Properly Bedding in Brake Pads

CuddlyToast
Edited Date/Time 2/23/2016 9:25am
Hey Everybody,

I was wondering, if anybody was willing to share their technique for properly bedding in brake pads? I have have heard lots of different techniques, and it seems everybody does it differently.

Specifically, i am trying to bed in shimano ice tech rotors with resin pads, for my dh bike. I have been looking for something official with shimano, but i haven't found anything that helps.

I have been using shimano brakes consistently for the last 4+ years, and it seems i can always get good power, but they are noisy, no matter what try.

A tangential question, is how do racer's prep their brake pads? It seems like there are lots of variables involved, so I'm curious how they manage that.
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adrennan
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adrennan 2/22/2016 1:16pm
2/22/2016 1:16pm
The parking lot bed in. Get up to speed pull on the brakes hard without taking to a stop. Repeat for a while.
jp.gales
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jp.gales 2/22/2016 1:38pm
2/22/2016 1:38pm
same as @adrennan but I prefer to ride down the longest street I can find while doing it, makes getting up to speed easier because it can take a while until you get 100%. (I have read somewhere that you should do it 40 times??)
Bigburd
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Bigburd 2/22/2016 2:33pm
2/22/2016 2:33pm Edited Date/Time 2/22/2016 2:41pm
As above but I do it on a mild down hill, saves the legs a bit from the dozen or so sprint/stops you need to do, and I get also bed one brake at a time for the 1st few goes, once they start grabbing finish using both.
kev.1n
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kev.1n 2/22/2016 3:40pm
2/22/2016 3:40pm
In my experience it's always best to start out slow then work your way up to a sprints worth of speed, or eventually a hill. Never just drag your brakes, make sure you get them hot by braking quickly repeatedly. I always found that if you just drag the brakes, even if it's down a hill, it will lead to howling and squealing brakes, no one likes loud brakes...
connnordoll21
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connnordoll21 2/22/2016 4:28pm
2/22/2016 4:28pm Edited Date/Time 2/22/2016 4:30pm
Make sure the stops are hard( without dragging them you should need to lean back to not go over the bars when doing fronts), fast to walking pace, and do it very quick back to back. Yes it takes a lot of work but it will help. After this is all done 20 ish times make sure you ride around at a decent speed WITHOUT TOUCHING THE BREAKS to make sure the rotors cool down. If you are not satisfied then repeat the process and do 30 or 40 stops the same way with the same cooling method. it's important to remember to cool the breaks down by riding it because if you just let it sit and cool there is a higher chance of warping or miss cooling leading to louder breaks. There is no need to worry about this on the trail because most of the time the breaks will have time to cool quickly enough but when you do these break ins they get put away hot.
FredLikesTrikes 2/22/2016 4:58pm
2/22/2016 4:58pm
I usually just forget, get to the top of a trail and have a wild first run.

But everyone else's advice so far has been far better (and safer) than my typical practice.
unskilled
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unskilled 2/22/2016 7:59pm
2/22/2016 7:59pm
SnakeOil. Works every time.
bturman
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bturman 2/22/2016 8:17pm
2/22/2016 8:17pm
connnordoll21 wrote:
Make sure the stops are hard( without dragging them you should need to lean back to not go over the bars when doing fronts), fast to...
Make sure the stops are hard( without dragging them you should need to lean back to not go over the bars when doing fronts), fast to walking pace, and do it very quick back to back. Yes it takes a lot of work but it will help. After this is all done 20 ish times make sure you ride around at a decent speed WITHOUT TOUCHING THE BREAKS to make sure the rotors cool down. If you are not satisfied then repeat the process and do 30 or 40 stops the same way with the same cooling method. it's important to remember to cool the breaks down by riding it because if you just let it sit and cool there is a higher chance of warping or miss cooling leading to louder breaks. There is no need to worry about this on the trail because most of the time the breaks will have time to cool quickly enough but when you do these break ins they get put away hot.
"it's important to remember to cool the breaks down by riding it because if you just let it sit and cool there is a higher chance of warping or miss cooling leading to louder breaks."

Interesting opinion. Can you site a source on this?
trailninja
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trailninja 2/22/2016 9:22pm
2/22/2016 9:22pm
If you changed out the pads and there's a audible screeching sound during heavy braking take off the wheel and clean the rotors with a clean shop towel drenched in 70% or higher IPA. If there is still noise take of the pads and check for contamination. If there's any use some fine sandpaper to remove the top layer. Also if your original pads were F01 (Resin) and you switched to G01 (Metallic) the change could lead to noise so switch back to Resin. Happy Trails!
trailninja
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trailninja 2/22/2016 9:23pm
2/22/2016 9:23pm
Best Shimano Avid bleed kit is sold on ebay for around 30 bucks.
CuddlyToast 2/22/2016 10:10pm
2/22/2016 10:10pm
trailninja wrote:
Best Shimano Avid bleed kit is sold on ebay for around 30 bucks.
I wouldn't trust a bleed kit that works for both of those!

Thanks for the tips everyone, it seems like different variations of the parking lot break in seems to be the popular choice.

My current downhill bike has been having noise issues, to the point it's making me paranoid haha... I've replaced the rotors and brake pads, so I'm I'm trying to give them the best possible chance for survival.



connnordoll21
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connnordoll21 2/23/2016 3:57am
2/23/2016 3:57am Edited Date/Time 2/23/2016 3:57am
bturman wrote:
"it's important to remember to cool the breaks down by riding it because if you just let it sit and cool there is a higher chance...
"it's important to remember to cool the breaks down by riding it because if you just let it sit and cool there is a higher chance of warping or miss cooling leading to louder breaks."

Interesting opinion. Can you site a source on this?
Not without a lot of digging, it was on a mx fourm site from a few years back and I've been using that method ever sense and have never had a problem. To me it makes sense though because when metal is left to cool naturally there is more chance of a spoiled product, I'm not saying to quench the breaks like you would a sword you are making but for me the cooling has never let me down. Granted I have never done back to back tests of with or without riding around to let them cool I have never had a problem.
FredLikesTrikes 2/23/2016 9:25am
2/23/2016 9:25am
trailninja wrote:
Best Shimano Avid bleed kit is sold on ebay for around 30 bucks.
CuddlyToast wrote:
I wouldn't trust a bleed kit that works for both of those! Thanks for the tips everyone, it seems like different variations of the parking lot...
I wouldn't trust a bleed kit that works for both of those!

Thanks for the tips everyone, it seems like different variations of the parking lot break in seems to be the popular choice.

My current downhill bike has been having noise issues, to the point it's making me paranoid haha... I've replaced the rotors and brake pads, so I'm I'm trying to give them the best possible chance for survival.



Likely won't be your cure-all but sometimes sanding down the leading edge as well as the bottom of the pad to round them off a bit has been the trick for stubborn setups that just won't stay quiet.

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