the bedding in involves about 20 'medium hard' stops, not as hard as possible (it gets the pads too hot before they are bedded in) or too gently - although of course car brakes get a LOT hotter than bike brakes.

YeehaaMcgee

The only thing you're ever told to do with car brakes is to try to not brake too hard for the first hundred miles or so.

WindyG

supersonic wrote:

The method you should use is the one the pad manufacturers recommend. If they do...

Best advice for sure, as some pads are pre bedded in anyway.

nicklouse

WindyG wrote:

supersonic wrote:

The method you should use is the one the pad manufacturers recommend. If they do...

Best advice for sure, as some pads are pre bedded in anyway.

impossible.

WindyG

nicklouse wrote:

WindyG wrote:

supersonic wrote:

The method you should use is the one the pad manufacturers recommend. If they do...

Best advice for sure, as some pads are pre bedded in anyway.

impossible.

Not impossible but an expensive waste of money, should have said can be bedded in. Bit pointless though as you would need the caliper as well in my opinion.

Clarks advertise some of their pads as pre-bedded in

Chunkers1980

It's a load of rubbish then. Pads mate to discs and will have some residue.

YeehaaMcgee

WindyG wrote:

nicklouse wrote:

WindyG wrote:

supersonic wrote:

The method you should use is the one the pad manufacturers recommend. If they do...

Best advice for sure, as some pads are pre bedded in anyway.

impossible.

Not impossible

Yes, impossible.

nicklouse

WindyG wrote:

nicklouse wrote:

WindyG wrote:

supersonic wrote:

The method you should use is the one the pad manufacturers recommend. If they do...

Best advice for sure, as some pads are pre bedded in anyway.

impossible.

Not impossible but an expensive waste of money, should have said can be bedded in. Bit pointless though as you would need the caliper as well in my opinion.

Clarks advertise some of their pads as pre-bedded in

so impossible.

find me an advert for it.

WindyG

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/clarks-cycle-systems-clarks-sintered-xt-sram9-grim8-p106764

cooldad

They're talking bollocks. It's impossible.

Bedding in means mating the two braking surfaces. So unless you send them your bike it's not happening.

YeehaaMcgee

WindyG wrote:

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/clarks-cycle-systems-clarks-sintered-xt-sram9-grim8-p106764

That's some random guff by some spazwangle who works for gooutdoors.co.uk
Clarks themselves don't mention it, because it is a physical impossibility...

http://www.clarkscycles.com/index.php/h ... d-sintered

WindyG

Fair enough

coupe3234

Some people who are not very engineering minded will believe anything......that's how advertising works..!! I must admit though "pre bedded in brake pads" has to be one of the most ludicrous claims I've ever come across yet..!!!

YeehaaMcgee

coupe3234 wrote:

Some people who are not very engineering minded will believe anything......that's how advertising works..!! I must admit though "pre bedded in brake pads" has to be one of the most ludicrous claims I've ever come across yet..!!!

Not so fast... the waiting room for my GP has some audiophile magazines for you to peruse. Now THEIR claims, are absolute fu**ery of the most mind boggling stupidity.

cooldad

You just say that because you have no understanding of the recording process, and cloth ears.
I am thinking of selling spraycans of ionised air, using a secret quantum crystal process, that will align the air molecules perfectly according to Einstein's particular theory of relativity. It will allow the subsonic (super's idiot twin brother) waves to decrest (look it up) hence improving clarity and range.
Also useful for emergancy breathing in case of tidal waves or tsunamis.

YeehaaMcgee

I've already told you that I will give you my seal of approval.

cooldad

With my genius and your seal I'm gonna be RICHHHHH!

giantAstax

At the risk of being helpful

http://www.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/tech_support/tech_tips.download.-Par50rparsys-0012-downloadFile.html/06)%20Brake%20Burn%20In.pdf

Always works for me.

The Rookie

Pretty much common sense really, nothing drastic or stupid!