Disc brake upgrade - recommendations please

dodgyknees

Existing brakes are Tektro IO (base level kit I know but came with bike).

In general they are fine but finding that I get severe brake pad wear when riding for a prolonged period in wet, muddy/sandy conditions. Brakes virtually lose all grip and pads wear down considerably.

Have found it difficult to source replacement pads and the ones I have been getting (OBE Original Bike Engineering) are pretty cheap, £4.99 a pair, so this might be the problem.

Does anyone know of a better quality pad I can get that's compatible with Tektro IO?
Or a reasonably priced mechanical disc brake upgrade option?

Andy B

Changing your brakes won't really alter your pad life.

My guess is the ones you have been using are Organic, not Sintered (Organic pads wear out very quickly in the wet), change to Sintered pads and you will get longer pad life.

synchronicity

I get much longer life using sintered pads... extended descents can wear out organic pads within just a few rides! I've also found that larger discs increase pad life considerably if using organic pads... much less heat build up.

The down side is that sintered pads wear out your disc rotors faster.

Why don't they make the pads & rotors a bit thicker? :roll:

switchback18

Yeh, sintered pads generally last longer, but I've used the OBE pads on my Hopes and found they last really well - sometimes as long as sintered. Hope seemed to have a bad batch of sintered pads which lasted a few rides & then crumbled...
The important thing with organic pads is to bed them in properly with a load of hard stops downhill. This builds up some heat & bakes them a bit, which gives much longer life. If you don't you could be looking at 1 or 2 rides in the wet/mud before they wear out!
I've also used a couple of pairs of EBC organic pads which seemed pretty good.

I reckon the only reason the rotors aren't thicker is to keep the weight down.

Anonymous

Sintered pads last longer, but are more prone to overheating.

robv1306

In my opinion, you should avoid mechanical disc brakes at ALL COSTS. They fade, not only due to the pads wearing, but the cable stretching and occasionally to the level arm on the caliper getting damaged.

On my XC bike, i run HAYES SOLE hydraulic discs, with a 6" rotor and sintered pads from hayes themselves. They have NEVER gone wrong. Ive only had to bleed them once in a year and a half (and only cos ma sister took out 1 of the bungs to spite me). They NEVER fade, and the pads are easy to fit not to mention long lasting.

You get so much more force and life and durability from hydraulics that you will not regret it. Seriously, try a set!

Hope this helps

Rob

ratty2k

You can still get fade on hydro brakes. But, they are much better than mech ones as a rule.
Dont know if Merlin still have them on offer, but they were selling Hayes Stroker Trails for basically half price. Its OE kit thats come off bikes that have been upgraded (I assume!) as mine did not come in a proper box. But they are new and work well with great power and good modulation. Get a set of front and rear for less than some front brakes and they have good reviews.
Conditions make a huge difference to pad life. I went thro' 3 sets of pads in one ride, bit extreme but it can happen (and yes they were sintered!)

dodgyknees

Thanks for all the tips & advice guys, much appreciated.

Think I'll try some sintered pads and see how they cope before going the more drastic (& expensive) route of a disc brake upgrade.

abbots_mike

cable stretch is not something that causes fade tbh, it just happens over a epriod of time. That's what barrel adjusters are for