How To Replace Disc Brake Pads On Your Bicycle

Brakes not working as well as they used to? Do you hear (or feel) grinding or squealing when you brake? It’s probably time to replace your brake pads.

Hi, I’m Kristen (cycling coach and bike educator), and in this article (and video), I’m going to teach you how to change the disc brake pads on your bicycle. This will work on any bike with mechanical or hydraulic disc brakes (but not those with v-brakes). You can see in the photo below what I’m talking about.

The good news is that you do not have to be super mechanically savvy to do this. Replacing brake pads is a basic bike maintenance task anyone can do.

Learn Best By Watching?

If you learn best by watching, here’s a video of me teaching you to replace brake pads. If you prefer to learn by reading, keep scrolling.

Prep Your Bike

If your bike is filthy, go ahead and give it a quick wash. In particular, you want to make sure that the brakes are free of dirt and debris so that (a) we can see what we’re doing and (b) don’t contaminate the system when we push the pistons in.

Then, put your bike into a work stand, if you have one. If you don’t, just flip it upside down so that it’s resting on the saddle and handlebar.

Remove The Wheel

Remove your wheel, or wheels if you’re working on both the front and rear brakes.

If your wheel is held in place with a thru-axle, you’ll need to use an allen wrench to remove it. If your wheel has a quick-release, you can release the lever and unscrew it (no tools needed). And if it’s bolted on, you’ll need a wrench to remove the bolt.

Remove The Old Brake Pads

Once you have the wheel off, you can pull the old brake pads out.

There will be a small bolt or a pin that you’ll need to remove that will release the pads.

Then, you can gently pull them out with your hands. Most (but not all) pads will have a small spring in between them that comes out too. Your new pads will come with a new spring so you do not need to save this.

Inspect the pads to confirm that they need to be replaced. If the pad is thinner than 1-2mm (the thickness of a business card), it’s ready to go in the trash.

Find The Correct Replacement Pads

You’ll need replacement brake pads that are specific to the model of brake you have. To find compatible pads, search online for your specific brakes (I like using Jenson USA).

Or, you can take the old pads you just removed and head to your local bike shop. They will be able to match your pads for you.

In either case, double check that the new pads are the same shape and dimension as your old pads.

Move The Pistons Back

Before you can put your new pads in, you need to push back the pistons on the caliper body. As your old pads wore down, the pistons moved forward, and now that we have thicker pads, we need them out of the way.

How you do this will depend on whether you have mechanical or hydraulic disc brakes. If you’re not sure which you have, hydraulic disc brakes have a hose running to the caliper body, while mechanical disc brakes will have a cable running thru the caliper.

If you have hydraulic disc brakes, you need some sort of tool to give you leverage to push the pistons in. You can use a flathead screw driver (just be gentle), or plastic coated tire levers.

Note that some brakes have 2 pistons, while others have 4 pistons.

If they are mechanical disc brakes, moving back the pistons is even easier. Depending on the model, you can either use an allen wrench to adjust them, or there will be a dial that you turn without a tool.

Slip In The New Pads

Once the pistons are out of the way, you can slip the new pads into position. Squeeze them together and then gently wiggle them into place.

Make sure to replace the screw or pin that holds them in place, and put your wheel back on.

Give it a spin to make sure that everything’s in place, and you’re good to go!

Learn More About Bike Maintenance

• Your Guide To Bike Maintenance (article)
• Essential Bike Maintenance Skills Every Cyclist Needs With Casey Wytaske (podcast)
• How To Build A Comprehensive On The Bike Tool Kit (article and video)

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