Yes, I know they're easy to remove from the caliper; I usually do it when I replace the rear tire. But this time the pads wore out before the tire and i was wondering if it can be done without dealing with the rear axle. It looks like I'll have to back out the axle enough to clear the caliper bracket so it can be removed from the axle. The pads won't drop out of the caliper unless the caliper bracket is freed; that's the hard part. It means the the rear wheel will have to be off the floor or at least the weight of the bike off the tire and wheel and the bike supported. that's what I was hoping to avoid.