Resurfacing brake pads?

[spriag]

I've just installed a new (and my first) disc brake on my mtb. When I ride it theres a very (very) loud metallic screech when I use the disc brake.

Now from what I've read this could be because:
1) Not 'bedded' in yet and I just need to apply gentle pressure on a long down hill
2) I've played around with them and may have got some of the shimano oil stuff on them which apparently is bad but can be sorted by resurfacing them

Which one do you think it is? And is resurfacing just as easy as nail filing them? Or should I just buy a new pair anyway.

Thanke much.

 

[mickle]

If you have got oil on them you'd probably know yes? Every bike mechanic will tell you to throw them away and install new ones. The oil permeates right through the disc pad material - resurfacing (whatever that means) will achieve nought. Once contaminated - always contaminated. Throw them away.

If I understand correctly its a new disc, if so the squeal is likely to be caused by your caliper not being perfectly aligned with the disc. The specialist facing tool which sorts this costs around £350 last time I looked so it's a bike-shop work-shop job.

 

[spriag]

Yep agree on the contaminated part will buy a new pair.

Note to self not to fiddle with new toys so much

e: might give this a try, it does look awfully fun
http://www.observedt...ght=revive+pads

e2: cooking them seemed to work, no more horrible noise. I cut a pretty odd figure cycling on the street by my house in my pjs testing my brakes.

 

[02GF74]

in the olden days, whe folks use to service their own cars, this was a common problem if a seal went.

solution usually was to put the pads or shoes in an oven at high temp or pour some petrol and set them alight, both of these to boil off the oil.

may be worth a try when the missus is not watching but they may make the oven pong.

bear in mind that replacement pads can be bought for a fiver off ebay, you need to ask yourself if it is worth the effort? (by a spare set or two whilst at it).

assuming you have same brakes front and rear, swap the pads over if it is the front brake that give you gib and see if braking improves.

to clean up the surface, use somerhing like 80 or 120 wet'n'dry;

 

[spriag]

Yea I fixed up the contaminated pads so they wouldn't squeal but still purchased some new ones from CRC (gotta love their delivery time), keeping the old ones as spares.

It's cheap to replace the pads and if the old ones were giving a loss in performance then not much point upgrading to discs in the first place.

(also its disc on front, v on back so couldn't switch)