PROCEDURE: BEDDING IN NEW BRAKE PADS
MODEL(S): ALL
LAST UPDATED: JUNE 9, 2023
Whether you just unboxed your SUPER73 and you are getting it ready for its first ride, or you are a seasoned long-time rider performing maintenance and it’s time to put a fresh set of brake pads and/or rotors on your bike, it’s important to make sure you properly bed in your new brake pads to ensure you have an optimal braking power.
This article will walk you through what this is, how to do it, and why it’s important.
What does it mean to “bed in” your brakes?
"Bedding in" your brakes refers to the act of breaking in the brake pads and rotors. Bedding in the brakes allows some of the pad material to transfer to the rotor, through a process of heating and cooling, which results in improved performance from the brakes from the increased friction when compared to brakes that have not been bedded in. You want to transfer an even layer of brake pad material onto the rotor surface to optimize your braking power.
How to bed in your brakes?
Bedding in your brakes is very easy and takes around 10-20 minutes.
To bed in your brakes:
- Do it one brake at a time, starting with the front brake ( in the EU: left brake lever, in the UK: right lever).
- Accelerate your bike to 20-25 km/h.
- Engage the brakes (without skidding) and bring your bike to a near, but not complete, stop. You want to get up to speed, then gradually go down to about walking speed while gently pressing your brake levers.
- It is important not to "lock your brake", you don't want to come to a dead stop. When you lock it up, it transfers a lot of material over in one spot, making for an uneven layer and braking potential.
- Repeat roughly 10-40 times per brake. You may need more or less than this depending on your unique situation. You should feel the stopping power increase incrementally with each additional application of the brakes.
Why is it important to bed in your brakes?
To put it simply, properly bedding in your brakes allows you to maximize your stopping power by ensuring they are operating at peak performance.
Another huge reason why this procedure is so important is that it keeps your brakes quiet. New brake pads tend to make some noise. Among other things, that screeching/squealing noise can come as a result of either improper break-in procedure or no break-in procedure at all.
Without properly bedding your brakes, pad material would build up unevenly on the rotor, which will result in a high-frequency vibration that will also present itself as a slight humming/vibration sound. That noise often will get louder if the brakes get wet.
Additional resource:
Bedding In a Disc Brake - ParkTool