Not a Review
Alternatives for Shimano Brake Pads
Maintenance Procrastinators
It is somewhat lost on me that not all your lives evolve around bikes. I mean you have a real job? You need to make sure the city is running? Engineer? I thought engineers only designed full suspension, 6 bar , mountain bikes! I'm sure you are great at your chosen profession and it consumes a lot of your time. But can you please just be a professional bike mechanic too? Your bike really needs the attention. Cam's recent article about procrastinating bike mechanics in the time of ADHD, hit home hard.
I spend part of my week at a local, high traffic bike shop and get to see all walks of life trying to keep their bikes running well enough to have some illusion of "safe, shreddy fun." There are many more bikes on the trails these days and we need a lot more repair parts to keep them running. Add the fear of running out of inventory and you have serious "Bike parts are the new toilet paper" situation.
I didn't run the demographic metrics to determine who spends the least money or time on their bike per season, but it's is pretty obvious that some people just run their shit right into the ground. I am not OK with this approach and my opinion may come out like a verbal slap in the face to the "friendly brah" who just wants to keep running their paper-thin rotors. But I'm sorry you waited too long and there is no "getting your money's worth" out of those knife-edged Icetech rotors.
As I watched the peg containing Shimano branded 4 Piston Brake pads dwindle, I started thinking; what if? What If we ran out of Shimano brake pads in all of Vancouver? What would I do? Order online? Is that even legal? I started looking at alternative solutions from both well known and lesser known brands for their take on Shimano brake pads. Shimano is mainly on my radar as I run XT and XTR Brakes on my personal and current review bikes. Save for one bike that has Sram G2 brakes that needs new brakes not just new pads.. but thats for another article.
I reached around and ended up with four alternative solutions to the problem. Testing all aspects of a brake pad will take a little time. So I hope to revisit this article or follow up with another one in a couple of months to draw a conclusion. Right now, this can serve you as a tool to expand your search.
Jagwire Pro Extreme Sintered
KoolStop High Performance Compound
MTX Red Label Race Ceramic
Shimano D02S Metallic
Pad Material and Thickness
Pad Spec Chart
| Overall Thickness | Pad Thickness | Weight | |
| Shimano | 3.94mm | 2.18mm | 28g |
| MTX | 3.89mm | 2.17mm | 23g |
| KoolStop | 3.79mm | 2.13mm | 27g |
| Jagwire | 3.94mm | 1.98mm | 27g |
Measured the overall thickness of the pads.
Measured the backing plate to calculate the pad thickness
I weighed each pad because, its science. This is the OEM Shimano D02S
Bedding-In Procedure
I want to give these pads a fighting chance agains one and other, test them in similar conditions and trails but that just won't be possible. I will eventually wear out 4 sets of front pads but this will take months and months (I should probably ride more). The first step was to standardize the bed-in procedure and test which pads reach a useable stopping power in that set time.
The practice of bedding in the pads is often overlooked and left until you have to drop into a hairy fall line with non functioning brakes. The issue is that the rotor surface is not perfectly flat, much like a vinyl record. The micro grooves that form the surface of the rotor only make contact with the pad on the peaks. Once enough material is transferred from the pads to the rotor, the area of contact increases drastically and so does your stopping power.
I wish I had a microscope for a photo, but this internet illustration will do for now.
Not all flat surfaces are smooth
I like to initiate a bedding process with a little bit of water on the fresh pads and rub them together on a clean flat surface. This preps the pad material and rubs the potentially contaminated top layer off the compound.
After a quick rinse I repeat the procedure, but this time without rinsing afterwards, allowing a layer of loose brake dust sit on the new pads that will easily transfer to the rotor and fill in the grooves. At this point I use some rubbing alcohol on a paper towel and wipe the old dust off the rotors. If there was contamination from the previous pads, I will remove the rotor and wash it with warm water and dish detergent.
