Help! Brake pad thickness

[antonashcroft]

so as you might have seen im not the most bike smart of people! recently my curvy sv (19000 miles) has developed a squeak from the back brake. to my untrained eye it looks like there is plenty of meat on the pad but would really appreciate some advice from other people! 15792

15793

15794

[rictus01]

could be just a bad angle but it appears you don't have an outside pad? the SV brakes work fine normally but you can suffer disproportional pad wear if they haven't been regularly service as the slides tend to stick somewhat, at a minimum I'd strip /clean and lube the calliper before fitting new pads.

[antonashcroft]

forgive my ignorance, but whats an outside pad?

[antonashcroft]

as in the outside break pad (ie. not nearer the exhaust can so to speak)?

[maviczap]

On the inside of the caliper, yes

[antonashcroft]

i think my photography skills are poor :P both of the pads have the same amount of meat left on them (the same as in the first photo), does that look to be enough?

[maviczap]

Like Rictus says give the caliper a good service, new seals and clean out the seal grooves.

A good clue is if you ride it without using the rear brake, then stop an touch the disc to see if its warm, will show the pistons are sticking on and the pads are rubbing on the disc.

my caliper did the same

[antonashcroft]

awesome thanks for the help guys! do you think i need new brake pads aswell or do they still have a bit of life in them yet?

[maviczap]

No, shouldn't need too, but as they don't cost much, stick a new set in

[antonashcroft]

thats tomorrows job lined up! thank you for the help again