rosefarts

I’ve taken some rip roaring descents on no-name $12 rotors from eBay.

Absolutely no issues.

I’ve got a mix of Shimano XT, Magura, knockoffs, used rotors from the co-op, and SRAM. They all work great.

cegerer

The importance of properly bedding in new brake pads cannot be overstated. Many are not. If the pads are not bedded in correctly, it really doesn't matter which rotors or calipers you have - they simply won't perform. This is even more critical with mechanical discs. Mechanicals are often dismissed as junk when, in fact, it's a problem with improperly bedded pads (they are never as effective as hydraulic, but they can be very good when properly set up).

cyccommute 

The importance of “properly bedding” brake pads is overrated not overstated. This article is typical of the bedding procedure and I don’t see anything in there that wouldn’t happen in ordinary riding. For example, the article says
That happens in normal riding. Material is going to be transferred from the pads to the brake surface every time you apply the brakes. The pads are going to wear off as the brakes are applied and if you skip the rather mysterious “bedding process”, nothing is going really be different.

As for mechanical brakes, most often mechanicals are set up improperly or someone is trying to look down their noses at mechanicals. I’ve seen lots and lots of mechanicals where the brake is set up so that the pads don’t touch the rotor until half pull like many people (improperly) set up rim brakes. If the pad has to move that far with a disc, the brakes won’t be effective. The pads on a mechanical should ride just off the rotor just like hydraulics do. The brake lever should move only minimally before the pads start to engage the rotor or the braking response will suffer.

MoAlpha

Everything above makes sense. Which said, I did something bad to the front rotor/pad set on my first set of disc brakes the first time I used them, such that the system developed a persistent squeal which resisted repeated solvent cleaning and burning off the pads in a gas flame (which hasn't failed me since). There was also visible "periodic" marking around the pad track on the rotor at what I assume was the frequency of the squeal. I ultimately replaced the pads and quiet was restored. Since then I go easy on new pads for a day or two.

Polaris OBark

I live in a very hilly area, so I bed mine in immediately. I squeeze one of the brakes while pedaling as hard as I can, and keep doing this until I can no longer drive the bike forward. This is usually about 200 ft of application from my driveway. Then I do the other one. Then I am done.

I've seen all sorts of crazy advice, like throwing water on the rotor and/or pads. It is just nonsense. If I lived in a flat area, I probably would dispense with the above ritual, and just ride the bike, letting the brakes improve in situ.

The blip MoAlpha refers to might be an imperfection or contaminant in the pad.

Returning to the OP question: If this is for your new Santa Cruz wheels, pimp them out with Ultegra rotors (or Dura Ace, if you absolutely have to have black).

Jon_g2 

Thank you everyone for continuing to take the time to share your knowledge and opinions. I get my bike today finally. I am like a kid waiting for Xmas lol

tomato coupe

The difference is that bedding in the brakes gets you nominal braking performance before you venture out into the real world. If that isn't important to you, then there's no point in bedding in the brakes. If it is important to you, then you might want to do it.

SpedFast

I saw a vid on utube last night demonstrating thicker rotors. The contributor swears by them. I have no idea. My elcheapos work just fine Just a thought to investigate if anyone is really concerned about their rotors.

Pratt

My choice for a starting point, as well. People have toured in the Alps, and other hilly terrain, without life ending crashes due to brake failure, and did so before disc brakes.

cyccommute 

I kind of agree but not for the same reason. “Nominal” means “…being trifling in comparison with the actual or expected amount or value; minimal or insignificant:..” according to Dictionary.com. That’s all that bedding the brakes does…give nominal improvements. I have bedded brakes and not bedded brakes. There is no difference in performance. Squealing brakes is more likely due to some contamination on the pads or rotors or to contamination transferred to the pads from the rotor.

I’ve installed many disc brakes on my own bikes and I’ve installed many new and old brake pads and rotors on bikes at the co-ops I work at. A refurbed bike is ridden as the last check and I’ve never noticed any issues.

tomato coupe

There are several definitions of nominal. I'm using the word as it's often used in physics, in which it's the expected value.

cyccommute 

You are assuming that by not bedding the brake pads that the brakes are going to perform significantly worse than if the brakes were subjected to the magical bedding process. What has been described as happening during the bedding process happens just in normal riding and there is nothing that will happen if you don’t do that process that will greatly reduce the effectiveness of the brake. Just applying the brakes is going to transfer pad material to the rotor. Just applying the brakes is going to heat the rotor. If the pads glaze over, they are going to do so just in general usage. Using the brakes is an ablative process that wears both the pads and the rotor, albeit at different rates.

tomato coupe

I didn't state (or assume) anything of the sort. I simply stated that people may or may not want to bed in their brakes depending on whether or not they think the difference that results from the bedding process is important.