The pads are then pat dried on a clean piece of cloth and installed in the callipers. I usually don't push the individual pistons in as the risk of damaging a ceramic Shimano piston is far too high and 8 individual piston takes a fair bit of time to reset. Instead I install the pads and push the pistons out with a Unior Tools 2 for 1, pad spreader, rotor straightener tool.
A little bit of water and friction to start the bed in process.
KoolStop Pads in place
Pushing the pistons out with the Unior 2 for 1 tool
The minimum running thickness of rotors is printed on; 1.5mm for Shimano Icetech
Once the pads are installed and proper calliper alignment with the rotors achieved, I headed out to my neighbourhood roads to bed the pads in. I did the exact same process with all 4 pads. The weather was dry and temperature around 15deg C. I let the bike cruise down a quiet road and pull the front brake hard ( the side of the bike I am testing these pads on) to heat the system up. I cruised around 25-30km/h, dragging the brakes for the length of a basketball court. I release the brake just before a coming to a complete stop to avoid creating a ridge on the rotor. Then I repeat the process five times.
Note the increased braking power.
The whole swap pads and bed in thing took way longer than I wanted and unless I am on one of those E-Bikes with ABS braking systems, I won't be able to test the absolute power of each pad. No way I am going OTB for you! MTX pads seemed to reach a usable power after 4 pulls. While the rest of the pack needed that 5th. They all seemed to produce sufficient power after the bed in period, enough that I took one set to a steep trail immediately after with lots of confidence.
Is it worth it?
These pads all cost anywhere from $30-$46 CAD Thats a bit of a gap to consider. MTX promises increased stopping power and modulation while reducing the noise brakes make that we all love when dropping into secret loamers. The pads are ceramic and kevlar based. A bit of a departure from Metallic and Sintered options from other brands. As I grind through these pads, I will report my conclusions and findings but for now, it's refreshing to see options in the brake pad market. It is the highest wearing item on our bikes, especially here in very moist Sea to Sky country.
Comments
meepmoop24
2 years, 7 months ago
> Instead I install the pads and push the pistons out with a Unior Tools 2 for 1, pad spreader, rotor straightener tool.
One tip is to push the pistons in while the old pads are still in place, that way you don't risk contaminating or damaging the new pads.
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Deniz Merdano
2 years, 7 months ago
That's great practice that usually employ, but didn't get a photo of me doing so.
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DarioD
2 years, 7 months ago
A few stints of experimentation led me to TruckerCo - and I've been fully converted on their pads for any Shimano/SRAM offering.
https://www.truckerco.com/disc-brake-pads-retail
They're remarkably cheap compared to other aftermarket offerings, and the stopping power is impressive. Another option!
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Dan
2 years, 7 months ago
Good to know. I just started using their tire sealant. Seems to work just fine, and it's considerably less costly than the big names.
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Mammal
2 years, 7 months ago
Man. Shimano 4-piston sintered is out of stock everywhere!
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ManInSteel
2 years, 7 months ago
Try Basic Bike Co.
I just ordered 2 pairs of Shimano 4-piston Race Pads from them. Quick communication and service; and the price is great!!
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Mammal
2 years, 7 months ago
Got a link for them? A quick google isn't showing much.
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YDiv
2 years, 7 months ago
https://thebasicbikeco.com/
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Chris
2 years, 7 months ago
OMG...I tried the organic Truckerco and almost died. 15 seconds of steeps and they immediately faded to nothing. Upon looking down I saw them smoldering/smoking. Tried contacting Truckerco and they refused to respond. Do not buy that crap!!
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DarioD
2 years, 7 months ago
I've run many sets of their pads in 4 different model brakes, no issue on any of them. Sounds to me like you probably contaminated your rotors, or didn't bed them in at all - quality is definitely there with their product.
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Garrett Thibault
2 years, 7 months ago
Thank you Deniz, I'm interested in your findings.
I've mostly had Codes on all of my bikes for the last 10 years which have had the same pad for that decade.
I wish I had jotted down notes like this over the years. The metallic Sram pads have been the winner for me, but it would nice to know what the next-best option is/was. There's definitely been some pads that resulted in a loss of performance.
