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Forgot to bed in the brakes. What now?

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Forgot to bed in the brakes. What now?

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flag sorenwrang
Posted: Feb 22, 2015 at 9:37 Quote
Hi everyone

I just got my 2015 Giant Trance SX (brand new) and was so excited for the first ride that I forgot to carefully bed in the brakes (SRAM Guide R).

On the trails I noticed that I did not have enough braking power when just using one finger on the levers. Could this be a consequence of not bedding the brakes correctly before going to the trails? Can I make it up, or have I "ruined" the brakes already? Or do you simply think that it will just take a few more rides to make the brakes perform better?

It might be worth mentioning that I am used to Formula The One brakes, which have insane power. But still, I could barely lock up these new brakes when using only one finger..

Best regards
flag Ploutre
Posted: Feb 22, 2015 at 9:54 Quote
You haven't ruined or damaged the brakes, they might not be bedded yet ...

It took me 2 afternoons to finally have most of the power on some Guide RSC, and it was 2 afternoons of mostly DH riding Smile

Just keep riding, and if after another 1 or 2 rides they still don't have the power you think they should have, you can look into making the pads new again (sand them slightly with some 200 sand paper, and start over)

Another thing you might want to check is for proper caliper alignment. Guide brakes aren't known for needing a bleed out of the box, but it could be the next thing to check.


But to be honest, I wouldn't worry yet Smile
flag sorenwrang
Posted: Feb 22, 2015 at 10:04 Quote
Ploutre wrote:
You haven't ruined or damaged the brakes, they might not be bedded yet ...

It took me 2 afternoons to finally have most of the power on some Guide RSC, and it was 2 afternoons of mostly DH riding Smile

Just keep riding, and if after another 1 or 2 rides they still don't have the power you think they should have, you can look into making the pads new again (sand them slightly with some 200 sand paper, and start over)

Another thing you might want to check is for proper caliper alignment. Guide brakes aren't known for needing a bleed out of the box, but it could be the next thing to check.


But to be honest, I wouldn't worry yet Smile

So what you're saying is, that all those guides to carefully bed in brakes (e.g. brake gradually to a complete stop, repeat 20-30 times) are not necessities but rather just a way to ensure that you have sufficient braking power once you hit the trails?

The brakes feel great overall.. They brake evenly and they don't vibrate - they just lack power.

Is there anything critical I should know about the organic pads? My Formula brakes had sintered pads, and were almost impossible to wear out. I guess organics wear out a little quicker? What about cleaning utensils for the rotors and pads? Do I need something special for organic pads? I recall a mechanic telling me NOT to use the brake cleaner spray I once bought, on organic pads.
flag Ploutre
Posted: Feb 22, 2015 at 10:17 Quote
The process of bedding a brake must be useful I guess, but I just never used it unless I was swapping brake pads right before a race or a ride where I knew I would need full power from the start ... In these cases, yes I would do a bit of bedding in until I would get bored, and then just carry on. But for most cases, I just ride until they're bedded in Smile

Everytime I change pads on my bikes, I sand the rotor (very fine sand paper, 350+) and clean is either using brake cleaner or more often isopropyl alcohol, and that makes sure there is no residue from the previous pads.

No particular recommendations with organic pads, they do wear quicker than sintered (the Guide RSC come with sintered pads), don't stand overheating that well, offer less overall power but have a more aggressive bite and don't need to be "heated up" before delivering full power. The sometimes are also quieter.


Give them some time, check for proper caliper alignment, and if after another ride or 2 they still lack power, try to properly bed them in.

But keep in mind, the power between a set of TheOne and a set of Guide is different. TheOne brakes have a very on/off feeling, while the Guide have a more progressive feel. Overall power, I think the TheOnes might be slightly more powerful than the Guide, with similar pads and rotor size, but it should be pretty easy to lock up the rear wheel Smile
flag sorenwrang
Posted: Feb 22, 2015 at 10:30 Quote
Ploutre wrote:
The process of bedding a brake must be useful I guess, but I just never used it unless I was swapping brake pads right before a race or a ride where I knew I would need full power from the start ... In these cases, yes I would do a bit of bedding in until I would get bored, and then just carry on. But for most cases, I just ride until they're bedded in Smile

Everytime I change pads on my bikes, I sand the rotor (very fine sand paper, 350+) and clean is either using brake cleaner or more often isopropyl alcohol, and that makes sure there is no residue from the previous pads.

No particular recommendations with organic pads, they do wear quicker than sintered (the Guide RSC come with sintered pads), don't stand overheating that well, offer less overall power but have a more aggressive bite and don't need to be "heated up" before delivering full power. The sometimes are also quieter.


Give them some time, check for proper caliper alignment, and if after another ride or 2 they still lack power, try to properly bed them in.

But keep in mind, the power between a set of TheOne and a set of Guide is different. TheOne brakes have a very on/off feeling, while the Guide have a more progressive feel. Overall power, I think the TheOnes might be slightly more powerful than the Guide, with similar pads and rotor size, but it should be pretty easy to lock up the rear wheel Smile

Thank you for taking your time to write such an exhaustive reply - I highly appreciate it Smile !

As you say, the Formula TheOne brakes are extremely sensitive and go from not braking to locking up within a few millimetres of lever movement. I just got used to this feeling. With the Guide R brakes, I immediately noticed the progressive feel, which is not bad either. I think I will be very happy with these brakes once they're fully bed in Smile !
flag bigburd
Posted: Feb 22, 2015 at 10:40 Quote
The stop start way of bedding is in by far the best , under normal riding you are not likely to get the pads up to temp the 1st time you hit the brakes , whereas a few sprint stop/sprint/stops down a fire road ensure the pads get nice and hot and not glaze over like they do in brake dragging situations or not coming to a full stop.

They still get better through the day of course but it at least start them off unglazed.
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