t2p

before and after - same bike

top picture - cheap rotor

bottom picture - better rotor

t2p

before and after - same bike

top picture - cheap rotor

bottom picture - better rotor

t2p

before and after - same bike

top picture - cheap rotor

bottom picture - better rotor

cegerer

If just hopping on the bike and riding normally results in optimal brake performance, that saves some time and effort, and is certainly worth a try! It has not worked for me. And I'm not sure why all manufacturers have specific bed-in protocols? This is a good article with some actual testing and measurement: Brake Ace - The Right and Wrong Ways to Bed in Brakes From their testing, it's surprising how many watts are required!

cyccommute 

The problem with the Brake Ace “study” is that they didn’t do the control. What was the braking difference without the bedding procedure? If you are going to do a study to determine if a procedure gives a better result than not doing the procedure, you have to not do the procedure for comparison. Nothing can be said of the results without the comparison.

You also seem to be reading the study wrong. The wattage provided increased over time which would be expected as the two surfaces…pad and rotor…mate together. That same mating of the surfaces would occur in normal usage. With the same change in power as if you go through the bedding procedure.

Finally, how has it “not worked for you”? Does the performance of your brakes decrease over time if you don’t bed the brakes? I don’t bed my brakes and have never noticed that the brakes perform poorly over time.

Kapusta

In my experience, the rotors themselves make pretty much zero difference in terms of stopping power (when comparing the same rotor size and assuming a steel braking surface).

Where better rotors DO make a difference is in how they dissipate heat and resist going out of true.

How much the heat dissipation matters depends on the application.

Maelochs

If brakes Had to be "bedded" to achieve full potential, Every manufacturer would be telling buyers specifically how to do so ... or they would be wide open to law suits.

Bedding brakes is like stretching cables .... you can stretch the cable when you put it in so it needs less adjustment later, or not. You can do several hard stops to make the "bedding" process (well-described by cyccommute) happen more quickly ... but if it was Unsafe to not go through a special bedding p process, manufacturers wouldn't be leaving it to buyer discretion.

As far as I have ever read (according to brake disc or pad manufacturers) "bedding" is just making a few very hard stops after you install new parts, and realizing that after the "bedding" process (whether it be done in a hurry with great force or just randomly when you make hard stops in normal riding) the brakes will work better .... new pads on a slick disc is not optimal---nor will it stay that way, after "bedding" or normal riding. "Bedding" just makes it faster.

I have not read the article above because I know this---I have read advisories from parts manufacturers of actual brake parts and they do not recommend any extreme measures to bed brakes.Therefore I know "bedding" brakes doesn't take unusual force ... it is likely that most people don't do panic stops frequently on normal rides, so spreading pad material over the disc will take longer, and stopping will be at less than full potential ... but not unsafe. Manufacturers are not demanding buyers do all-out sprint/panic stop repetitions before normally riding ..... and we all have headed out with new brakes---so we all know that new brakes work. It isn't that without "proper" bedding the bike's braking distance will be tripled. It will not be Maximized, but the bike will stop just fine ... and eventually, whether one does a special procedure or not, the bike will stop better.

Sometimes, logic, experience, data from manufacturers, and anecdotes shared by reasonable riders all coincide .... and always there are outliers and argumentative people.

Jon_g2 

Well, I got my bike yesterday 😁😁😬😬

Maelochs

Pretty machine.

Iride01 

Since you just got the bike, I suggest that you don't even try to bed them in. Reading all the posts about brake issues, many seem to stem from those that bedded them in wrong. Whether they used procedures they didn't quite get right or some using just plain goofy ideas they read elsewhere or saw in a video. So by not bedding them in, you won't risk making a mistake that might permanently damage them requiring replacement to end the squalling brake noise many complain of.

I didn't bed my disc brakes in when I got my new bike. I felt it braked well enough. At least as good as the double-pivot rim brakes I'd been riding on my previous bikes. After about 300 miles they very suddenly started to have the great stopping power that I'd been led to believe disc brakes are claimed to have. So I'm also of the belief that they'll bed themselves in by just normal use. And in the over 6000 miles since then, I've had none of the noise of squealing, screeching brakes that seem to be the main gripes from those that have bedding issues.

wolfchild

People can argue about bedding brakes for the next 20 pages and it won't accomplish anything...Bedding brakes is your choice. There are people who want to do it and will do it, and there are people who don't want to do it and won't do it.

Jon_g2 

Yes it seems like a back and forth argument that is probably best left untouched lol. I am on my bike now 😁 stopped for a quick rest lol. I didn't bed them in to be honest. Don't know if I'm missing out on anything but my mechanic didn't mention it so I didn't do it lol