MC Garage Video: Brake Maintenance

The simple but important step of deglazing your rotors.

Brake pad material and dirt can all get baked onto your bike’s brake discs after hard or extended use, leaving a dull, discolored surface. Any time you’re installing new brake pads it’s important to remove this glaze to give the new pads a fresh surface to bed into, but deglazing your rotors could also be the fix for squeaky brakes or a pulsing brake lever.

Road Test Editor Ari Henning recommends using a 3M Scotchbrite pad (green/heavy or red/medium) for deglazing the rotor surface. Scotchbrite is safe and any scuffing material left behind is not nearly as abrasive as that left by sandpaper. If you elect to use sandpaper, remember that this type of abrasive will leave grit residue that requires extra diligent cleaning. Do not use course grits and try to use a good quality automotive-grade paper or emery cloth that is coated.

Keep in mind that a lot of damage can be done with incorrect sandpaper choices or by using power sanders. So the safest bet is to follow Ari’s advice and use Scotchbrite. Keep it simple and watch the video to see how easy this regular brake maintenance procedure is…