Bedding in track bike pads

[adouglas]

I like to ask a dumb question from time to time to keep myself honest.

Here's today's:

If you can't ride a track bike on the street, how do you bed in the pads?

Normally I go for a ride of 10-25 miles or so, braking gently to moderately to get the pads bedded in.

But you can't do that with a track bike. I can't imagine that it's a good idea to arrive at turn 1 at speed without properly bedded pads....

[csmith12]

I once bedded in a set of pads on the sighting lap of a race. I won't be doing that again.... And yes, you are spot on about arriving at a corner without proper braking being felt.

When at the track and have new pads, I ask to ride in N for a session or 2 as needed to bed them in, AFTER... a few laps around the paddock, they normally don't have a problem.

[rojoracing53]

Just a quick scrub at less then 20mph out on the obscure side of the pit area and then just go for it on track. You could take it easy for one session and only brake at 50%. Most track day riders 100% braking is really like 70% anyways so it doesn't really matter.

Personally we'd do a quick scrub in the pits and then I'd run them hard on the sighting lap before the race. I think scrubbing in pads is really overthought by too many people and if your brakes are working like crap it's probably little to do with how you broke them in.

[csmith12]

^^^ true, after about 3 corners of good braking application, you will feel a pretty good bite as long all other things are in order, but Mr. Fist is not gunna be taking those kinda chances Jason.

[SLOWn60]

To continue the dumb question thinking; do you change your pads when you change your wheels?
I have a set of mounted rains and a set for the dry. I swap my front pads when I swap my front wheel so my pads are a set with the wheel. I hardly use my rear brake though I do a little more in the rain but my laziness justifies the little I apply the rear.

What say you?

[SLOWn60]

To continue the dumb question thinking; do you change your pads when you change your wheels?
I have a set of mounted rains and a set for the dry. I swap my front pads when I swap my front wheel so my pads are a set with the wheel. I hardly use my rear brake though I do a little more in the rain but my laziness justifies the little I apply the rear.

What say you?

[csmith12]

I do not Bill, but I would if I could.

[rojoracing53]

we would go back and forth between our wheels all the time on the race bikes so the both rotors matched the same set of pads all the time. So no we wouldn't change pads when changing wheels.

Your using like 10-20% of your rear brakes power so a loss of 20% grip due to un-matching pads and rotors isn't going to be felt. This is even more true for when switching to rains where traction is reduced anyways.

[SLOWn60]

I guess I'm in the overthinking group!
Maybe next year I'll try the one pad fits all. If I crash though; I won't be blaming the Red Bull!

[choneofakind]

why not just take the first session super easy and not worry about it? that's ideal bedding conditions.

You'll be doing repeated slowing exercises, no stopping with the pads touching the same spot of the rotor to warp it, no insane speed changes to glaze the pads.

You should take the first session easy anyway... get an idea for sighting on the track, get a feel for the daily track conditions, flesh out the idiots of the track groups that day.

No worries.







Or just ride the damn thing up and down the neighborhood a few times. No one will ever be the wiser.

[tgold]

I've changed pads on race day after practice was over. I would go talk to the race director, explain the situation and ask to go out on the warmup lap of a race that I wasn't entered in. Never had them turn me down.

[bruce71198]

Do you guys really use your brakes that much?

[rojoracing53]

I think for the most part were talking about bikes faster then the 250 since I believe the OP tracks his 750 from what I remember. But yeah on the 250 the brakes are the least important thing I worry about.