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Cr4w
2 years, 7 months ago
If someone could produce some Code RSC pads that didn't do that weird gurgling at lower speeds oh boy that would be amazing. Still, that gurgling is better than screeching and those brakes sure do work well.
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Deniz Merdano
2 years, 7 months ago
I am most curious about the MTX pads for that reason.
Lots of happy SRAM users with those.
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MuscogeeMasher
2 years, 7 months ago
I've tried most of the aftermarket stuff. For me, MTX best by far. Have gone back to plain old centerline rotors and MTX pads. Totally silent and really good performance with Codes.
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Pete Roggeman
2 years, 7 months ago
You mean I'm not the only one that doesn't like it when my two-wheeled turkey gobbles at me to 'let go of the brakes'?
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Cooper Quinn
2 years, 7 months ago
Its a feature, not a bug.
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YDiv
2 years, 7 months ago
Saves you money on buying a bell, plus it does a better job.
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Hollytron
2 years, 7 months ago
Someone told me to put a dab of ti grease (copper stuff) on the backs of my pads. I dont like any grease next to the brakes so I just embrace the gobble.
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Deniz Merdano
2 years, 7 months ago
At a glance, I read that Cooper stuff.
Never heard of anyone putting Cooper behind their pads. It would just bicker at you constantly as you braid down the trail..
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Trevor Hansen
2 years, 7 months ago
Well that's in the top ten replies this year - why the crickets Coop?
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Cooper Quinn
2 years, 7 months ago
Trail braiders will be shot on sight.
thaaad
2 years, 7 months ago
Jesus christ I have avoided sram brakes for like 15 years pretty much exclusively because of this noise.
Building my current bike the only brakes I could get my hands on were code RSCs and while the brakes feel good I absolutely hate them for the sound. As dumb as it sounds it honestly really detracts from the enjoyment of my rides way more that it should.
I need to try some new pads ASAP...
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Fabricio Fracchia
2 years, 7 months ago
I has been in SRAM brakes since Juicy 7, always used the metallic pads and worked perfect for me (I'm in the heavy side 92-97kgs depends of the season). I used EBC brake pads (not the top ones because duration/price ratio), they worked fine. In my last bike I did a shot to Galfer 203mm rotors and the green pads, they worked above my expectations, better that any in my life. I'm waiting the next change of pads in the front to place the red set and keep the green back to check performance. When need a new full change of pads I already has a MTX red set for the rear and a MTX golden for the front (as suggested by MTX guys), if these works as described I think Galfer will have a great contender in pads material market.
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Hollytron
2 years, 7 months ago
Those sram pads seem to last forever.
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YDiv
2 years, 7 months ago
Agree with a lot of what was mentioned at the start. It's frustrating how many people run their bikes into the ground and then sell it, saying it's in "excellent condition". Like hell no, your shock is aerated because you never serviced it, your chain is way past 0.75%, and all your bearings are probably shot. It's unfortunate because a lot of newbies won't recognize the red flags, and people take advantage of that. Probably the most shocking thing I've heard was a guy tell me he didn't even have grease at his house.
Unfortunately, mountain biking is an expensive sport, and a lot of people try to cut costs when it comes to maintenance. There are plenty of ways to cut costs safely, but skipping out on maintenance is definitely not the way, considering you're trusting that the bike won't have an ill-timed mechanical failure.
TLDR: Skip the oil slick Ergon grips. Do maintenance.
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Deniz Merdano
2 years, 7 months ago
Oil slick, an environmental disaster that somehow made it's way onto our bikes way faster than we could see it.
Bike ownership is all about slowing down decay. At current shop rates and time availability, unless you worked on your own bike, there is no way you can keep it running as well as it did the first day off the shop floor.
And noone budgets for $500-$1000 a year maintenance cost for these complicated machines.
