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How To Fit Avid Brake Pads |
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Mountain Bike Surgery -
Brakes
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Written by stumpy_dan
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Page 1 of 5
Fitting brake pads is tricky but if you follow simple instructions you can do it quite simply. Recently before riding I needed to change the Avid brake pads in my Big Hit and this was the first time I had changed this type of pad.
I got some great tips from some video tutorials I found on Expert
Village and have chosen to post them up here as they really helped
lots. As an aside. There are 4 videos in all.
Also my own videoing attempt with doing a brake pad replacement whilst holding a camera turned out totally abysmal and I ended up with 20 minutes of my socks doing some type of frustrated shufffle next to a load of mucky tools and dirty rags and absolutely no quality video to share 
Here are some tips:
- Take you calipers of the bike. It is really far too tricky to do this whilst still attached and they easily come off and back on (just note nut and washer order)
- Don't get any oil on the pads. In fact don't touch the pads with your fingers( fingers have oil). This will contaminate the pad and likely render them inefective.
- Some type of pads come out with a pull with your fingers. Avids seem to be really tough so use plyers. Much easier
- Once they are out make sure you don't lose the spring (unless your pads came with a new one) and if you have a stopper then put that inside in your pads to stop them jamming together by mistake.
- Once your pads are out avoid pressing the lever. It is tempting but DON'T. It is far too easy to find that the pistons then push right out and you will spend ages workingn with a flat surface (tyre lever, blunt knife) coaxing them back in.
- The pistons are normally out a bit mind so some level of ball breaking patient coaxing back in with a flat surface will most likely be required. Have faith they will go back.
- Note that pads are labelled left and right and so check which is which. Some people have problems knowing their left from right. Odd hey.
- Put the spring around the pad bits and squeeze together flush (pads touching) and wiggle back in to the caliper. You will sense when this is right and it is fully seated. Don't worry if it takes a few goes.
- Fit the caliper back on to the fork of the bike. Leave it loose for a sec then put your wheel back on. Whilst the caliper is loose press the brake lever and then now tighten up the caliper whilst pressing down. Your are done.
- Often takes brake pads a short ride and maybe 20 good lever tugs/ emergency stops to bed them in. Be sure to bed them in mind. That is really importance.
- Check you pads often especially after a big ride. You don't want to damage your rotors as costly and more importantly you don't want to not be able to BRAKE!
- Don't wait until your brake pads look like this before changing them (mine were so worn the pads on the left disintegrated when I picked it out). I truly felt like I really didn' deserve to own my bike!
- Also don't do what I did and check my pads when it was time to set off and lose 2 hours of your day messing around getting it right. Do all this the night before a ride.Fixing your bike is cool. Riding your bike is way cooler.
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