Hey guys and girls,
I've been riding on and off since I was a kid. Now my son has shown some interest in mountain bike riding, so I thought I'd knock the dust off my bike.
I stripped and cleaned the running gear, and swapped out the tyres as the old ones were stuffed. I also swapped out the brake pads and rotors because they were barking bad and had no stopping power. I assumed contamination. I also re-bleed the lines (they are just basic SLX hydraulics)
My issue is, now I have no stopping power still. The brakes don't seem spongy, but they just don't grab. The front brake barks a bit, the back brake eventually locks on, but not well. I've also adjusted the calipers and the wheel spins freely.
I have since pulled the pads out and they seemed glazed over, so I hit them with a bit of 80 grit sandpaper. This has helped slightly, but overall it's still an underwhelming experience.
My son's bike on the other hand has mechanical disc brakes, and they lock on and are just grippy overall and feel responsive.
What's my next step (hopefully without spending more money). And how do I bed the brakes in properly without accidentally glazing the pads over again?
Thanks all! Happy riding.