epnnf

I have to clean the discs on my 2017 Kona after EVERY ride. Theyre very dirty. For the record, I used alcohol pads. On the disc, it says 'resin pads only'. Sup?

gsa103

The "resin pads only" refers to the brake pad type. That's a Shimano warning since Shimano has two types of brake pads, resin and metallic. Metallic is much harder and best suited for aggressive riding (long descents, heavy riders, etc), resin is the standard use.

When you say clean after every ride, what is the symptom? There shouldn't be much dirt on the disc where the pads runs. Are you washing the bike after each ride, or something like that?

1Coopgt

Picture of your brake rotors after you ride? Part of the bedding in process with disc brakes leaves a thin deposit of the brake pad on the rotors. This gives the pads something to bite against. If it's brake dust like you see on BMW wheels then yes clean it off.

drlogik 

epnnf,

I have a 2014 Kona Cinder Cone with upgraded XTR brakes and Icetech rotors. I've been riding those brakes for the last 6 months and they almost never need cleaning beyond getting trail dirt off of them. The original brakes same thing. And yes, other posters are correct, "resin" pads are standard pads. Metallic pads are different. If a brake system calls for resin pads, that's what you need to use.

As far as the cleaning after every ride, what kind of "dirt" are you talking about? Trail dirt or brake dust? Yes, wash/wipe the trail dirt off but the little bit of brake dust on there won't hurt anything.

The one thing that disk brakes don't like is oil or grease. If that ever gets on them, clean rotor and pads thoroughly with alcohol.

FWIW, I love the way disk brakes work but I'm not sold on them yet. Too fidgety if you ask me. Too many parts to go wrong. A strong set of cantilever brakes I think are more durable and easier to work on. However, in wet conditions, disk brakes perform way better. Off topic, sorry.....


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cobba

You should only be cleaning the rotors if there's some contaminate on them.

Burnish – Brake power is generated by the friction material on the pads embedding into the surface of the rotor, re-bonding to the friction material still on the pads and then breaking apart or shearing. In order for this bonding/shearing to occur, the friction material must first be displaced onto the surface of the rotor. This typically happens during the first 10 – 50 stops of a brake system and is referred to as “burnishing” the rotor and pads. When a rotor is cleaned, it will need to be re-burnished again to re-deposit the friction material onto the surface.

epnnf

to update/clarify: everything on my Kona is stock/spec cept the saddle. The cleaning Im talkin bout is pad dust, not trail mud. I never ride off road, jus pavement. This bike has maybe 2K miles. It has never been ridden in rain. Neither of my old C'dales or my 2016 Masi had this much dirt on their discs. I only had to clean those discs about every 3rd ride/150 miles.

jimc101

Why do you 'have to' clean the discs? is this a cosmetic issue, or performance?

Berg417448

Cleaning every 150 miles seems excessive unless you just prefer to have your equipment shiny clean all the time. I probably clean mine every 6 months or so.

Leebo

Not recommended. And not needed.

epnnf

ok, let me change the ? When should you clean your brake discs? How do ya know how often?

Spoonrobot 

There is no "how often"

You clean them when they become contaminated from oils/grease or other substances that get onto the rotor or pad and cause a decrease in brake power or modulation, a juddering under braking or a squeek/honk during braking.

Never because they're "dirty"

ammarolli

I rarely clean the rotors on my bikes but I do a thorough cleaning if my brakes squeal in dry conditions.

I usually wipe the rotors with a clean paper towel when I clean my bike.

hueyhoolihan

i had disc brakes on my road bike for a while, but being accustomed to a quiet ride, the squealing got to me. no matter what i did, they would eventually squeal after about 50-100 miles. i eventually tossed them and went back to caliper brakes. there were a couple of other issues too.