How bad is soap on the brakes?

[donimo]

Lets just say I remembered way too late that I was scrubbing the outer rim of a BRAKE ROTOR with an SOS pad (the kind with the blue soap in them).

Would getting this stuff on the brake pads be irreversible? or what?

It seems like my front brake isnt grabbing as hard, but its very hard to tell from memory as I havent had the bike long and was never trying to notice just the front brake, at least not for a while now.

I did rinse it after, but not as wee as I could of in hindsight around the caliper...

[salty_monk]

I don't think "wee" on the caliper will help

Soap would burn off with the heat generated anyway.... go ride down a long hill using the brake to get it warm!

Dan

[donimo]

Hey, wee on the soapy brake would have probably worked, haaaa.

I was just worried about this "glazing" I hear so much about...

I dragged the brake a bit on my way to work a few times, it still stops so that is something...

[salty_monk]

You won't glaze them from soap.. usually a result of using too much brake too quickly on a new set of pads.
If you're really worried pull the pads out, clean with brake cleaner & scuff them up with emery cloth / sand paper & refit.

Dan

[donimo]

I may just do that, for peace of mind. tanks mang!

[argonsagas]

A bit of soap left from a pad will make no difference at all to braking ability.
It would rinse away with water easily and any scum left would disappear quickly due to heat and abrasion.

That said, a good cleaning of the brake disks and pads is a good idea on these bikes, and it should be done at least once a year.

Get a can of brake cleaner spray and use it liberally, but before use put down lots of newspaper to soak up the junk that will come off.

[earlfor]

Use all the soap you want, the brake pads couldnt care less and it isnt going to make one little bit of difference. fuggetaboutit!

Earl

[TooManyToys]

Worked in the friction material industry for 30 years....

Long term its not going to effect it unless it was very alkaline or acidic, which SOS is not.

There may be a slight loss of effectiveness until the soap is washed or burned out of there, but if the bike has not been ridden for awhile the brake will not be as effective anyway. Full braking effectiveness is achieved when the rubbing surface of the opposing material (rotor or drum) has developed a fresh friction material transfer layer, the brown or gray stain on the rotor or drum. Vehicles that sit for a while tend to oxidize both the transfer layer and the friction material's rubbing surface. A few good stops generally restores those surfaces.

Glazing occurs when the un-carbonized organics in the friction material heat up quickly, vaporize, and deposit themselves on the rubbing surface. That organic deposition turns a semi metallic or ceramic pad into an organic pad at the rubbing surface by altering the friction material component percentages. With high organics, the rubbing surfaces can easy develop fade. That glaze will wear away with a several cooler stops. Just depends on how much organic material got deposited and how porous the friction material is.

[donimo]

Well I think that pretty much answers my question.

Sometimes your posts go unanswered for a bit, and sometime they get answered with the equivalent of a nuke on a mosquito.

I'll just ride the crap out of it for a bit, I love that it is a viable solution to several vehicle problems.

Thanks for the info, plus I now finally know what glazing is after first hearing it some 20 years ago, haaaa