Bike Disc Brakes 101

 Braking is one of the most important safety measures you can do, be it when driving your car or riding your bicycle. Without the necessary movement of linkages and fluids, you'd have to use your foot to slow down or stop. This could easily make you crash. Hence why using your brakes is not only common sense but ideal too. 

Especially if you have disc brakes as these are not only more effective but also safer than the old rim brakes. The former are not as likely to lock up thanks to their longer braking range which also reduces the chances of skidding. Overall, disc brakes are a better option since they have pads acting on a metal bike disc rotor and not the rim of the wheel.

Anatomy of Disc Brakes

Rotor

A bicycle disc rotor is a strong yet lightweight metal component that is attached to both the front and rear wheels. The pads rub on it, and as a result, the rotation of this metal piece is slowed down or stopped completely. The design of bike disc rotors allows you to do both of these actions in a controlled manner without the braking action being uneven.

Calliper

The calliper, although being the exact same component on both the front and rear wheel, it's mounted in different places. When it comes to the calliper on the rear, it's mounted to the frame, while the one on the front is mounted on the fork. Callipers are the main component between a bicycle disc rotor and pads, as they house pistons that push the pads towards the rotors. 

Pads

As you'd expect the pads are the ones that transfer all that stopping power against the rotors. They are the components exposed to the most amount of wear. Although the rotors are getting worn too, pads are made of more malleable materials hence why they wear out faster.

Maintenance of Disc Brakes

Rotors

Since the rotors of a disc brake are the central component, they are prone to heating up quite a lot. All that friction, especially when braking at high speeds, can slowly but surely reduce the efficiency of the bicycle disc rotor. The heat can easily warp your rotors, but you can easily fix that by using an adjustable wrench or a dedicated rotor-truing tool. 

The latter is going to make it a lot easier to tweak your bike disc rotors in place. Truing the rotors is done by turning the wheel to straighten the warped area as it will otherwise rub against the pads. Use the truing tool or adjustable wrench to bend the bike disc rotor into place. Makes sure to do so lightly.

Pads

Sometimes dirt and oils can stick to the pads and they can be transferred to the rotors. When this happens you will feel a major loss of braking power. To get rid of this mess, you should use isopropyl alcohol also known as rubbing alcohol. Using a clean cloth, apply some rubbing alcohol on the cloth and wipe away both the pads and rotors.

If squealing persists after doing so, you'll want to check the alignment of the callipers over the rotors. You might need to centre the callipers to stop this. Also, as you know, the pads can get worn out and start to squeal too. So you might want to check if they need to be replaced, before dealing with the callipers.

Levers

Poor braking performance can also be due to the brake levers not being lubricated well. Lubricating the levers is done by pouring a little bit of lubricating oil into all its pivot points. It would be best if you did this while you're squeezing the levers so they open and close as you leave a drop or two. Sometimes brake levers will require you to reposition brake pads or even bleed the brakes in order for the maintenance to be complete.

Hoses

This goes if you have hydraulic disc breaks. The hoses of such a system should be inspected for any leaks as sometimes they can be present yet it can be hard to detect them. But if you can't see them, are they even an issue? While not straight away, leaks can become a major issue as dirt can build up where the leak is. This can quickly seize the brake lines and thus your brakes. But maybe the build-up of dirt can help you find the leak. Although that sounds like a bright idea, it's already too late if it has happened. Therefore you'll need to take your bike to a shop.

Types of Brake Pads

Organic

Just like there are different types of disc brakes, there are different types of brake pads, such as organic ones. Organic brake pads are, as you'd expect, made of organic materials which makes them the most powerful pads. But it's exactly because of that, that organic pads wear out the quickest.

Semi-Organic

A semi-organic set of pads will last you longer than organic brake pads but they won't provide the same stopping power. Semi-organic pads are a great middle-ground option between organic and sintered pads.

Sintered

The most durable and most popular disc brake pads nowadays are sintered pads.  They are not that powerful but they will last you the longest, especially if you're using your bicycle for everyday riding.