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YDiv
2 years, 7 months ago
Something that's all too common is skipping out on suspension since it makes up a significant proportion of the maintenance costs. Which is a shame really, because even something as simple as doing the fork lowers can make your bike feel amazing. Not to mention increasing the longevity of parts, thus saving money in the long run.
And if you have the confidence to tackle suspension servicing, you can really cut down on the cost. It's only made easier with all the detailed manuals online, and brands like DVO who make their products user-friendly.
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Dan
2 years, 7 months ago
In the spirit of this comment, I had a thought late one recent night that bike reviews - and sales depts of bikes shops AFAIK - don't ever enumerate annual maintenance costs. (Car dealerships, neither I suppose). I had my Remedy 29 in for service a few years back - it needed the 36, the REAKTIV shock, and the Reverb serviced - and though I should have done some rough math in my head before asking for the total, I confess I definitely flinched when the cashier told me the bottom line was $700 and change (USD) for parts and labor. Even now that sounds like a lot - but as always, it's worth it. I ride more than the average bear, and wear all my sh*t out.
I think there's an opportunity for print and online journalists to make this information more readily available. I am imagining a matrix of ride once a month/once a week/several times a week crossed with likely annual brake pad, tire, drivetrain, suspension, etc costs.
Not only can a rider budget for the work, s/he would likely also have a mental model for how much better the bike will perform when these schedules are followed.
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YDiv
2 years, 7 months ago
For sure. I think there's some websites that give vague breakdowns of annual maintenance costs, but it varies so much from rider to rider that it wasn't super accurate. For example, TPC has a general breakdown, but costs can get complicated when you have to consider the effects of personal preference, differing costs of chains (ex: XX1 vs GX), rider environment, etc. One thing it does highlight though, is that if you don't wrench and you're not dropping a couple Benjamins for bike shop repairs, something is definitely wrong.
The Reverb is an interesting one that I couldn't really figure out for a while. The service kits are like $100, which just doesn't make sense from a user standpoint. But if you have the patience, the O rings can be ordered for much cheaper, and only a few of those go bad the quickest. Have seen a couple interesting threads about using IGUS bushings instead of the stock PTFE ones that like to delaminate, but haven't had the chance to play around with that yet.
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Mammal
2 years, 7 months ago
It's especially crazy right now in the used market. I've been watching the Squamish buy'n'sell, and it's honestly down-right shameful what people are putting on the market. I shit you not, I saw an early 2000's FSR with the Specialized DC fork and rear shock, no year mentioned, listed as "suspension just serviced", for over $2K. I asked which shop did the suspension, as I knew very well nobody would touch that, and they said "I did"... Absolute shame.
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YDiv
2 years, 7 months ago
Sheesh! I've seen people playing games, listing 2018 Yeti's when literally everything is a 2017 part, and the only 2018 part is the shock. Or the classic, listing as 2020 (when it's actually a 2019 model) because that's when they bought.
Sometimes I'm on the fence for suspension stuff. I do my own suspension, and to a certain extent, it's not exactly rocket science. Of course, with a shop you get more experienced hands because it's their bread and butter. But yeah, people can be pretty scummy sometimes.
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Mammal
2 years, 7 months ago
With regards to the suspension, those proprietary Specialized forks didn't even work well when new, and there's no way it's had any parts replaced in the last 15 years. I bought a bike with DVO front and back, so I could do my own rebuilds, damper bleeds etc. But on a 19 year old Specialized fork and shock combo, the chances of those working even half-OK, is basically zero.
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JT
2 years, 7 months ago
Did you reach out and ask any of the manufacturers what their friction coefficients (μ/Mu) were? The info is there, but wondering if that's something a manufacturer would share. It would provide more science to the testing.
My experience with Shimano pads can be summed up thusly: sintered for everything. I've found their semi mets to become extremely noisy when it's cold and/or wet out, regardless of brake. I even replaced the stock pads in my TRP Spyre brakes with Shimano sintered and the power increased noticeably. They do get noisy when cold until they heat up, but that's worth it compared to the honking from the semis.
