The brakes on an electric bike are one of the most important safety factors, and taking care of them is very necessary.
Your question about how long do brakes last on an electric bike? is a very important question, so in this article, we will answer this important question and also I will share with you a guide for how to changes the ebike brakes pads along with how to know when your ebike pads & rotors need a change.
How Long Do Ebike Brakes Last?
As a general rule, electric bike brakes can last from two to five years, depending on the method of use and quality of manufacture. The rim brake can last about 3000 miles while the disc brake can last up to 6000 miles.
After we know the life span of electric bike brakes in general, but what if there are some parts in the brakes that need to be changed, such as the pads or the rotor?
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Fortunately, these parts inside the brakes do not need a lot of scrutinies to know whether you should change them or not because it is all about numbers, all you have to do to determine whether some parts need to be changed or not is to measure them!
How to know that you should change the rotor of your ebike brakes?
1-Follow Manufacturing guides
As a general rule, every manufacturer puts the minimum thickness of the rotor after reaching this limit, you must change the rotor, so measuring the size of the rotor thickness is very important because if it is worn out, it will affect directly on the pads, and eventually you will need to change both of them.
However, sometimes you need to change them before reaching the minimum thickness
Sometimes you shouldn’t wait until you reach the minimum thickness to change the rotor so I will share some tricks you can use to know when you really need to change the rotor.
2- Compare the sickness of both rotor sides.
If you compare the thickness between both sides of your ebike rotors and found that the difference is more than 2 tenths of mm this means that you need to change your ebike rotor.
3-Check the braking surface with a paper clip.
If you do not have the tools required to measure the thickness of the rotor, you can pass a paper clip on the braking surface and if you find that it feels rough or has a step in the end this means that you need to change it.
4- Hear noise while riding.
If you hear a noise while riding the bike, that increases while the use of the brakes. This may be the result of a bent rotor.
To know if the rotor is bent or not, put it on a perfectly flat surface and see if the rotor is completely placed on the surface or there are gaps.
Some people on the internet advised that if you have a bent rotor try to rebend it however I tried this method & it didn’t work so my recommendation is to change it.
When you should change your ebike brake pads?
The brake pads in the electric bike are a very important part, not only because they are important for your safety and the safety of others around you, but also because they can affect the piston in the event that it has worn out.
As a general rule, you should change the ebike pads when it reached 1mm thickness.
As we talked in the previous part about the most important signs that will tell you that you must change ebike brakes rotor, here we will explain the most important signs that you must change the brake pedals.
1- Squealing noise when using ebike brakes.
One of the most common signs that will tell you that it is time to change the brake pads is a loudly squealing sound while using the brakes, and here I should clarify to you that if you hear this sound, you should change the pads, even if they are still new because sometimes the problem is in the quality of the pads themselves
2-Use a caliper to measure the thickness.
One of the best ways that you can use to determine the efficiency of your brake pads is to measure it using a caliper.
If you find the thickness is 2mm or more then your ebike brake pads are ok but if the readings were less than 1 mm then you should replace them.
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3- Use business cards to measure ebike brakes pads thickness.
if you don’t have a caliper you can use business cards to measure the thickness of your ebike pads because the sickness of three business cards equal to 1mm
so if find your brake pads are not equal to three business cards then you need to replace them.
4-Extra effort using the lever
In some cases, you can know that your ebike brake pads need to be changed in the event that you make more effort while pressing the lever in order to reduce the speed of the bike.
In my opinion, this sign is one of the most important signs because you will discover it only when riding, which may put you at risk, so always do Make Sure to check the thickness of the pads before going on a long ride.
5-Drak or oily ebike brakes pads.
The brake pads are worn out from oils and grease, so if you find the brake pedals are very dark in color and have oils on them, you should think about changing them so you are not to be exposed to any danger while riding.
How to change Ebike brakes pads?
In the below lines, I will share with you step by step guide to change your ebike brakes pads at home.
1- Place your ebike on a maintenance stand for better control.
2-Bend down pads retention pins
3- Remove the two adaptor bolts
4-remove the retention pin
5-Push the pads out
6-Pull the pads out
ِAfter removing the old pads let’s prepare the new brake pads.
7- wash your hand well, and make sure that you have no oil on your hand to avoid any oil touch the new pads.
8-Now, install the pads spacer
9-Slide the pads into the caliper.
10-reinstall the two adapter polts.
11-reinstall the pads retention pin
12-bend the end of the retention pin
Conclusion
As a general rule, you can change your ebike brakes with a period from 2 years up to 5 years however this depends on how to use them correctly.
it’s also recommended to check the rotor & the pads of your ebike brakes every one or two months.
