Skip to main content

How to resurface your mountain bike brakes

It's easier than you might think

Georgia mountain biking trail turn.
Lingarto / Pixabay

To consistently go fast on your mountain bike, you must have quality brakes. Having powerful bike brakes seems counterintuitive for building and maintaining speed, but it is true.

Going fast requires stopping your mountain bike quickly. Let’s say there is a tricky corner coming up that you know you will need to reduce speed for. If your mountain bike brakes are weak, you will likely need to begin stopping much earlier, reducing your overall speed. Stopping quicker means going faster.

It is also nice to have powerful mountain bike brakes in emergency situations, like late braking. Take that same scenario. If you didn’t know that corner was coming up, with weak brakes, you would likely miss the turn completely, going off the trail and crashing.

Mountain bike brakes are a common upgrade many consider when they purchase a mountain bike. Brakes are an area where bike companies look to save money, especially if you are buying an entry or mid-level mountain bike.

But what happens when you know you are riding high-quality mountain bike brakes and feel they are growing weaker? Try resurfacing your brakes before you throw money at new pads, a brake bleed, or just new brakes altogether. 

How do you do that? Well, you came to the right place.

Everything you will need to resurface mountain bike brake pads...rubbing alcohol, drywall sanding screen, and steel wool
Travis Reill / The Manual

What you need and why resurface mountain bike brakes

A pervasive thing many of us experience mountain biking is fading brake performance. I’m not talking about bike brakes fading during a single descent—if that happens, perhaps you need to consider a new set.

I’m talking about gradually, over several rides, you’ve noticed that your mountain bike isn’t stopping the way it used to. Often, we replace the brake pads, which can solve the problem. But mountain bike brake pads aren’t cheap. You can expect to pay around $50 to get your mountain bike stopping again.

What happens with those old brake pads? Well, they are usually just tossed in the garbage. And rightfully so. The pads you just pulled out are likely nearly black, covered with dirt and grime.

This is the main reason you experience your mountain bike brakes fading—they are grimy and dirty. How did your bike brakes get that way? Well, one way this happens is simply by riding your bike. Mud, dirt, and dust are constantly hitting your bike rotors, being forced into the caliper, and sticking to the brake pads.

The other primary way it happens is by transporting our bikes. Having our mountain bikes on a bike rack behind our vehicle puts them in the perfect space to collect road grime from our car tires.

New brake pads will get you back to mountain biking, but those pads you just tossed likely have a lot of life left in them. Under that dirt and grime are excellent pads that just need a bit of resurfacing.

You only need three items to resurface your pads—steel wool, rubbing alcohol, and drywall sanding screens. You can find steel wool and sanding screens at hardware stores and rubbing alcohol at a grocery store. Buying these three items will set you back around $10.

Using steel wool and rubbing alcohol to clean mountain bike rotors
Travis Reill / The Manual

How to resurface mountain bike brakes

  • The first thing you will need to do is to remove the brake pads from the caliper. After you remove the front and rear wheels from your mountain bike, the pads will be held in by a screw and a spring. Remove the screw first, then pinch the pads together, compressing the screen to remove the pads.
  • Take one of the sanding screens and place it on a flat surface. A sanding screen is recommended because it will allow dirt and grime to fall through the screen. Regular sandpaper can be used, but there comes a point where you will be rubbing the brake pad on dirty sandpaper.
  • Rub the brake pad in a figure-eight motion on the sanding screen. Do this on different areas of the screen, not just in the same spot. You can also reverse the figure-eight motion and rotate the brake pads themselves. These small changes will help remove the most dirt and grime from the surface of your brake pads.

Removing the dirt and grime from the brake pad will return it to a metallic, nearly shiny surface. If it seems like a splotch of grime is left on the brake pad’s surface, I’ve got bad news: the pad is contaminated. Some oil or other contaminants got onto the pad and can’t be removed. Chain lube, tire sealant, and WD-40 are common culprits.

