How To Check For Wear On Your Disc Brake Rotor | Maintenance Monday

If the braking performance of your rotors has declined, or maybe they're starting to make loud noises, it may be time to change your disc brake rotors. You can do this using a special digital measuring tool, which Alex shows you how to use in this video.

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Do you check your disc brake rotors for wear? Let us know in the comments below!👇

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[gcntech]

Do you check your disc brake rotors for wear? Let us know in the comments below!👇

[cycler]

I looked for the thickness gauge on Amazon, but didn’t see anything that cheap. Do you have a link to the one you showed? Thanks

[steveherring]

hi ollie, i'm back in AZ and i have to put my tt bike back together. i moved from the east coast and when i did i took it apart put it in a bike box to somewhat protect it. i got in a wreak and i'm very glad i put it in a box, as soon as i get it back together i'll be sendiing you pic of it.

[jonford]

Regarding the comments at the beginning, as a general rule, you can't measure disc brake thickness with a vernier caliper. That's because the pads don't use the braking surface right to the edge of the disc, so what wear does occur leaves a small lip at the edge. So, you need either one of those plastic thickness things, or a proper micrometer (which isn't expensive). Discs do wear very, very slowly though. I've done over 3200 miles on my mountain bike in the last two years, mostly in wet, muddy conditions. There is virtually no detectable wear on my discs.

[howardsunderland]

Hi Alex, great video. Is there a rule of thumb on how many sets of pad changes you would go through per rotor? (assuming they are changed when they are fully worn but not down to the metal). Anything that speeds up the rotor wear wound also speed up the pad wear I’d have thought. Appreciate it depends on organic vs scintered but most common is organic I guess.

[FoxFox-ic]

Used to have rimbrakes on my bikes. For about 2 years I now have disc brakes on both my bikes. What a difference. Going downhill from the Ventoux or riding on (wet) gravel: I find disc brakes realy better. I thought it was just a marketing thing. Companies trying to sell me something I didn’t need. But (hydraulic) disc breakes really make a difference for me. And I have not noticed any wear on the discs. Still flat and shiny and doing their job. And just being curious: I will check the wear.

[ebikescrapper]

Why don't manufacturers put a wear line in the rotors, the same as bike rims

[emmabird]

Thanks Alex, great and helpful video.

[TravelAddicted]

#askgcn I found a zipp super9 at a good price for my tt bike, but it comes with an XDR cassette instead of the shimano one I'd need.
I'm guessing 12s XDR is not compatible with any Shimano 11s.
Can I swap the hubs even on a disc? If so, do I have to buy Zipp hubs or any brands would do?
Trying to understand if this is worth the effort, or if I should just wait until I can find a Shimano one.
Thanks for all the great content you guys put out every week!

[carlmullender]

#gcntech : thank you, can you make a video to show us what we need to consider if we want to increase our disk rotor diameter, please

[stefanheidrich]

In my time in the customer service of an online shop I've seen the (almost) worst you can imagine: Bursted rotor ring due to overwear which also destroyed a not so cheap XTR BR-M9120 brake caliper. Luckily at the rear. Learnings: Always keep an eye on the disc rotor. Otherwise karma won't have any mercy.

[huggcycles]

#askGCNtech hey ollie, Alex or additional member of GCN, are OSPW's worth it?!

[wordpress]

Why rush to replace it? When did you hear last time the rotor snapped? I am not saying it never happens, but how often really?

[billkallas]

I've never worn out a rim on my rim brake bikes. Of course, if you ride in wet dirt and sandy soil, it might be different for you.

[monetaryjack]

Those of us that MTB and are already disc and tubeless get a right old laugh from the luddite tubed brigade that are probably all rimmers too lol😂

[savagepro]

GCN Tech: How To Check For Wear On Your Disc Brake Rotor
Intelligent People: Rim Brakes!

[awhite]

Obligatory comment about GCN conspiring to make us all buy Disc brakes 😁

[savagepro]

Whoever decided to put disc brakes on a road bike, should be flogged with a chainwhip . . . from Parker Tools

[LegSpinna]

Only need one thing for disc brakes. A bin.

[zygmuntthecacaokakistocrat]

Why not include the instructions on how to change a disc rotor, if it's so simple? & why didn't you cover the fact that rotors wear more, and more quickly in the middle of the brake tracks on the disc than on the top and bottom edges, and that's why you use a micrometer or thickness gauge to measure their wear, rather than a vernier caliper, as a vernier only measures parallel, not spot dimensions? Nearly every tech video you make, you skim over, muddle or ignore important aspects of what you discuss. One day, this will have serious consequences for a newbie practitioner, and even tho' it might not land directly on your heads, it's adding to a catalogue of disinformation that makes cycling more difficult and less easy to understand and practise. I speak as a mechanic trainer of a decade + experience, & it's why I don't recommend your videos to my trainees. Perhaps go and have a look at how Calvin & Truman do it on Park Tool Repair Help, and eat some humble pie and follow their examples. You're doing their brand a disservice, with your current efforts.