brake pad compounds

jon1993

ok i wanted to buy some spare pads for my new bike as going on a mountain biking holiday but just searched for the pads and theres a fue different compound my question is which is best for xc style riding? which will give the most braking force ? and which will last longest? ones ive found upto now are....
kevlar
compound T - metallic sintered
compound s - semi metallic
are there any others that are better or that i have missed
the brakes are avid elixir R with 160 rotors - thanks

nicklouse

organic for dry conditions and sintered for wet conditions.

but it depends on whose pads you are looking at.

Tim.s

In general Organic pads give better stopping power and better initial bite, sintered will last longer with less power and take longer to warm up. Kevlar pads claim to provide the best of both worlds but are generally very expensive.

As our learned friend above stated, quality of pad also factors in, a top quality sintered pad could provide better power than a crap organic pad.

jon1993

depends on which pads im looking at... so whos are best?
which pads would you recomend and where do you get them from because my local bike shops sell one type - used them in my older bike and lasted one ride lol

nicklouse

EBC

pads can last one ride.

I have had them go after one run.

use organics in a wet and muddy trail and they will not last very long at all.

jon1993

it was a dry warm day on compacted mud and i mean i ride hard but i dint think that much just being an xc rider lol never done that before but still what pad make are best and hopefully for all round use would be best lol

ddraver

Nicklouse prefers EBC

I prefer Superstar Sintered

Anonymous

Sintered generate more heat, which can lead to problems on very long descents where you have to keep your speed in check.

jon1993

not really a problem i live in hull,yorkshire lol hills arnt really that much of a problem XD on a regular basis the worst is dalby forest red/black really so best for them would be the best idea for my types of riding and something that will do both dry and wet

jon1993

also whats this about beading in pads? what does that involve?

kinmofo

jon1993 wrote:

also whats this about beading in pads? what does that involve?

i'd assume its something like you do with the car, dont mash up the brakes on first use, lots of very gentle braking for 10 miles ish? just to get everything used to eachother. if u just his the brakes hard on new pads/discs u can rip the pads to bits or warp ur discs?

nicklouse

jon1993 wrote:

also whats this about bedding in pads? what does that involve?

read the instructions that come with the pads. it makes them work correctly.

the_moodster

ddraver
+1 for superstar sintered