pebbles in brakes
08-15-18, 09:13 AM
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pebbles in brakes
I went for a wet ride last night and of course it was a squealy affair with the disc brakes. It got me thinking.. how does a pebble stay in the brake that long?? It doesn't physically make sense to me. And then the more important question, how do you get them out of there?? I tried rinsing with water at the turn around and then with the hose when I got home, they're still in there..
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08-15-18, 11:24 AM
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I've never seen a pebble stuck in a disc caliper or rotor, on a bicycle.
Are you operating on the assumption that the squealing when braking in the wet is due to pebbles caught in the brake? That's how your post reads but that's not what is happening.
Are you operating on the assumption that the squealing when braking in the wet is due to pebbles caught in the brake? That's how your post reads but that's not what is happening.
08-15-18, 12:00 PM
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So what's happening?
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08-15-18, 07:12 PM
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I wonder if a small pebble got lodged into the caliper, between the edge of the pad and the caliper, or perhaps near the clip that tensions the pads. I’d try takeing out the pads and put them back in.
08-15-18, 08:37 PM
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I don’t ride in the rain that often, but had a similar squeaky/scratchy sounding disc brake at a race this spring...started almost immediately and kept going the whole race and after. A day or two later when cleaning with the garden hose, whatever it was was flushed out.
I wonder if a small pebble got lodged into the caliper, between the edge of the pad and the caliper, or perhaps near the clip that tensions the pads. I’d try takeing out the pads and put them back in.
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08-25-18, 10:32 AM
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A number of years ago my wife and I were on a tandem with a rear Phil Wood disc brake. We were on a gravel surface that must have kicked up some very small sand/pebbles. Some got into the wrong place and totally locked up the wheel at speed. I flushed them out (eventually) and threw the disc away. It must have happened to others too since the Phil discs were only available for a relatively short time.
08-25-18, 11:32 AM
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I've never seen pebbles in a caliper either.
In the wet your brakes squeal because of water. Yup, it's harder for water to get up there compared to rim brakes, but it's not impossible.
Did you take out the brake pads and actually see the pebbles?
When your bike is caked in mud dirt, sand, and maybe even very teeny tiny rocks can get caught between the rotor and pad, but then your brake pads turn into sandpaper.
In the wet your brakes squeal because of water. Yup, it's harder for water to get up there compared to rim brakes, but it's not impossible.
Did you take out the brake pads and actually see the pebbles?
When your bike is caked in mud dirt, sand, and maybe even very teeny tiny rocks can get caught between the rotor and pad, but then your brake pads turn into sandpaper.
Last edited by Facanh; 08-25-18 at 12:07 PM.
08-27-18, 04:01 PM
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I've never seen pebbles in a caliper either.
In the wet your brakes squeal because of water. Yup, it's harder for water to get up there compared to rim brakes, but it's not impossible.
Did you take out the brake pads and actually see the pebbles?
When your bike is caked in mud dirt, sand, and maybe even very teeny tiny rocks can get caught between the rotor and pad, but then your brake pads turn into sandpaper.
In the wet your brakes squeal because of water. Yup, it's harder for water to get up there compared to rim brakes, but it's not impossible.
Did you take out the brake pads and actually see the pebbles?
When your bike is caked in mud dirt, sand, and maybe even very teeny tiny rocks can get caught between the rotor and pad, but then your brake pads turn into sandpaper.
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