Hello everyone,

I want to check the wear on my SRAM Avid Elixir 1 brake pads, but I can't figure out how to remove the retaining pin.
As you can see in the image below, the pin has an elbow in it, so I don't see how it can come out.

All of the instructional videos and manuals I've seen, the pin is straight, and instead an E-clip that must be removed and then the pin comes out with an allen key.

Can anyone please give me some insight on how this pin can come out?

Image:

Cotter Pin

Its a safety pin in function .. as common in dirt in mechanical solutions .. nothing strange about it.

how do you think it comes out ? use your head. Think!

It's a standard cotter pin and is removed by straightening the bend in the elbow and then pulling it. Did you get the bike used? This looks like a shade tree fix by the previous owner.

Just bend the bent pin back and pull it out on the other side. You should be able to pull the pads out from the top.

I've worked on Giant Roam XR1 before and they all came with cotter pins.

Thanks. Though this sounds like the pin will be worn out / ruined as a result of bending it to remove it and then re-bending once you put it back in. Is this an irrational fear? Or do new pads come with a new retaining pin?

I did buy it new from the LBS, and yes it is an XR1.

Nice bike. They do sell like pancakes for a reason.

Don't worry about the pin breaking, they don't break that easy. Some aftermarket pads come with a new pins some don't. No worries, you bought it from LBS, they will take care of little things like that for you.

Well I would prefer to get smarter about these self-maintenance things and be able to check my own brake wear, know when to get new pads, etc.

Looking around on Amazon, one reviewer claims the Elixir 1 is not threaded for the normal brake pin. Maybe I should get a couple of extra cotter pins in case something happens with the first one.

<- Paranoid...

New cotter pins are available at any hardware, auto parts or home store in a huge range of sizes and they are all cheap. You could use a new one every time you have to change the brake pads. There is nothing special about the one you show.

Thanks. I have been checking the part numbers for replacement pads and it does appear that the brake pads kits, at least the ones sold on Amazon, do come with the pads, cotter pin and spring/spreader device.