Lifespan of disc brake pads
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 156
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Lifespan of disc brake pads
Hey all,
I've been using some Avid BB7s on my Soma DC for about 2600 miles now and was wondering, at what point are pads generally replaced? I checked them and they look fine to me (still plenty of pad left). 90% of the time I ride on flat roads and there's very little rain that I have to deal with so I doubt I'm very hard on them compared to a lot of other commuters. Can anyone else tell me how miles they generally chalk up before they need a new set of pads?
I've been using some Avid BB7s on my Soma DC for about 2600 miles now and was wondering, at what point are pads generally replaced? I checked them and they look fine to me (still plenty of pad left). 90% of the time I ride on flat roads and there's very little rain that I have to deal with so I doubt I'm very hard on them compared to a lot of other commuters. Can anyone else tell me how miles they generally chalk up before they need a new set of pads?
#2
Señior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 13,749
Bikes: Windsor Fens, Giant Seek 0 (2014, Alfine 8 + discs)
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 446 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times
in
7 Posts
There's an official "replace now" thickness, I think it's 1mm of pad left, or something. You can google for it.
My original pads that came with the BB7s lasted about 3000 miles. I replaced them with cheap Chinese imports from eBay and those last about 5000 miles and cost about 1/3 as much.
My original pads that came with the BB7s lasted about 3000 miles. I replaced them with cheap Chinese imports from eBay and those last about 5000 miles and cost about 1/3 as much.
__________________
Work: the 8 hours that separates bike rides.
Work: the 8 hours that separates bike rides.
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Novi, MI
Posts: 539
Bikes: Franken-mountain bike, mid-90s Performance TR1000, 1990 Cannondale ST400
Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
I've got just over 3000 miles on my original BB7 pads, plus some trail time. They are just getting to the thickness where they could stand to be replaced.
Last edited by awfulwaffle; 01-16-14 at 09:35 PM.
#4
Senior Member
Sintered or organic pads?
#5
Banned
still plenty thick? take them out and resurface a bit , then .. carborundum grit 'sand'paper..
clean the disc too..
I didn't mount an odometer ..
Pretty much YMMV..
clean the disc too..
I didn't mount an odometer ..
Pretty much YMMV..
Last edited by fietsbob; 01-17-14 at 11:57 AM.
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Elevation 666m Edmonton Canada
Posts: 2,482
Bikes: 2013 Custom SA5w / Rohloff Tourster
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1237 Post(s)
Liked 321 Times
in
248 Posts
Mine went 9,000 miles on a Spez hybrid with not a lot of mucky use. I also changed 1 rotor. It was thinning and wearing on the edge because the inside pad kept moving out of adjustment, causing the housing to scrape the rotor.
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Lancaster, PA, USA
Posts: 1,851
Bikes: 2012 Trek Allant, 2016 Bianchi Volpe Disc
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I would think that disc pads would last a lot longer than rim brake pads since they stay a lot cleaner. For a comparison, my rim brake pads last about 1200 miles.
#8
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: NA
Posts: 4,267
Bikes: NA
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 9 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 7 Times
in
7 Posts
organic pads simply do not work well for me. they are rapidly eroded by the huge amount of wet grit i encounter on my daily descents. in fact, one of the reasons i upgraded to XTs was that they are designed to work with metallic and/or sintered pads. i switched to cheap taiwanese pads over a decade ago and i currentlly have half a dozen semi-metallic serfas pads i bought for $8 each.
note: using metallic pads with some disc brakes can result in failure.
note: using metallic pads with some disc brakes can result in failure.
#9
Senior Member
My 30 mile RT commute involves very little braking, so I get lots of miles out of my pads. There is no set lifespan, as wear depends entirely on use.
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: New Rochelle, NY
Posts: 38,716
Bikes: too many bikes from 1967 10s (5x2)Frejus to a Sumitomo Ti/Chorus aluminum 10s (10x2), plus one non-susp mtn bike I use as my commuter
Mentioned: 140 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5788 Post(s)
Liked 2,580 Times
in
1,430 Posts
Just like with cars, bicycle brake wear depends on how and where you ride.
While these are caliper brakes, my experience with 2 bikes is a good example. On my road bikes, I've never replaced brake shoes for wear. That's NEVER in tens of thousands of miles, and I end up replacing good condition but old and harder shoes every few years.
OTOH, on my commuter ridden daily in stop and go urban traffic, I rarely get a year or 4,000 miles form a set of shoes.
Brake shoes last forever if you rarely use the brakes.
While these are caliper brakes, my experience with 2 bikes is a good example. On my road bikes, I've never replaced brake shoes for wear. That's NEVER in tens of thousands of miles, and I end up replacing good condition but old and harder shoes every few years.
OTOH, on my commuter ridden daily in stop and go urban traffic, I rarely get a year or 4,000 miles form a set of shoes.
Brake shoes last forever if you rarely use the brakes.
__________________
FB
Chain-L site
An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
FB
Chain-L site
An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
westjef
Touring
10
09-13-13 10:08 PM
epnnf
Bicycle Mechanics
6
11-22-10 11:01 AM