After resurfacing the brake pads, ensure your mountain bike brake rotors are clean.

  • Put some rubbing alcohol into a spray bottle and spray the rotors.
  • Get a piece of steel wool and give the rotors a bit of a scrub. This removes any dirt, grime, and oily contaminants from the rotors.
  • Finally, wipe the rotor with a clean rag to remove any steel wool strands.

Resurfacing complete. Now, reverse the steps you followed to remove the brake pads. Pinch the brake pads and spring together, slipping the pads back into the caliper. Put the screw back in that secures the pads in the caliper and put your wheels back on. 

Essentially, you now have brand new brakes on your mountain bike, so you will need to bed them—check with your brake manufacturer for the correct process. Once bedded, go hit the trails.

Editors' Recommendations

Travis Reill
Contributor
Hi! I'm Travis, a teacher turned stay-at-home dad turned freelance writer. Mountain biking is my passion. Fortunately, I've…
The loop on the ring finger of your ski gloves is actually really useful
It's not just there for decoration
A man standing on the mountain wearing ski gloves.

It's time to dust off your snow gear! Amid all the excitement, however, it's easy to overlook some of the more fascinating design work that went into your snow gloves. For example, if you pay attention to your ski gloves, you may realize that there is a little loop on the ring finger of each glove. This is a clever design element that offers several practical benefits, whether you're skiing or snowboarding. Here's how to use them.
Here's how to use the loops
Hang your gloves to dry
One of the most immediate and useful applications of the loop on your ski glove's ring finger is its role in drying your gloves. After an exhilarating day on the slopes, your gloves can become damp from snow and sweat. The key to maintaining comfort and warmth for your next run is ensuring your gloves dry thoroughly. Here's where the loop comes into play.

To expedite the drying process, you can use the loop to hang your gloves with the fingers pointing upward. This method is more effective at drying your gloves compared to laying them flat, as it allows air to circulate freely inside the gloves, which helps moisture evaporate more rapidly. Drying with your gloves fingers up prevents them from becoming musty and keeps them fresh for your next snow adventure. By using the loop for this purpose, you'll be ready to hit the slopes with dry, comfortable gloves in no time.
Easy carrying
The loop on the ring finger of your ski gloves can also serve as a convenient means of carrying your gloves when you're not wearing them. You can attach a carabiner to the loops, allowing you to hook your gloves onto your ski or snowboard jacket, backpack, or belt. This can be particularly handy when you're transitioning between skiing and other activities or when you're in a cozy ski lodge, giving your gloves a designated place to hang without the risk of misplacing them.

Read more
How snowboarding through trees and in powder can help improve your skillset
Snowboarding through trees is a totally different (yet still amazing) experience
Sunny snowboarding in the Stowe Trees

Stowe Mountain Resort Mark Reif

When I moved to Vermont in October 2021, I couldn’t wait to snowboard at Stowe Mountain Resort. Set amongst the state’s highest peak, Mt. Mansfield, the storied resort offered abundant freeride terrain and a unique local culture. 

Read more
Snowboarding tips: Set your snowboard stance for a winter of shredding
Your snowboard stance is the key to a successful run
Beech Mountain snowboarding

When you first learned how to snowboard, chances are you picked up your board from the rental shop, they asked you a few questions that you weren't totally sure of the answers to, and then you went off to learn how to snowboard — or to fall over on the mountain for a day. It's different now. You've bought your own snowboard. You're fully decked out and ready for the winter season. But your new bindings are still sitting alongside your pristine snowboard, waiting to be attached.

Whatever your snowboarding level, you can always benefit from a little ride optimization. Setting your snowboard stance correctly should be at the top of any list of snowboarding tips — or perhaps second, under finding a well-fitted pair of snowboard boots. Your stance underpins every move you make on the board. It amplifies your riding style. It sets you up for shredding powder, ripping groomers, or sending it big in the park. But first, you need to understand the difference between regular and goofy, get ride angles, stance width, and more. We're here to help you get set up.

Read more