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How fast do you go through your brake pads?

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How fast do you go through your brake pads?

Old 11-07-05, 10:17 PM
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How fast do you go through your brake pads?

It seems like in the winter alone I'll go through 2 new sets of pads. That seems like a lot to me. What about the rest of you?
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Old 11-07-05, 11:33 PM
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I change the front ones about every four months, the rears about once a year.
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Old 11-07-05, 11:51 PM
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How do you know when a brake pad is worn?
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Old 11-08-05, 12:16 AM
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Originally Posted by Lord Chambers
How do you know when a brake pad is worn?
Sparks
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Old 11-08-05, 12:30 AM
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Okay! I'll put them on. I know they have been sitting there in the package for two weeks now. It's just that I've been bus... I'm putting them on now. Okay? I'm putting them on now. See? So stop hounding me.
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Old 11-08-05, 12:34 AM
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i dunno, but 2000 miles is too long. i swapped out my front pads this weekend cause they were looking a bit worn, and the difference between the new ones and the old rears made me realize the back ones need replacing too.

when i showed him the old one to help get the closest match, the guy at the LBS said "wow, you got your money's worth outta that one!"
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Old 11-08-05, 12:58 AM
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I'm still working on them, don't worry. Got the front ones in already. I just want to ask before I forget. Why are brake pads made out of condensed soot? That's all I wanted to know right now.
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Old 11-08-05, 01:23 AM
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I got 14 months on my first set, finally worn through to the metal skeleton. The replacements I bought suck, and I'm ready to throw them out right now - they glaze too fast or something. hrmph
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Old 11-08-05, 01:56 AM
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Okay done. Yes I know, long over do.

So how often do I change 'em? Once... now.
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Old 11-08-05, 02:32 AM
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Avid disc brakes on my commuter wore down to metal backing in 5,000 miles. That is with a very steep downhill, plus all the rush hour stopping.

Old commuter with V-brakes and ceramic rims + the harder pads made for that type of rim seemed to last longer. Probably 7,000 miles.
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Old 11-08-05, 06:04 AM
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Wow! Many of you go thru brake pads much faster than me. I'm only on my second pair and my bike is 18 years old! I probably ride my commuter/MTB about 2000 miles/year but I will admit that I commute only once or twice a week in winter. The original pads were Deore but I replaced them long ago with Madison Aztecs. Much better braking and they are lasting much longer. But they are due for replacement. Anyone know where (or if) I can get the Madison Aztecs? I need a pair of threaded and a pair of unthreaded.

Last edited by Gonzo Bob; 11-08-05 at 06:09 AM.
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Old 11-08-05, 07:19 AM
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I was wondering the same thing I picked up my bike from its checkup last night. I've got about 350 miles on it so far and the guy at the LBS told me I'm about halfway through my rear brake pads. That would work out to new pads about every three months, which seems in line with what other people here are seeing.

I'm hoping that as my riding gets smoother I'll go through them slower. I also want to get more comfortable using the front brake more.
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Old 11-08-05, 08:16 AM
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My brake pad usage varies wildly based on weather conditions. If I only ride in dry weather my pads will easily last a year. But when the weather is wet the road grime can eat through my pads in less than a month. I have a lot of stop and go riding but I use my brakes less often than most beacuse I ride a fixed gear.
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Old 11-08-05, 08:36 AM
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Originally Posted by unkchunk
Why are brake pads made out of condensed soot? That's all I wanted to know right now.
"carbon black" (soot or whatever) is a friction modifier. So is graphite. That's part of the reason most automotive brake pads are dark colored.
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Old 11-08-05, 08:45 AM
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Originally Posted by CBBaron
My brake pad usage varies wildly based on weather conditions. If I only ride in dry weather my pads will easily last a year. But when the weather is wet the road grime can eat through my pads in less than a month. I have a lot of stop and go riding but I use my brakes less often than most beacuse I ride a fixed gear.
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Yeah I think the winter grime is the culprit for me as well.

