Brake Pads

thegodplato

How do you know what is a safe limit for wear on brake pads? I have just cleaned my Bianchi Via Nirone and noticed that the rear pads seem very thin, front ones not too bad. The bike has done around 1100 miles from new since April so is that an appropriate distance for pads to last? Can anyone recommend replacement pads?

Rodders30

I guess wear depends on how you ride, how many descents you make, how hard you break etc...

Cant remember if theres wear groves in pads or not, been so long since I have chagned any! Check for those. If too thin you will get metal on metal, so best change if your worried.

keef66

My Shimano brake blocks have grooves in them, possibly to help shift water / dirt off the rim when braking. When these are close to disappearing I'll consider replacing them.

wishitwasallflat

thegodplato wrote:

Can anyone recommend replacement pads?

Koolstop Salmons

cycleclinic

Swiss stop work well to. I quite liked the Miche performance pads that came with my brakes cheap and effective. I have tried clarks but rim wear is now becoming evident but that is more due to the wheather I think.

I have always liked Aztec road system + pads and will be going back to those next unless I pony up for the Swiss stop pads.

thegodplato

This maybe a daft question but are they all the same physical size? As in I would just need to buy inserts like Koolstop Salmons and they will fit into the holder via the the 2 small allen key grub screws?

rolf_f

I'd be more concerned as to why my rear pads were wearing more rapidly than my fronts

desweller

Rolf F wrote:

I'd be more concerned as to why my rear pads were wearing more rapidly than my fronts

IME rears always wear faster than fronts, due to the greater amount of rubbish that seems to end up on the rear wheel.

keef66

Mine don't; I hardly ever use the back brake.

desweller

keef66 wrote:

Mine don't; I hardly ever use the back brake.

I tend to lead with the rear in the wet and then increase the load at the front. Having locked up the front wheel once a few years ago I'm pretty keen to avoid having it happen again!

rolf_f

DesWeller wrote:

IME rears always wear faster than fronts, due to the greater amount of rubbish that seems to end up on the rear wheel.

Ahhh well, think of all the rubbish that's also going into your drive train and rear hubs. God (or was it Crud?) invented mudguards for a reason....

thegodplato wrote:

This maybe a daft question but are they all the same physical size? As in I would just need to buy inserts like Koolstop Salmons and they will fit into the holder via the the 2 small allen key grub screws?

Yes - they are the same. Just sided but you can't put them in the wrong way.

keef66

Ah yes, I do run mudguards for the wet bit of the year. Which for this year so far has been most of it.

I thought the inserts came in Shimano or Campag flavours? (I have no personal experience; my long drop brakes have the Fisher-Price all-in-one type blocks)

rolf_f

keef66 wrote:

Ah yes, I do run mudguards for the wet bit of the year. Which for this year so far has been most of it.

I thought the inserts came in Shimano or Campag flavours? (I have no personal experience; my long drop brakes have the Fisher-Price all-in-one type blocks)

Yes - they will be Campag or Shimano but common sense says to go Shimano whatever as the Campag style are a very tight force fit (and a pain in the backside) without the little allen nut. I got Barradine cartridges Shimano style for my Gran Fondo running Campag Centaur. Worth making the change as the pads with cartridges are barely more expensive than the pads alone and the cartridge ensures that the pads press evenly onto the rim rather than more in the middle, less at the ends.