7 Disc Brake Mistakes That Are RUINING Your Bike!

Stop ruining your disc brakes! Compared to rim brakes, disc brakes are more powerful, helping you to brake later and stop more quickly. However, they won’t work as efficiently if you don’t look after them. Ollie runs you through seven common disc brake mistakes and explains how to avoid making them, helping you save money, time and stress!

00:00 Intro
00:17 Overspray residue
02:21 Travelling with your bike
04:54 Riding with dragging pads
06:15 Using the wrong fluid
07:35 Not checking pad & rotor wear
08:34 Incorrect rotor size
09:36 Dragging your brakes

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What other disc brake mistakes have you made? 👀 Let us know in the comments below! 💬

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[gcntech]

What other disc brake mistakes have you made? 👀

[mopedvieh]

Avoid using anything made of metal to separate the brake pads... Instead, use this Parktool thingy, made of metal 👍

[Platypus_Warrior]

I use to be a bike mechanic. A trick that no one will say is that you can restore heavily contaminated pads.
Take the pads off, spray with brake cleaner and set fire to it. Be careful not to spray too much or the long burn can detach the braking material from the mount.
Do it outside over a hard surface or on a metal table.

U'r welcome

[darrylhuculak]

Aword of warning on resetting your pistons. After watching a few videos and reading through the literature, I decided to replace my own pads. I used a plastic tire removal lever to reset the pistons, then put the pads back on. After a few rides I noticed I was losing pressure/fluid in my left lever. After discussing with the local bike shop mechanic, it turns out that Shimano levers (mine are Ultegra Di2) have a small bladder inside the lever that can burst if you push on the pistons too hard. He said his shop discovered this only after experiencing a few similar mishaps. I went through all the available shimano documentation as well as a few more YouTube videos, and found only one individual who warned about this issue. Fortunately Shimano replaced my ($450) lever under warranty, but others might not be so lucky.

[chinastew]

Resin and scintered / semi-metal pads. Not sure if only Shimano uses rotors that should only use resin pads (is written on an arm of the rotor, "Resin Pads Only"), but it certainly is good to check. If it says Resin Only, then use resin pads. "Metallic" pads chew up the softer rotor metal. I have found it is okay to go the other way, use resin pads on rotors that can handle "metallic" pads. Also, some rotors are narrower than others (something like 14mm vs. 16mm) and pads should match the rotor width. If not, the rotor will likely undercut the pad near the top, or the pad will not reach the top of the rotor and leave an overhang / ridge at the top of the rotor.

A final comment, don't let rotors get too worn or they could break apart during use. One of my customers had this happen on a rear wheel when stopping at a light in town - instant wheel lockup. Another customer had 0.3mm (yes, i could bend the rotor back and forth with my fingers) on his FRONT rotor. He is extremely lucky he did not do a Superman imitation on a high-speed descent.

[cuebj]

Makes me wish I still have my rim brake bikes - well, I still have a 2007 SystemSix with 23C tyres - aluminium rims, Ultegra brakes, stops as well as makes no difference as the 2018 Roubaix with hydraulic Ultegra. Life was simple then. Just used a Campag bottom bracket spanner to hold rubber washing machine foot while I tightened locknut. Reminded of pre-dual pivot brakes when I had to pull out the Weinmann brake tool for a friend's old bike - that was when brakes were not good

[skulengu]

I have never tried disc brakes, so it’s possible that I might actually like them better. But I find that my Shimano Ultegra rim brakes on my 1997 Serotta Atlanta have never left me wanting for more. Even the cheep Tektros on my 2010 Rocky Mountain AC30 (an entry level bike if there ever was one). I found myself laying my belly on the seat and riding an endo of sorts with my rear wheel dancing so to an inch above the asphalt (tarmac) under aggressive braking. So I’m not sold on the idea of disc brakes that require reinforcing of the frame and forks. More weight, more wind resistance, messy hydraulic fluid, stronger spokes, and other issues like proprietary discs.

I think if I were putting together a bike I rode in the rain, or a gravel or mountain bike that saw mud. I would probably switch in a heartbeat. Until then, I’m still happy with my rim brakes.

[bioinfused]

Timely info! Graduating from rim brakes to disc brakes later this week so these are great tips for me.

[ChrisNieves]

Used baby oil in my Shimano (Yeti) DH bike brakes for years without issue and smells great when they get warm.

[sjanzeir]

A word of caution using a vernier caliper to measure brake rotor thickness for wear.. Be mindful of the "lip" some brake rotors develop over time if the brake pads happen to be set slightly inwards of the very edge of the braking surface - you _will_ get a false reading of you unknowingly measure that lip instead of setting the vernier's jaws inward onto the actual braking surface.

[craesh]

Watch out for weird rotor sizes! My 2009 MTB had 185mm rotors. I replaced them by 180mm and the pads didn't cover the complete surface. I had to replace the IS/DM adapters too.

[Vam]

I have disc brakes on my gravel bike and they are fantastic but a big maintenance headache compared to the rim brakes on my road bike.

[thecappy]

Even after all that if it still makes noise, you might need to get the frame/fork caliper mounting surface faced. I had this issue on my Salsa Warbird. No matter what I did it would howl and screech when breaking. It’s because the caliper/rotor wasn’t absolutely in parallel with each other.

[rustyheyman]

Thanks for the permission to use baby oil in a pinch. I do love it when a plan comes together.

[evinnon]

I didnt notice I ran a narrow rotor with a wide pad for several years on my commuting bike. The pads were using part of the rotor arms as a braking surface. Lesson learned: match wide pads with wide rotors!

[pierreuntel]

Increasing my entropy is something I've never expect to hear in a bike YouTube channel

[BreakawayB]

My bike decides if it wants the brakes to rub depending on the day of the week. No matter what I do, it has a mind of its own.

[jonast]

Before pushing the pistons in, clean them! Otherwise the dirt might move in and prevent the piston to move smoothly. This might also cause scratching noise, as the pad might not move away from the rotor…

[klarkolofsson]

These tips show, I hope we can agree, that disc brakes at the least needs to be babied more compared to rim brakes.

[michaeldoise]

Very good advice as always! The tip about using plastic levers to separate the pads was very welcome.