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Deniz Merdano
2 years, 7 months ago
It's the trick with Shimano pads. Warm them up and they work great... Until they are too hot and feel like you are squeezing wood.
I will inquire about the friction coefficients about the pad and rotor pair but wouldn't hold my breath for an answer
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JT
2 years, 7 months ago
Here in the northern part of the midwest of Canada's underbelly we unfortunately don't have a lot of vert to contend with, so getting the brakes to the too hot to handle now temps are far and few between. It'll be great to see what the co's say.
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Mammal
2 years, 7 months ago
Honestly, I just get them a bit wet with a water bottle before dropping into a steeper section that I can still control my speed until bedded. Usually takes 3 pulls and it's good.
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hotlapz
2 years, 7 months ago
Loam Goat and Basic Bike Co are Vancouver companies selling pads for around $25/pair.
I bed my brakes by riding down Neds.
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Cr4w
2 years, 7 months ago
https://loamgoat.com/
https://thebasicbikeco.com/collections/brake-pads
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khai
2 years, 7 months ago
I was hoping to see these included in the test/comparison...
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YDiv
2 years, 7 months ago
Loam Goat is an interesting one. Their pads are essentially rebadged Chinese pads, but it seems like they actually work quite well..?
Not a knock on them, since they do offer seemingly reasonable performance and price, but it makes me interested to see how some of these Aliexpress pads would fare under serious testing.
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RaisinCrunch
2 years, 7 months ago
Basic Bike Co Race Pads are pretty close the MTX Red pads at half the cost.
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Deniz Merdano
2 years, 7 months ago
Neds is so hot right now!!!
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Garrett Thibault
2 years, 7 months ago
Loam Goat pads ordered for my codes. Thanks! Free shipping and $35 for two sets of pads make them worth trying
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Dan Lees
2 years, 7 months ago
I don't understand people who will drop $8000 on a new bike and all the flashy new kit and then not look after it.
Even if you want to leave the more complicated stuff to the shop, the day to day running bike maintenance of cleaning, lubrication, pad changes, etc doesn't take much effort/knowledge/tools/stuff.
On that note in the UK lots of people including myself use these 2 companies for disc brake pads, rotors etc:
https://www.discobrakes.com/
https://www.uberbikecomponents.com/
I have had no issues with anything I have bought from them even in the UK Slop and Grime (TM).
They both appear to ship to Canada etc. 4 sets of sintered pads for 4 pot Saint is CAD$68 shipped which strikes me as quite reasonable and will probably take 2 weeks to arrive so a bit of forethought needed.
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Deniz Merdano
2 years, 7 months ago
So many companies we don't even know about.
I loved the Asian production section of Interbike (RIP) .
You would see the wildest stuff from so many factories.
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Jerry Willows
2 years, 7 months ago
gotta look cool at the Dumpsters bro... #fashioniseverything
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Ryan Walters
2 years, 7 months ago
Very curious to hear how the MTX pads perform - I've heard good things. I've done every trick in the book to get my Codes to stop howling when cold, but to no avail.
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Deniz Merdano
2 years, 7 months ago
It's getting warmer out. We can ride in silence again....
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Bill T
2 years, 7 months ago
I just put on a set of Galfer 'Pro' pads on my Zee brakes and they felt awesome right out of the box
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khai
2 years, 7 months ago
Galfer is the OEM manufacturer for a few different brands - Magura being one of them. I remember reading not too long ago that Magura recommends 30 stops from 30kph to bed in new pads. I've certainly never gone to quite that length, do I do try to get a few good hard stops in and drag my brakes for a little while before dropping in on any trail where I'll *really* need them...
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BenZ
2 years, 7 months ago
My last pair of brake pads were galfer pro compounds. They took way longer than Shimano's to bed in (especially on the rear) but once bedded in had noticeably better power than the Shimano ice tech semi-metallics they replaced. I was riding a decent amount in wet conditions though, and they wore out faster than any pad I've used before (put them on in November, lasted for about a month and a half of winter riding). Even riding in winter and wet conditions I generally get at least double the ride time from Shimano's so I switched back for this round. I'm curious to see if any of these other options last with decent power!
