Buyer's guide | Disc brakes
All about our disc brakes
ng to get even faster, searching for ways to shorten your commute or to conquer that elusive King of the Mountain segment on Strava. That's why we ride, isn't it? But there are moments when you need to slow right down, to keep yourself safe from harm or even serious accidents. And don't underestimate the joy of a well-earned break, allowing you to enjoy more riding tomorrow. That is why BBB Cycling provides braking systems designed to keep you safe. To stay safe on the bike, it's important to regularly maintain your disc brakes and replace the brake pads and discs when necessary.
When is it time to change my brakepads?
The first thing you need to know is when to change your brakes. There are different signs to identify when you need to change your rotors or pads. A primary sign that you need to replace your pads is if you hear squeaks during braking, feel a lack of braking power, or hear a metal-on-metal scraping sound. When these issues occur, you know that you need to replace your braking pads. The first two signs could also indicate that there is a lot of dirt stuck in the brakes, and they need to be cleaned. The best course of action is to clean your brakes with a degreaser, and you should be ready to go. If these problems persist, then it’s time to change your pads.
What disc brake pads do I need?
Our brake pads are divided into four different categories, each with its own characteristics. You can simply recognise their different types by their colour. Light blue, dark blue, copper or dark green. With the help of our brake pads poster, you can work out what exact brake pads you need for your bike. You can find our poster below, and in basically every BBB Cycling dealer.
Determine the width of your frame
For all combinations of the frame type and crank type given below, you need to know the width of your frame to determine which bottom bracket you need for your bike as some bottom brackets are available in different sizes. It is one of the easiest measurements that will immediately eliminate a few of the bottom brackets. If you don't understand this yet, no worries, it will all be explained later in this buyer's guide.
All the different bottom bracket types stated below have their own illustration that shows how to measure the width and what measurements match what bottom bracket type. Just read through this buyer's guide, and you will end up with the right bottom bracket for your bike.
DiscStop
Brakepads with an organic compound. Suited for normal use on a mountainbike or trekking bike. Durable, economical and free of noise.
DiscStop HP
High-end brakepads with an organic compound. These brakepads perform best in dry conditions and give the best stopping power, which makes them ideally suited for competitive XC-use. Easy installation due to the sloping bottom.
DiscStop HP Sintered
Our copper-backed brakepads feature a sintered compound braking surface. Which can handle longer periods of braking in both dry and wet conditions and is therefore more suitable for high-speed and downhill applications.
DiscStop E-bike
Brakepads which are developed to complement the commuting e-bike lifestyle. Made of an organic compound specially developed for use on a e-bike or speed pedelec. The compound focuses on durability and stopping heavier bikes.
Discs
When the disc brake rotor of your bike is worn out, it is time to replace it. You will notice a decline in performance of the rotor, but you can check this as well with the wear-out indicators on the rotor. Normally, a rotor should be replaced when the difference between a used and unused part is 2 to 4 tenths of a millimeter. On BBB rotors you’ll find black spots (wear-out indicators) that tell you when to replace the disc.
A damaged disc
Another reason to change your disc could be if it is damaged or bent. is your disc is bent, you will hear rhythmic sounds while riding. Often you can see the bend when you rotate the wheel, but it could easily be so minor that you can almost not see it with the naked eye. The first step is to see if you can bend the disc back again. Our special DiscStraight can do wonders! Otherwise, replacing is the only option.
What disc do I need?
We offer one type of rotor (disc) in four sizes: 140, 160, 180 and 203 mm. So, you can always find the right size of rotor for your bike. When you need or want to change your rotors to another size, you can do so with our adapters. With these parts, you can make the necessary adjustments to the calliper of your bike. Check out our rotor and adapter assortment here!