Does anyone know just how "critical" the minimum 39mm distance between the top of V-brake brake arms is?

I run V-brakes with drop bars using Dia-Compes V-brake specific drop levers and if I stick to the 39mm distance between the brakes arms I'll be able to squeeze the levers all the way to the drops when I'm only about 2/3rds the way trough my pads. Is it safe to have less than 39mm between the tops of the brake arms?
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Old 11-08-05, 08:47 AM
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Man, I think I've put in something like 5,000 miles this year and I'm on the same set of pads that came on the brake (fixed gear, so just one, but I don't mind using it) two years ago. I switch brakes more often than pads, it seems.

I am finally thinking about replacing them though.
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Old 11-08-05, 08:54 AM
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I commuted about five months with one pad change and was ready for another. We use brakes a lot in Midtown, NYC.
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Old 11-08-05, 09:10 AM
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I get about 5,000 miles a set.
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Old 11-08-05, 10:07 AM
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On my avid disc brakes, the front lasts about 4 months and the rear about 6 (projected) based on my new more tranquil more peaceful braking methods.

Previously, I'd be flying into every intersection at 20-30mph and then jamming on the brakes at the last minute while clicking through 4-5 gears down.

Now I coast more and gently apply the brakes long before I get to the intersection.

Mind you we live in NYC so we use brakes a lot more. Out in the open road, you may be lucky to use the brakes just one time as you get to work.
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Old 11-08-05, 11:38 AM
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Rim brakes last about a month, disk brakes last about six months. One rainy day I went through 1/4 of a rim brake pad in a half hour of riding. My commute is a lot of stop and go.

Those are front brakes. Rear brakes last essentially forever because I only use them when the fronts fail.
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Old 11-08-05, 11:42 AM
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I know the winter weather is super hard on brake pads. When I was a courier in Seattle the combination of grit attracting rain, steep hills, and constant stop and go were murder on not only the pads, but rim walls too. Probably not a concern for most commuters who upgrade before stuff wears out. But for you uber commuters make sure to watch your rim walls when the start wearing through. I've seen some nasty rim wall blowouts, luckily most were inside as the tires were being pumped up, but I had one on the road. Very freaky.

And for some of you who are going through brake pads quickly on a new bike I had the same problem with the stock techno pads on a few new sets of brakes. Most companies use pretty poor pads on their stock brakes and an upgrade to the appropriate Kool Stops should increase your performance and mileage.

Happy Braking and safe commuting.

-Marcus
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Old 11-08-05, 12:14 PM
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We've had a couple of weeks of miserable weather here. I'm sure I used about 3mm of brake pad in that time. It's all the gritty crap that does it. The same pads had been in there all spring and summer and hardly had any wear at all. The were Koolstops.
It's making me seriously think of getting discs for the front just to get my braking surfaces away from the water and grime.
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Old 11-08-05, 06:57 PM
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wow...I rode around with no brakes for about two months because I thought it was silly to replace them after only a week. I've actually replaced a couple sets after about three miles. Taking big downhills at high speeds with a looming red light is bad for them.

But from what it sounds like I might not have needed too. They had looked just like the rim when I took them off, either from catching on fire or simply "brake dust", I don't know. But can they be cleaned or do you have to replace them when they're hard and metallic looking if you want to stop?
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Old 11-08-05, 09:14 PM
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Brake pads? What are those...oh yeah, those extra things you don't need when you ride a fixie!
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Old 11-08-05, 09:37 PM
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Originally Posted by DCCommuter
Rim brakes last about a month, disk brakes last about six months. One rainy day I went through 1/4 of a rim brake pad in a half hour of riding. My commute is a lot of stop and go.
This is hard to believe....1/4 pad in half hour of commuting in the rain, exactly how may stops do you make and what are you stopping besides you and the bike? So if this all correct, in an hour you would of gone though a complete set of pads...not to mention the extreme wear this would have on the rims.

Please tell what brand of pads you use so I am sure not to buy them...
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