Pro Tips: Grinding the Edge Off Rear Brake Pads

Eliminate the three-handed struggle of fitting your rear wheel with this simple Pro Tip: grinding the edge off your rear brake pads.

Snooping around the EnduroGP, Hard Enduro World Championship, ISDE, and SuperEnduro paddocks and chatting with factory teams gives us invaluable insight into ‘Pro Tips’ – those small but effective tricks that make life easier, improve your working and riding life and in some cases practically help with durability of bike parts.

This particular tip is something we’ve spotted in just about every paddock worldwide and figured it was both worth a share but also routinely something we wanted to do with our own bikes.

At first, you might wonder why factory teams do it, but when we ask, nine times out of 10, the answer is the same: it makes putting the rear wheel in easier and quicker.

Why Grind the Edge Off Brake Pads?

If you’ve ever struggled to refit your rear wheel – lining up the disc between the brake pads while juggling the axle into position – you’ll understand why factory teams do this for speed and ease.

The difficulty varies depending on factors like: Tyre width and profile (especially with gummy tyres and soft mousses), brake caliper size and position, caliper hanger design and chain guide or rear disc protector position.

The solution? Grind the edge off your rear brake pads.

Like the slot where pole-vaulters plant their poles, chamfering the leading edge of the pads allows the disc to glide into place more easily. In our experience, this eliminates the need to pry apart the pads when refitting the wheel, a common headache on most off-road bikes.

How to Do It

• Use an angle grinder to carefully remove a 45-degree angle from the leading or facing edge of the brake pads (the edge which faces you when fitted in the caliper).
• Secure each pad in a vice for stability and a clean, controlled access to teh edge you want to grind.
• Avoid grinding too much — you don’t want to reduce braking performance by removing excess pad material.
• Be mindful of heat build-up — brake pads are designed to handle heat, but excessive grinding can compromise their integrity.
• We used an angle grinder but you could use a metal file and do it by hand.

The result? A smoother, hassle-free wheel installation with zero impact on braking performance. A small tweak that makes a big difference.

Update: Quick addition based on some messages from Enduro21 reders and riders is to point out that taking the edge off the pads reduces their ability to clear mud away from the disc. Honestly, we haven’t found that to be a problem but understand the reasoning and can see the concern, and how it could hinder braking performance plus affect wear rate of the pads.

The solution? To cut less away or only just, “knock the bottom corner to an angle”. Thanks for that wisdom from Cody Richelderfer on our Facebook page.

Photo Credit: Bramley Pearson