Mtn Bike Brake pads

[Iceaxe]

So what is the hot setup for disc brake pads on a mountain bike?

I'm currently using organic pads and I go through a set of brake pads about once a month. I ride 10 to 15 miles every day in mountain terrain. I really have no complaint with the organic pads other than the wear life sucks and the pads cost about $20 a wheel so I spend about $40 a month on brake pads. The organics are silent and stop excellent.

I have SRAM Elixer 5 brakes and I have been using OEM brake pads. I'm considering trying metallic pads.

Anyhoo.... anyone have some constructive thoughts or suggestions?

[neilether]

I use these aftermarket pads:

metallic
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-pr-TruckerCo-Metal-High-Performance-Disc-Brake-Pads-AVID-Elixir-elixer-7-5-3-1-/251179528230?pt=US_Brakes&hash=item3a7b777026

organic
http://www.ebay.com/itm/x4-pr-TruckerCo-S-High-Performance-Disc-Brake-Pads-AVID-Elixir-Elixer-7-5-3-1-/251072953663?pt=US_Brakes&hash=item3a751d3d3f

super cheap and work great!

[Iceaxe]

Do you run organic or metallic?

Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

[neilether]

Do you run organic or metallic?

Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

I use metallic typically (though currently I have organic pads....). I like metallic because they are slightly more grabby, and overall I feel they are more powerful. However, they tend to be noisier and some people don't like the grabbiness factor. Totally a personal preference. If you've never wished for more braking power and don't want any added brake noise, I would just stick with the organic ones. You could just buy one set of the metallic to try as they are pretty cheap through that ebay store.

[rich67]

I have oversized rotors and always use metallic. It depends on the type of rotor you have. You may heavily score your rotor if you use the wrong pads. Metallics will always last longer than organics.
Are your brakes hydraulic or mechanical? If you're eating pads too quickly and have hydraulics, adjust your lever sensitivity and it may add some life to them. They may be grabbing too much too quickly.
I ride mainly flat terrain with roller coaster type drops, so I don't nail the brakes too hard. I ride out west once a year, and the brakes get a workout. But I have been on the same pads now for a year and they still work like new.


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[rich67]

Just saw you have the Elixrs. Good brakes. I have the Avid Juicy. How big are your rotors? I'd say go with the EBC pads and go big rotor if you haven't already. The amount of mileage and terrain you are on definitely warrant that. Would suck to have your pads fry on you while you're bombing a serious downhill.


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[Iceaxe]

I use these aftermarket pads:

metallic
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-pr-TruckerCo-Metal-High-Performance-Disc-Brake-Pads-AVID-Elixir-elixer-7-5-3-1-/251179528230?pt=US_Brakes&hash=item3a7b777026

organic
http://www.ebay.com/itm/x4-pr-TruckerCo-S-High-Performance-Disc-Brake-Pads-AVID-Elixir-Elixer-7-5-3-1-/251072953663?pt=US_Brakes&hash=item3a751d3d3f

super cheap and work great!

Thanks :2thumbs:

I just ordered some. I went with the organic, we'll see how they hold up. The only reason I can see to go with metallic is for longer life.

[REDFOX]

I run metallic pads on 8" rotors. Theses pads usually last about 4 years and that is with several downhill rides on a 50lb bike also ridden cross country.

[Iceaxe]

I'm still burning through organic brake pads about every two weeks. Part of the problem is I ride 10 to 20 miles EVERY day in mountain terrain. That includes at least one and often two downhills a day. And part of the problem is I like my brakes to engage quickly which means when the pads are about half used up I toss them to get my lever feel back where I want it.

But the big killer of my brake pads is I help coach a high school mtn bike racing team. and I notice when I coach the slower riders I'm always on my brakes or dragging a brake to keep pace with the kids.

Anyhoo... I switched out the organics this morning for some metallic so we shall see how that goes. I ordered a bunch of pads from the links above so I'm good to go for a while. At that price replacing the pads is not a really big deal. I'll let you know how the metallics work out.

:popcorn:

[neilether]

I ordered a bunch of pads from the links above so I'm good to go for a while. At that price replacing the pads is not a really big deal. I'll let you know how the metallics work out.

:popcorn:

Did you notice any performance difference between these cheap pads and the real ones? My buddy swears up and down that he can tell a difference (for the worse..), but I and one other friend don't notice it. Just curious.

[Iceaxe]

Nope, I didn't notice any difference, and I'm real touchy to those type of changes. After racing motorcycles professionally for 10 years I can usually tell minor differences instantly to any suspension or braking change. I'm probably the only mountain bike rider in the world that spent a full three days dialing in his suspension. Just curious, where did he notice the difference? Both pads can lock up the wheels instantly so it has to be in one of the finer points... reliability, wear, noise, feel.... Are we talking new out of the box? mid point in a wear cycle? worn out brakes?.... I'd be curious to know what he feels...


I'm curious to see how the metallics do tonight.

[neilether]

Nope, I didn't notice any difference, and I'm real touchy to those type of changes. After racing motorcycles professionally for 10 years I can usually tell minor differences instantly to any suspension or braking change. I'm probably the only mountain bike rider in the world that spent a full three days dialing in his suspension. Just curious, where did he notice the difference? Both pads can lock up the wheels instantly so it has to be in one of the finer points... reliability, wear, noise, feel.... Are we talking new out of the box? mid point in a wear cycle? worn out brakes?.... I'd be curious to know what he feels...


I'm curious to see how the metallics do tonight.

He just complained that they felt very "weak" compared to his old, stock set. He also complained that they were noisy and vibrated a lot more on hard stops. I don't get any of that with mine. He started complaining a couple of rides after switching them. So the pads were new, and he said that both front and rear were no good. He pulled them shortly thereafter and replaced them with some pads from the manufacturer. Happy as a lark now.

I generally tend to prefer metallic pads so I will be very curious as to your thoughts. They are usually a bit louder than the organic ones. That same company on ebay makes and sells some of their own house brand tire sealant. I'm tempted to get a bottle and try it out.

[neilether]

I'm curious to see how the metallics do tonight.

What's the verdict?

[Iceaxe]

So far so good with the metallic pads. They are a lot more noisy, still waiting to see how they hold up.

Tap'n on my Galaxy G3