[dustyduke22]

So i have never had good luck with any of my disc braks. They never seem to grab really good or have super good stopping power. So for a while i thought it was just the way disc brakes were.

then i test rode other people bikes and their brakes are amazing compared to mine. they had the same make and model as me to.

So one thing that i narrowed it down to was breaking the brakes in. What is the proper way? Any advice would be great!

Thanks

 

[Surestick Malone]

I think break-in procedures are really just to speed up the process. Regular riding should bed-in the pads only more slowly, might take a handful of rides.
Are you sure you aren't contaminating your rotors/pads somehow?
What brakes/pads/rotors? What are you comparing them to?

 

[SteveUK]

Which brakeset are you using? Are you sure that both brakes are properly bled and that the lever throw (lever distance relative to the bar) is postioned correctly for the size of your hands? Have you checked for contamination on pads/rotors?

You can start bedding in from scratch by removing the pads and sanding them (sandpaper on a flat surface) to remove any glaze/scoring. Then loosen the caliper bolts at take your time to align the caliper (minus pads) over the rotor - you're ensuring that the rotor runs down the dead-center of the slot, which in turn will provide that the pistons push each pad into the rotor at the same time. If you need to remove the wheel/rotor to refit the pads, do so, but check the alignment again when you've tightened the axle.

You can bed the pads into the rotor again by riding down the street and gradually pulling harder on the brake lever until the pads start to bite, then release the lever and repeat. A variation that I've sometimes found to work well is to use this technique for 30/40m, then stop, making sure not to leave the brake pulled on when you halt, and pour some fresh water over the caliper before heading off and repeating the process again and again until you get full power.

 

[dogonfr]

Are these your BB5's or something else??

 

[dustyduke22]

Are these your BB5's or something else??

i do not own a pair of bb5's

but i am sure i have not contaminated them, bla bla bla. i have had saints, juicy 7's and 5's and bb7's

 

[scottzg]

i do not own a pair of bb5's

but i am sure i have not contaminated them, bla bla bla. i have had saints, juicy 7's and 5's and bb7's

I've never done anything to bed brakes in, and i have had excellent luck with consistent, quiet brakes. How much do you weigh?

 

[dogonfr]

i do not own a pair of bb5's

but i am sure i have not contaminated them, bla bla bla. i have had saints, juicy 7's and 5's and bb7's

:idea: Update your profile if you dont want to give more info.

 

[dustyduke22]

I've never done anything to bed brakes in, and i have had excellent luck with consistent, quiet brakes. How much do you weigh?

i weigh about 210 with gear.

there is a whole article in DECLINE about this topic i found last night. glad i am not the only one who is wondering

 

[SteveUK]

"there is a whole article in DECLINE about this topic i found last night. glad i am not the only one who is wondering"

And what did you learn from the article?

Forgive me if all I can offer is "bla, bla, bla", but what have you done as far as set-up goes? How do you know that your pads are good? How do you know the system is bled? How do you know the calipers are aligned? Come on, give us something we can work with..

You do understand that "luck" doesn't actually contribute to how well a brake performs? If your brakes are always poor, then somebody somewhere is f*cking up. Probably you.

 

[dan0]

I was having a similar issue and finally figured out that the bike wash I was using had a tiny bit of silicone in it, overspray the frame onto the rotors /viola contamination. It was very subtle though, a little bit each washing until suddenly the brakes werent so good
still using the wash, but am more carefull and I clean the rotors with alcohol after ( before using the brakes though)

 

[gmcttr]

I've never done anything to bed brakes in, and i have had excellent luck with consistent, quiet brakes. How much do you weigh?

+1 If you don't do anything special, bedding in just happens.

If you have had poor performance from several different brake systems, it is not likely that "bedding in" is your problem. Look to your setup. You are the only consistent variable.

 

[dustyduke22]

Thanks bro.

 

[BikeLazer]

Pads are good because they came out of the package. System is bled because the bike shop did it, and plus its not hard. Calipers are aligned because bike shop did it. Yes, the only other determining factor is me. Thats why i am asking.

Ya know, its people like you than make people not want to ask questions about things they dont know.

Obviously, something is going on with my brakes. Obviously, i am aware that i am doing something that is making them not work. Obviously, i want them to work. Obviously, not everyone knows as much as you about bike maintenance as you, Mighty Great One.

People come to this forum to ask questions and get feedback. Its too bad that you have to assume that because someone asks a question that they are insulting your intelligence.

Dude, you're coming off as a complete dick. SteveUK is right on in his asessment of your brakes, and trying to help you.

there is something wrong with your set up, is your shop competent? if bleeding(hardest part of brake maintainence) is "not that hard" then you should be able to fix it.

did your shop contaminate your pads?

it's people like you that make me not want to help.

 

[SteveUK]

Question: why don't my brakes work like everyone else's?

You don't see how entirely unanswerable that it without a whole load of additional information? I tried to start you off with my first post and you come back with "but i am sure i have not contaminated them, bla bla bla". You may not have meant it, but that kind of sounds like you're throwing it back in my or Surestick's face.

You want people to fix your problem without having to do anything yourself, or at least that's the way you're coming over.

"People come to this forum to ask questions and get feedback. Its too bad that you have to assume that because someone asks a question that they are insulting your intelligence."

I assume no such thing. You get the sharp edge because I think you're an idiot with a inflated sense of self-entitlement. Your questions are devoid of the kind of content anyone would need to even try and pin-point what the deal is with your brakes.

 

[Bikinfoolferlife]

So i have never had good luck with any of my disc braks. They never seem to grab really good or have super good stopping power. So for a while i thought it was just the way disc brakes were.

then i test rode other people bikes and their brakes are amazing compared to mine. they had the same make and model as me to.

So one thing that i narrowed it down to was breaking the brakes in. What is the proper way? Any advice would be great!

Thanks

My .02 since you did ask...

If you're going to make an airhead post like this, you get what you get. Where are any details here at all? Not even the type of brake that are "the same make and model as me to". No information on setup, or what you've done to analyze anything at all, to come to your conclusion about break in being the culprit and even then you don't describe your break in process....you expect people to be mind readers?