How to properly bed in brake pads

Disc brakes have certain maintenance tasks that those transitioning from traditional pads are often not familiar with. One of them is breaking in the pads when we install new ones. A process that is often overlooked and yet is essential for achieving the best performance from our disc brakes.

Maximum power for your disc brakes

The arrival of disc brakes in road cycling has forced us to familiarize ourselves with certain maintenance operations that we didn't have to worry about before, with rim brakes: aligning the calipers, bleeding the system, type of fluid used… One of these operations is the bedding of the brake pads, an essential operation to avoid some of the recurring problems that plague disc brakes.

The process of bedding the pads, or bedding in English, a term that gives us a slight idea of its function if we translate it more or less literally, allows new pads to conform to the braking surface of the disc. By correctly carrying out this procedure, the pads not only adapt properly to the specific disc they will work with but also serve to deposit a small film of braking material on the surface of the disc that enhances braking effectiveness.

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However, few cyclists pay attention to this procedure, typically using their bike when they first install pads and letting usage itself break in the pads. A methodology that lacks control over the process and can lead to irregular initial wear that then carries over throughout the useful life of the pads. The consequence of this is often one of the most hated issues of disc brakes, the recurring squeaks that irritate detractors of this system. Other issues that may arise if we do not properly bed the pads include an irregular feel during braking or, simply, that we do not achieve the full braking power that the chosen brakes and pads are capable of providing.

The manufacturer's recommendations for properly bedding brake pads may vary slightly, although they essentially consist of performing a series of controlled stops in a straight and flat area where nothing can interrupt the process. A task that will take us only a few minutes and that, however, will result in better performance for the duration of the newly installed brake pads.

A good example is the protocol proposed by SRAM which, like all mechanical operations related to their groups, is perfectly explained in a video on their YouTube channel. We will look for, as we mentioned earlier, a straight and flat place where we can carry out the process without worries. It is important during the bedding of the brake pads not to lock the wheels, as this could cause some small jump in the braking material of the pad. Therefore, to avoid locking the rear wheel, the place where it is most likely to happen, we will remain seated on the saddle when braking.

Next, SRAM recommends making 20 moderate-speed accelerations, followed by the same number of progressive stops until we are almost at a standstill but without completely stopping the bike. In a second step, we will accelerate vigorously, making 10 small sprints after which we will brake, this time with intensity and, again, without letting the bike come to a complete stop to avoid locking the wheels. Finally, we will leave the bike stationary for a while, allowing the brakes to cool down before we can use the bike normally.

If for any reason we have not bedded the brake pads or we see that, due to some extreme braking situation, some overheating while descending a hill, or any other reason, the pads do not respond as they should, there is still a little trick up our sleeve that will allow us to perform a sort of reset on them.

It simply consists of cleaning the discs thoroughly with a degreaser that is marketed for discs. Don’t tell anyone, but most are made from gasoline, so this liquid will also work perfectly for cleaning, or the classic isopropyl alcohol, commonly used for lighting barbecues, which, like gasoline, dissolves any substance on the disc and evaporates quickly without leaving residues.

Additionally, we will remove the pads and, with fine sandpaper, we will try to wear down the most superficial layer ensuring the surface is even. Finally, we will reassemble everything and perform the bedding procedure, which should allow us optimal functioning.

As a curiosity, you may have seen in some of the videos circulating on the internet showing how professional teams assemble the bikes of their star riders, it is interesting to see how they have a kind of motorized roller on which they place the wheel to accelerate it and perform the necessary braking without leaving the workshop, leaving all the bikes of the team perfectly ready for use from the very first moment.