Did this while sorting out a mate’s brakes and they stopped working soon after. LBS explained it dries out the resin and the pad deteriorates soon after!

And yes, he’s still talking to me 😳

Drink the alcohol
Smoke the resin

I think you’ve nailed it DTF

Genius DTF 😆

Soak in petrol? I did that once when brake oil got the pad. Seemed to work ok

Dries out the resin? 😆 More than likely the alcohol you used left a residue

Brake pads get to hundreds of degrees C

In about eight years of working in a bike shop I heard all manner of old wives tales about contaminated brake pads and how to clean them.

I heard people claiming they could clean contaminated brake pads by rubbing raw potatoes on their pads, using petrol, soaking in alcohol, baking their pads in the oven, doing a magic dance…and never once did I see a single person who had truly recovered a set of **** brake pads.

At the end of the day, a set of superstar pads is about a fiver. once a set of pads are contaminated, they tend to be fit for the bin. Save yourself the bother…

…and use sintered pads.

Joe – I have recovered contaminated pads on a couple of occasions It doesn’t always work but it can be done. Burning the oil off seems to work best

Its a bodge tho and I wouldn’t expect a bike shop to do it.

Burning the oil off seems to work best

Its a bodge tho and I wouldn’t expect a bike shop to do it.

+1

what with? a blowtorch? an oven? a toaster?

if only you could get a miniature toaster, with the slots just the right size for brake pads…..

Held it in pliers and held it over the gas hob.

However this can destroy the binding between the pad and the backplate so it falls apart later

15 mins either side under a moderate grill.

then spread on toast with a soft poached egg. cracking.

Held it in pliers and held it over the gas hob.

+1 again.

As per TJ – you can’t “dry the resin out” – it’s not wet and it’s not got any solvent content to mention?! What’s more alcohol will evap right off fine, depends on the contaminents on the pad and in the alchol.

and never once did I see a single person who had truly recovered a set of **** brake pads.

You just have, I’ve recovered several sets quite happily, back to original performance. A combination of a nice hot bake in the oven (150-200c for 30 mins or more) and then a careful surface skim with some fine sandpaper and there’s no trace of brake fluid or lube.

I’d not be doing it with a blow torch as they can produce temps higher than the melting point of the contents. Generally oven temps are high enough to oxidise the contaminents and turn them into powdery substances that can grind off and don’t have the same lube properties as when fresh on.

Dont be daft, as Joe says they are so cheap from Superstar just bin them and fit some new ones. I bin mine when the bite goes off, Im fat and like riding downhill, so good brakes are a must.

empty small tuna tin, drop of methylated spirits, give the pads a rub and light em up!

no problemos.

Indeed – good brakes are a must which is why I will not use cheap pads.

Dont be daft, as Joe says they are so cheap from Superstar just bin them and fit some new ones. I bin mine when the bite goes off, Im fat and like riding downhill, so good brakes are a must.

Bite shouldn’t go off unless you’re contaminating them somehow? Brakes only get better with use as the pad conforms to the rotor shape and beds more.

I’d rather take my pads, contaminate them, rub them in alcohol, raw potatoes and bake them in the oven than use a set of superstar pads* 😉

*I did try a few sets and the braking surfaces all fell off, maybe yours didn’t and maybe they fixed it but brakes I like to have faith in

Oh and back on topic I degreased then blowtorched the ones out of one of my bikes and they came back just fine. Never try and lube your chain in a gale!