Disc brake cleaning/re bedding in brakes

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mikemelbrooks
Posts: 345
Joined: Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:58 pm

by mikemelbrooks

I recently bled my brakes and wiped the discs with methylated spirits (Denatured alcohol) I find that after I clean them they are noisy for a while, Should I bed them in again after each clean? I understand bedding them in transfers some of the pad material onto the disc.

gwilson
Posts: 138
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2018 3:41 am
Location: Canada

by gwilson

Yes, any time you clean the pads or rotors you will need to re-bed them.
Bedding them in transfers material from the pads onto the rotos so that there is a better bite in the brake, so if you clean either the pad or the rotor you will need to do it again. Every brand has an official guide on how to properly bed in pads, but the biggest thing is that you do not brake to a complete stop at any point until they are fully bedded in.

by Weenie


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nateners
Posts: 52
Joined: Tue Apr 28, 2020 1:55 pm

by nateners

gwilson wrote:
Sun Jun 13, 2021 2:42 am
Yes, any time you clean the pads or rotors you will need to re-bed them.
Bedding them in transfers material from the pads onto the rotos so that there is a better bite in the brake, so if you clean either the pad or the rotor you will need to do it again. Every brand has an official guide on how to properly bed in pads, but the biggest thing is that you do not brake to a complete stop at any point until they are fully bedded in.
I've watched Rides of Japan's video on the subject. Do you have any other source material you'd recommend for bedding Shimano?

tommyboyo
Posts: 350
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2020 12:49 am

by tommyboyo

People make this WAY too complicated....

Wash your wheels, give the discs a wipe if they need it, then rinse clean. Dry rotors with a special towel that you don't use for other stuff, just dab them dry really, don't rub furiously.

Get them back on bike, do a few spins of wheels whilst feathering the brakes and then a few stops and squeezes.

For calipers, I put shimano orange pad in during bike clean, then wipe pads with clean bit of kitchen towel back and forth a few times to dry any excess water and remove any dirt before replacing.

Done.

So easy.

You really do not need that alcohol stuff and will do more harm than good!!

gwilson
Posts: 138
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2018 3:41 am
Location: Canada

by gwilson

nateners wrote:
Tue Jun 15, 2021 2:56 pm
gwilson wrote:
Sun Jun 13, 2021 2:42 am
Yes, any time you clean the pads or rotors you will need to re-bed them.
Bedding them in transfers material from the pads onto the rotos so that there is a better bite in the brake, so if you clean either the pad or the rotor you will need to do it again. Every brand has an official guide on how to properly bed in pads, but the biggest thing is that you do not brake to a complete stop at any point until they are fully bedded in.
I've watched Rides of Japan's video on the subject. Do you have any other source material you'd recommend for bedding Shimano?
The Rides of Japan one is good, as others have said you don't have to follow a guide perfectly, just make sure that you aren't braking to a stop while you're in the process of bedding. My personal method is accelerate to 15-20 km/h then brake down to a walking speed about 5-10 times, then do it again at 25-30km/h. At that point you're pretty set, but if I have the time I'll take it to a hill in my area and pull the brake for 20-30 seconds as I descend.

mikemelbrooks
Posts: 345
Joined: Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:58 pm

by mikemelbrooks

tommyboyo wrote:
Tue Jun 15, 2021 3:05 pm
People make this WAY too complicated....

Wash your wheels, give the discs a wipe if they need it, then rinse clean. Dry rotors with a special towel that you don't use for other stuff, just dab them dry really, don't rub furiously.

Get them back on bike, do a few spins of wheels whilst feathering the brakes and then a few stops and squeezes.

For calipers, I put shimano orange pad in during bike clean, then wipe pads with clean bit of kitchen towel back and forth a few times to dry any excess water and remove any dirt before replacing.

Done.

So easy.

You really do not need that alcohol stuff and will do more harm than good!!
If you read what I posted I said I had just bled my brakes, as a precaution I wiped the discs with alcohol. I figure it's better to give them a quick wipe than risk contaminating the pads and have to clean them as well. I only use alcohol after a brake bleed!

tommyboyo
Posts: 350
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2020 12:49 am

by tommyboyo

mikemelbrooks wrote:
Tue Jun 15, 2021 6:59 pm
tommyboyo wrote:
Tue Jun 15, 2021 3:05 pm
People make this WAY too complicated....

Wash your wheels, give the discs a wipe if they need it, then rinse clean. Dry rotors with a special towel that you don't use for other stuff, just dab them dry really, don't rub furiously.

Get them back on bike, do a few spins of wheels whilst feathering the brakes and then a few stops and squeezes.

For calipers, I put shimano orange pad in during bike clean, then wipe pads with clean bit of kitchen towel back and forth a few times to dry any excess water and remove any dirt before replacing.

Done.

So easy.

You really do not need that alcohol stuff and will do more harm than good!!
If you read what I posted I said I had just bled my brakes, as a precaution I wiped the discs with alcohol. I figure it's better to give them a quick wipe than risk contaminating the pads and have to clean them as well. I only use alcohol after a brake bleed!
Why?

Just get the bleed spacers in.

Neither pads nor rotors should come anywhere near any brake fluid.

Each to their own though. If you think there is a contamination chance, then fair enough.

rwoofer
Posts: 97
Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2019 9:24 pm

by rwoofer

Personally I really struggle to bed in disc brakes. Invariably they only bed in when I go down a proper hill that needs prolonged braking to really get the rotors hot. Once I've done that they start to perform, but until then they are so poor they verge on dangerous. It is the same for MTBs that I have as well. I've tried the Rides of Japan approach without success.

by Weenie


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none
Posts: 291
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2018 11:29 pm
Location: NE PA

by none

Motorcycle or bicycle disc brakes, this is what I use, non-abrasive to rubber hoses:
Image

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