How to Change Bicycle Brake Pads | Both Brake Types

The right process depends on which brake type your bike has, but the core job stays the same: remove the wheel, release the pad’s retaining hardware, swap in the new pads with their orientation matching the originals, then re-center and test the brake. The steps below cover both systems, along with the mistakes that send people back to the shop.

Rim Brake Pads: The Quick Swap

Rim brakes squeeze two pads against the wheel’s metal braking surface. Most modern setups use a quick-release lever to open the caliper, so the wheel slides out without force.

Start by opening the brake’s quick-release. Remove the wheel, then look at where the pad meets the caliper arm — you’ll see either a retaining screw or a small grub screw holding the pad in place. Loosen it, slide the old pad out, and slide the new pad in facing the same direction. Tighten the screw, reinstall the wheel, and adjust the pad so it sits parallel to the rim, touching evenly when the brake engages. The pad should contact the rim’s flat surface, not the tire sidewall.

Rim pads must match your brake shoe style — cartridge pads slide into a holder, while one-piece pads bolt straight on. When in doubt, compare the new pad to the one you removed.

Disc Brake Pads: Pistons and Retainers

Disc brakes squeeze pads against a rotor attached to the hub. Two types exist, and both follow the same swap procedure.

Remove the wheel first, as BikeRadar’s workshop guide instructs. With the wheel off, look at the caliper. You’ll typically see a retaining pin, clip, or bolt holding the pads in place. Remove that retainer, then pull the old pads and the spring plate that sits between them.

On hydraulic systems, the caliper pistons have extended outward against the worn pads. New pads are thicker, so you must push those pistons back with a pad spreader, plastic tire lever, or a flat wide screwdriver. Skip this step and the new pads won’t fit — this is the most common mistake in disc pad replacement.

Insert the new pads exactly as the old ones came out, noting any left/right markings or directional arrows on the pad backing. Refit the spring, push the retainer back through, and secure it. Reinstall the wheel, then squeeze the brake lever several times to seat the pistons against the thicker pads before you ride.

Avoiding Contamination and Sizing Pitfalls

The braking surface of a new pad is sensitive.

Pads come in resin and sintered (metal) compounds, and sizes vary by caliper brand. Shimano pads fit Shimano calipers, SRAM pads fit SRAM calipers, and so on. A pad that looks similar but sits loose in the caliper is a safety problem, not a fit.

Bedding In and the First Ride

New pads won’t stop at full power until they bed in. For rim brakes, a few careful stops from moderate speed transfer pad material onto the rim. For disc brakes, ride and apply firm, controlled stops — one tutorial says to use quick, hard pulses rather than dragging the brake. Do this somewhere safe before you need an emergency stop.

After reassembly, spin the wheel and confirm it turns freely with no rubbing. If the rotor drags against the pads, loosen the caliper mounting bolts, squeeze the brake lever, and re-tighten while holding it — that centers the caliper over the rotor. Squeezing the lever a few times first also seats the pads after a hydraulic bleed.

If your pads are worn unevenly, the caliper may need alignment, or the slide pins on a floating caliper are sticking. And if you’re looking at new pads, our tested roundup of the best bicycle brake pads compares resin and sintered options across brands to match your riding style.