Time for a Brake Job!
Alright, so the other day, I was out for a ride, and man, my brakes were starting to sound awful. That lovely screeching noise, you know the one? Yeah, not good. Plus, the lever felt a bit like squeezing a wet sponge. Definitely time for some new brake pads before I ended up in a hedge.
I figured, hey, how hard can it be? Watched a couple of vids online, looked simple enough. So, I decided to give it a shot myself. Save a few bucks, learn something new, what’s not to like?
Getting Ready
First things first, I ordered the new pads. Made sure to get the right ones for my bike, that’s kinda important, haha. While I was waiting for them to arrive, I dug out my tools. Luckily, I had most of what I needed: a decent socket set, some Allen keys, and a few screwdrivers. I also grabbed some brake cleaner spray – that stuff is magic – and a bit of copper grease for the back of the pads later on.
When the pads finally showed up, I was ready to rock. I got the bike up on its center stand. If you don’t have one, a paddock stand works too. Just make sure the bike is stable, you don’t want it falling on you mid-job.
Tackling the Front Brakes
I decided to start with the front brakes. They usually do most of the work, right?
- Getting access: First, I had to locate the caliper. Easy enough. Then, there were these two pins holding the pads in. Sometimes there’s a little clip or a split pin you gotta remove first. Mine had these little R-clips. Pulled those out.
- Removing the old pads: The pins themselves were a bit stiff. Gave them a gentle tap and they slid out. Then the old pads just kinda wiggled out. Man, they were worn down! Almost metal on metal. Good thing I decided to do this.
- Cleaning time: Before putting the new pads in, I gave the inside of the caliper a good spray with brake cleaner. Wiped out all the gunk and brake dust. It gets surprisingly dirty in there.
- Pushing the pistons back: This was the trickiest bit for me. The pistons in the caliper were pushed out because the old pads were so thin. I needed to push them back in to make space for the new, thicker pads. I don’t have a fancy piston spreader tool, so I used an old brake pad and a C-clamp very carefully. Just slow and steady, you don’t want to damage anything. Some folks say to open the brake fluid reservoir cap while you do this to relieve pressure, so I did that too. Just be careful not to spill brake fluid everywhere, it eats paint.
- Installing new pads: Once the pistons were back, I put a tiny smear of copper grease on the back of the new pads (the metal bit, not the friction material!). This helps stop squealing. Then I slid the new pads in. They fit nice and snug. Lined up the holes, put the pins back in, and secured them with the R-clips.
- Bolting it up: My front caliper didn’t need to be unbolted, but if yours does, you’d obviously bolt it back on now. Always good to check your bike’s manual for any specific torque settings if you’re taking caliper bolts off.
Moving to the Rear
The rear brake was pretty much the same process. Different caliper, of course, but the steps were similar. Remove pins, pull out old pads, clean, push piston back (only one on my rear caliper, so a bit easier), install new pads, put pins back. No dramas there, thankfully.
The Moment of Truth
Once everything was back together, I pumped the brake levers a few times. This is super important! The levers will feel really soft at first until the pads press up against the discs. Pump ’em until they feel firm. You don’t want to roll out and find you have no brakes!
Then, I took it for a very slow, careful test ride around my block. Gently applied the brakes a few times to start bedding them in. They felt so much better! Nice and sharp, no more horrible noises. Success!
All Done!
And that was it! Took me a couple of hours, taking my time, but it wasn’t too bad at all. Pretty satisfying doing it yourself, I gotta say. Plus, now I know exactly what’s going on with my brakes. If you’re thinking about doing it, just take it slow, be methodical, and make sure you put everything back the way it came. Happy riding, and stay safe!