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Greg Bly
2 years, 7 months ago
A friend of mine is super cheap. Cheaper than me. He cuts up automotive pads into little squares that he glues to the old backing plate with Jb weld glue.
He is also far more talented than me , very good at trials moves. No issues with his ghetto hack brake pads.
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Deniz Merdano
2 years, 7 months ago
I need to meet this guy.. or he needs to send us some photos of the process!!!!
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Greg Bly
2 years, 7 months ago
Unfortunately my good friend Eric the Crow moved up north. If you ever saw an old guy with grey hair on a hard tail with a cigarette but hanging from his mouth doing trials moves on greasy logs in the forest. That's him .
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khai
2 years, 7 months ago
I hope he isn't cheap with his mask - asbestos is NASTY stuff!
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Greg Bly
2 years, 7 months ago
Does this nasty stuff get in my lungs when you drive your car and I commute by bike? Yes it does. Thanks.
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Derek Baker
2 years, 7 months ago
As rad as it is terrifying lol!
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Mammal
2 years, 7 months ago
Man... How would you get the thicknesses even close?
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MTXbraking
2 years, 7 months ago
Thank you Deniz & Cam for including us in here - 'honored. Always enjoy how thorough your articles are. I don't want to speak out of place, but if anyone has any questions, we're always available. We are pumped to be getting more and more into the PNW / NS scene with our products.
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Perry Schebel
2 years, 7 months ago
my "top brake" amazon specials (emergency order) have been great. feels like a bit more bite than the shimano oems, and longevity appears to be on par. $36 / pr (4 pots) delivered; decent value.
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JVP
2 years, 7 months ago
I bought some “Shimano XT metallic pads” on Amazon a few years ago on short notice for a week in Whistler.
They made horrible grinding sounds, it was obnoxious. Then my rotors were ruined.
Once I actually turned my brain on I realized they were counterfeit, and confirmed as much with Shimano.
Expensive and annoying mistake. Check your seller CAREFULLY, or just avoid buying bike parts on Amazon. It’s a rampant problem and the counterfeiting is only going to get worse with the parts shortage.
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Timer
2 years, 7 months ago
It's not just bike parts, it feels like half the stuff on Amazon is counterfeit.
If you really want to test your luck, try ordering "Gillette" or "Chanel" products there.
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Mammal
2 years, 7 months ago
Lifeline brand sintered from CRC work great for my Shimano/TRP 4 pots. They're currently sold out, but I happened to stock up with 3 sets in December. Might be enough for the season, but all 3 bikes now use them, so it'll be tight.
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Luminous Fractal
2 years, 7 months ago
💡 the pistons kind of auto adjust and the pads will keep a sort of standard pad shape so pressures should be equal. ....you could use one of each brand at once and test 2-4 brands at a time 2x2 or 1x4. less months and months.
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LWK
2 years, 7 months ago
I have Saints on all my bikes (DJ included, lol...) and I've found Shimano pads and rotors to leave a bit to be desired. Either the pad or rotor (or both, I dont know) will glaze over and braking power reduced to terrible. This is random but its happened often enough that I've run out of patience with it. Not sure about availability right now but I run swiss stop rotors and pads and that combo works really well. the pads do take a bit to bed in but they last a long time and work well.
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Skeen
2 years, 7 months ago
I picked up a new honzo with deore 4 pot brakes in November. The front pads never bedded in but the rears did. I called the shop about the issue and they claimed they send all new bikes out the door with fully bedded brakes (so it was my error according to them even though I received the bike with neither set bedded and the rears worked in just fine). I stubbornly rode the bike with a crappy feeling front brake u til I finally replaced the front pads with galfers today. I cleaned the rotor with isopropyl before and did a quick/ partial bed in on the street and they are already feeling better than those pre-contaminated pads that came with the bike. I wonder what happened with those, but the rear shimano pads bite well as do the new front galfers.
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