Treating a Leather Brake Pad for Indoor Cycles

Need Help Understanding What to Use and Why it is Important to Treat your Leather Brake Pads?

Sportsmith can help you with these tips and tricks about how to quiet and prolong the life of leather brake pads.
Leather brake pads last longer if treated with a leather conditioner or 3-in-1 oil.

The steps covered work for conditioning both new and old leather pads.

Tips for Treating New Brake Pads:

• The steps suggested for this procedure are quite simple. Before installing the new brake pads, put some 3-in-1 oil in a disposable container.
• Place the new pad in the oil.
• Completely saturate the new pad.
• Remove the new pad and wipe off the excess oil.
• Install and you are off and spinning!

Tips for Treating Old Brake Pads (Glazed Over Appearance):

The steps for this procedure are much the same as above except you will need a wire brush to complete this task.

• Remove your brake pad from your bike.
• Using a wire brush, rough up the brake pad surface, which removes the hardened, glazed over surface.
  • This allows the leather to be absorbent again.
• After roughing up the surface, repeat the steps for the new brake pad.

Why is this important?

The steps above will keep your bike running quiet and smooth much longer than bikes without oil.
Without the 3-in-1 oil, your brake pads will burn up much faster.

• The heat from no oil will cause your brake pad to wear prematurely
  • This heat can cause a glazing effect
  • This reduces the range of resistance you get from your spin bike
  • The premature wear also causes the pad to make noise.
    • Squealing is the most common sound

Note: If your brake pads are Felt instead of Leather, check out our article about restoring Felt brake pads.

Have you read this far and decided you would rather just replace the brake pad? Check out our huge brake pad selection!