What are the chances of double brake failure?

[horizon]

There was a tragic case just a few years back of a boy whose brakes failed as he approached downhill a junction with a major road. AFAIR, the cables hadn't been sufficiently tightened but it was only the harder braking that revealed, too late, the problem. I'm sure there are other cases of double brake failure. Indeed it wouldn't surprise me if there are plenty of bikes on the road with only one working brake. And when that goes ...

[Tigerbiten]

I've suffered a double brake failure a few time now.
But both front brakes on my bent trike are worked off one lever.
So if I lose one then the other tends to stop working as well.
Luckily the back drag/parking brake will also work to slow me down to a stop when that happens.
I've never yet suffered from triple brake failure.

As to that picture of the front brakes pad and spring.
I've had that happen to me while on tour on the continent.
I just cut the arms off the spring and replaced it.
It was the only way I could keep going without finding a bike shop.
It only got silly after I did that to the second front brake.
I even got a few thousand more miles out of the pads before I finally replaced them after I got home.

YMMV .........

[Brucey]

BB7/Juicy pads use a spring that is different from the one pictured upthread



I wouldn't be at all surprised if that had something to do with the breakage.

cheers

[A1anP]

A similar thing happened to my rear BB7 last winter...



The spring got a bit mangled, most likely after the braking surface sheared off. I was shocked how rusty the pads were after a year of use and maybe 1500 miles. I had a quick check for wear occasionally, and didn't think they were anywhere near needing replaced. Checking for rust would be much more tricky, and I'm guessing more than 95% of users never disassemble their brakes regularly to check the state of the pads. I try not to get any cleaning fluid near the brakes, but maybe I should hose them down after every ride when there's salt on the road?

[reohn2]

BB7/Juicy pads use a spring that is different from the one pictured upthread

I wouldn't be at all surprised if that had something to do with the breakage.

cheers

Well spotted Brucey,I hadn't noticed the difference until you mentioned it

[reohn2]

A similar thing happened to my rear BB7 last winter...


The spring got a bit mangled, most likely after the braking surface sheared off. I was shocked how rusty the pads were after a year of use and maybe 1500 miles. I had a quick check for wear occasionally, and didn't think they were anywhere near needing replaced. Checking for rust would be much more tricky, and I'm guessing more than 95% of users never disassemble their brakes regularly to check the state of the pads. I try not to get any cleaning fluid near the brakes, but maybe I should hose them down after every ride when there's salt on the road?

Road salt is a killer of anything steel and would explain the debonding of the pad material to the backing shoe,I use spray disc brake cleaner on mine,though I avoid bad winter conditions when there ice about and roadsalt has been spread.

[Bmblbzzz]

On the way to work recently I had a front brake failure - there was a ping then a scraping noise. Here’s the resulting damage:D3B4ED5F-1910-4126-B5C6-B9E10307FB60.jpegI carried on with no front brake.

On the way home later I had a rear brake failure - one of the pads seems to have come off the backing plate:
39C8672C-BD75-40DB-9B79-18504981C6A5.jpeg
I very cautiously carried on with a partly functioning rear brake.

I should imagine quite high looking at those pads. They are badly worn, knackered and the backing plates are very rusty. The retaining spring probably failed as the last of the linings separated from the rusty backing plate and probably took part of the retaining spring with it as it was probably weakened through corrosion as well. What condition are the discs in and how worn are they? Do you not keep your bike in a good state of repair? I mean brakes are pretty important. Neglect them at your peril.

Are brake pads telepathic? I'm struggling to work out how else the lining detaching from the rear pad could cause the front spring to break. Mystifying!

[Bmblbzzz]

BB7/Juicy pads use a spring that is different from the one pictured upthread



I wouldn't be at all surprised if that had something to do with the breakage.

cheers

The broken spring looks similar to those used in Spyres/Deores, and the rear pads also look like that. If the OP has used the wrong pads in the front brake, that might explain both the chunks missing at the bottom of those pads and the broken spring. To then have the rear pad delaminate is enormously bad luck but might be explained by its lack of use. I think we need to know what sort of calipers the OP has, front and rear.

[Tigerbiten]

My Tektro Auriga hydraulic brakes also have a spring with the hole in it like the first picture but the pads are different.

[reohn2]

[....The broken spring looks similar to those used in Spyres/Deores, and the rear pads also look like that.......

Yep the spring is definitely a Shimano type one.

[Brucey]

A similar thing happened to my rear BB7 last winter...

The spring got a bit mangled, most likely after the braking surface sheared off. I was shocked how rusty the pads were after a year of use and maybe 1500 miles. I had a quick check for wear occasionally, and didn't think they were anywhere near needing replaced. Checking for rust would be much more tricky, and I'm guessing more than 95% of users never disassemble their brakes regularly to check the state of the pads. I try not to get any cleaning fluid near the brakes, but maybe I should hose them down after every ride when there's salt on the road?

The pad which still has a lining attached to it looks as if it is pretty much worn out to me (by Avid's standards). As well as corrosion, any freeze-thaw action is liable to help cause the pad to delaminate. I think rinsing the bike when there is salt on the roads is a good idea, except for the freeze-thaw thing.

For all-weather/commuting use sintered pads are quite popular; has anyone seen those delaminate?

cheers

[Bmblbzzz]

I'd agree the surviving rear pad looks quite worn but not the fronts.

[Brucey]

I'd agree the surviving rear pad looks quite worn but not the fronts.

If the friction material is clearly thicker than the backing then the pad isn't worn out. If it is clearly thinner, it is very close to or beyond being worn to the maximum recommended. By that standard there isn't a picture of a used pad amywhere in this thread that isn't worn out, at least to the point where if you have fresh pads available, you would bother putting the old ones back in again.

cheers

[Phileas]

As the OP, I can say with certainty the spring is the one supplied with the pads (Clarks).

I wonder if the spring was misaligned initially as I know I found installation of those pads fiddly.

I will measure the pads later.

[Brucey]

clarks BB7/Juicy pads as per Wiggle's website

cheers