Originally Posted by
AdamDZ
Any credibility you ever had in my eyes was just flushed down the toilet. Unless you're kidding and my sarcasm meter is acting up.
Originally Posted by
ESW116
Braking in (or "bedding) brakes is absolutely not hokum. It is a must for new disc brakes.
As for the OP, have you tried cleaning your brakes? I have a feeling that, assuming they're actually set up and adjusted properly, a good cleaning of both the rotors and the calipers with rubbing alcohol will significantly improve performance. A lot of brakes out of the factory or new out of a LBS are actually dirty and covered with dust and oils, same with calipers.
Take a clean lint free rag and put some rubbing alcohol on it (70% or more by volume). Apply to the rotors and calipers, don't wipe it off once applied - just let it evaporate off, and voila, SUPER clean brakes. This also tends to get rid of squeaking.
I upgraded my MTB to shimano SLX hydraulics, and I felt the same thing as the OP. They didn't seem as strong as they should be, especially the front. I ended up cleaning the rotors/calipers and bleeding the brakes. The result was a HUGE improvement in power, feel and modulation.
Clean your brakes, folks.
Here's what Avid says about breaking in discs
Brake pad break-in period
It may take anywhere from 20 to 40 complete stops to break in Avid pads. You may begin to notice an increase in braking power after the first ride. Brake noise can occur not only during the break-in period, but off and on though out the life of the brake pads. Noise is dependent upon factors such as brake set-up, rider weight, riding style, braking style, and riding conditions (i.e. dust, soil, etc. contamination of friction surfaces).
Notice it doesn't say that you have to ride them for 200 miles or brake 1000 times or offer the blood of a freshly killed chicken to the moon on the 3rd day after the day before a new moon or any of the other mumbo jumbo that people push as to what you have to do to get good braking out of your disc brakes. "Between 20 and 40 stops" should be easy to achieve on a relatively short ride.
"Brake noise" also means they are going to squeal no matter what you do. Yes, keep 'em clean but expect them to squeal.
And, yes, I did break in
all of my discs. Even followed the mumbo jumbo. The difference between a new pad/rotor combination isn't really all that different from one that is 'broken in'. And, again, lever mushiness isn't going to be affected by any kind of breaking in period. That's a different issue related to a different part of the mechanism.