Just had an irate call from the missus. She's just had a brake pad fall out of the front caliper on her commuter bike and now has an 8 mile ride home from the gym to face (pad has vanished).
Now I fitted the caliper new 10 days ago and she's done maybe 50 miles on it. I'd previously noted that the rotors (ancient Hope 5-bolt ones) were also massively worn with heavy lips on to the point getting the new caliper set up with new pads was quite difficult and I've got new rotors on order.
Now obvious failure is me not putting the split pin in, which would be pretty cretinous* (and quite difficult to not notice given the amount of dicking around I had to do to get the wheel to spin freely). I've been fixing bikes for 20+ years now and don't generally make that kind of mistake. I've split pins all over the bench as every new set of Shimano pads comes with one, and most of our bikes have the higher end bolt type retainers, so there's no evidence either way there. Or I put the pin in, but failed to bend the end over.
Before I beat myself up any further - is there any way that pins can randomly fail?
*<<STW mode>> yes its cheaper than a new patio, but I never feel right getting other people to do my dirty work for me.<</STW mode>>
Riding to the gym is commendable
Pin disappeared from my front disc caliper the other day. Luckily I noticed it when putting the wheel on. Suspect it got pushed out when loading/unloading bike into car, despite being bent back. Had an old set still in car so used pin from that, fortunately.
At least you can say its has happened to others. Still might be better to be out when she gets back 😉
Doubt she'll die....
Have pub fall out once on a transalp tour. Had to break a pen and wedge the nib in there.
I actually prefer the simplicity of Shimano's spilt pin over the faffiness of the threaded bolt on SRAM and up-market Shimano stuff.
I've had a plastic coated wire twist tie from some food bag in one of my callipers for a couple of years. Emergency bodge done good.
or a ziptie.
I've put a chopped off bent bit of spoke through in the past, worked a treat...
I had one fall out in a crash. Fell off sideways in the dark, in snow, and wondered why my brakes were sounding terrible. I'm pretty sure I bent the end over, my best guess is that the eye in the split pin hooked some vegetation and pulled the pin out when I lifted the bike up.Before I beat myself up any further - is there any way that pins can randomly fail?
I think the tenuous argument that some folk on a forum said pins do actually fall out all by themselves....isn't really going to cut it.
In your shoes, I would go and pick her up.
Failing that, suggest she swaps the pads and pin from back to front.
Strangely, I noticed that my rear split pin was missing, last week.
Still struggling to comprehend that I forgot to put it back when I last replaced the pads - which was ages ago.
Anyway, my practice of carry spare split pins in my saddlebag has finally paid off.
#splitpinfairy
I lost one after changing my knackered pads on Dartmoor in a gale. Fortunately had spare pads but no spare pin, I pulled a nail out of an old fence and off I went. I bled the brakes last weekend, nail was still there, got to be 2 years later (I don't ride that bike much)
I remain unconvinced that a bit of vegetation or some other trail feature can pull a (bent over) pin out.
Surely more likely the pin has broken due to fatigue where it gets bent after fitting.
Or most likely, forgetting to re-fit the pin
^ this.
I have had pins crack at the bend before now (not brake pins but in other applications) but it could also be a case of not bending it out enough, not bending it out at all or forgetting to fit it altogether.