brake pads

[aravind123]

Hi, can anyone recommend me a good quality brake pads brand for my road bike. Happy to spend a decent amount on them. thanks in advance.

 

[aravind123]

Extra info: From England and probably will buy online to be delivered

 

[vickster]

What bike? What brakes?

Brand wise koolstop are well regarded

 

[Dogtrousers]

The pads that came with my Tektro brakes were black and looked a lot like the ones pictured. They were horrible and ate my rims over the course of gritty rainy winter. OK maybe any other pads would have done the same, I don't know.

As @vickster says, the most recommended brand on here are Koolstop. Specifically Koolstop Salmon rings a bell..

I've never used those, I use Swisstop BXP (blue ones), also from a recommendation on here, and they're OK.

 

[wafter]

Assuming the pads are to replace those pictured, are we to assume you're looking at replacement for improved performance rather than because they're worn out...?

If so you might want to consider replacing the calipers as a more viable long-term proposition. The Tekro brakes on my Boardman were pretty shocking tbh (can never fathom why, in our litigious society bike manufacturers nearly always cut costs on braking) so I replaced them with a pair of dual-pivot Shimano R5800 calipers on clearance; which are so much better in terms of both modulation and outright stopping power

 

[slowmotion]

Koolstops have a bit of a following but, given their price, I wasn't that impressed. I now use Clarks pads on my bikes. They've never let me down.

 

[roley poley]

I use clarks you can change the shoes and leave its holders in place. I find the red type a softer compound better for braking and rim wear but the blocks wear out quicker, blocks are cheaper than rims to change . If the contact surfaces are kept clean of dirt (which acts as a grinding paste) and impacted debris in the shoe you will be in a better place

 

[Blue Hills]

Yes, for all the talk of some supposedly miraculous compounds i can"t help but think the best thing is to just clean rims and pads frequently and dig any debris out of the pads. On tour, if in a campsite, i inspect/clean rims and pads at the begínning of each day.no great problem.

 

[matticus]

Koolstop salmons for me (or the mixed colour ones - I can't honestly tell the difference!)

I haven't tried any of the other premium brands, but these have transformed more than one bike that was fitted with Shimano blocks et al.

(What I really love is how little metal debris they tend to pick up; has to be a win-win for rim wear.)

EDIT: sure, they're twice the price, but there aren't many more key components on a bike, and it's still a VERY cheap upgrade compared to just about anything else.

 

[aravind123]

Assuming the pads are to replace those pictured, are we to assume you're looking at replacement for improved performance rather than because they're worn out...?

If so you might want to consider replacing the calipers as a more viable long-term proposition. The Tekro brakes on my Boardman were pretty shocking tbh (can never fathom why, in our litigious society bike manufacturers nearly always cut costs on braking) so I replaced them with a pair of dual-pivot Shimano R5800 calipers on clearance; which are so much better in terms of both modulation and outright stopping power

yes improved performance. I shall research into getting better calipers

 

[wafter]

yes improved performance. I shall research into getting better calipers

Cool - it appears that dual pivot stuff is where it starts to get good; so if you're looking at Shimano 105 and above. Also ensure that you pay attention to cable pull ratios as you really need to match the calipers to the shifters in this regard. I think Shimano brand all their stuff with the dual pivots and new pull ratios as "SLR-EV"

IIRC everything from Tiagra 4700 and 105 5800 onward has the new pull ratios; not sure about the higher and lower end groupsets though.

Good luck

 

[carlosfandangus]

I agree re the calipers, swapped Tektro to 105 and it was a very big difference IMO, there was a lot of flex in the arms of the cheaper calipers

 

[aravind123]

thanks for all the input everyone

 

[Dogtrousers]

I've been meaning to treat myself to some 105 calipers for a while, purely for bling reasons to match the rest of my components.

That said I currently have Miche (not Tektro as I said above) and have no problem with them at all. Hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised if/when I upbling my bike and find out what I was missing.