Disc Brakes and Pads

[Stefan Mikes]

I am still on the original brake pads on my Trek Verve + 3 at over 6000 km.

Not much braking, eh?

 

[Latitude]

Not much braking, eh?

Well I guess not Stefan! Flat country here!

 

[Igor M]

Just arrived... three week delivery

 

[Dallant]

Still have plenty of brake pad on my original set at 1200 miles. My Allant+7 brakes have never made any squeaking and I ride lots of hills though (since its mostly on trails vs traffic) I generally don’t use my brakes unless I really need them.

 

[Aushiker]

Bumping ...

I like to have spare disc pads on hand, so I am looking at options for my Reise and Muller Supercharger 2, which has Magura MT4/MT5. Anyway, with my fat bike, I tend to run resin pads, which work well in that context.

Looking at the options for the Supercharger, I see that there are now e-bike-specific pads, e.g., these SwissStop Disc 30 E. I am curious as to whether anyone has experience with the e-bike-specific pads. Are they considered a better option or just marketing? If not e-bike specific, is the preference for resin, semi-metallic or sintered?

 

[Nubnub]

Looking at the options for the Supercharger, I see that there are now e-bike-specific pads, e.g., these SwissStop Disc 30 E. I am curious as to whether anyone has experience with the e-bike-specific pads. Are they considered a better option or just marketing? If not e-bike specific, is the preference for resin, semi-metallic or sintered?

I don't have experience with Swissstops yet but am considering for replacements when needed. Looks like the ebike specific pads are "hardened" for longevity/fade at the expense of stopping power/noise. Depends on your own preferences which you choose to prioritize.

Disc Brake Pads | SwissStop

Disc brake pad product finder - SwissStop bicycle brake pads.

www.swissstop.com

 

[Stefan Mikes]

If not e-bike specific, is the preference for resin, semi-metallic or sintered?

I would use exactly the same brake pads as delivered with your e-bike for the replacement. There is no reason to try to "improve" on them. In general:

• Organic brake pads are the least expensive, have a good stopping power, and are very quiet. If your e-bike has come with organic brake pads, there is no need to change them for another type
• Semi-metallic brake pads are designed for aggresive use, are often used on 4-piston brake callipers, and are weather/mud resistant. These can be really noisy: they can squeak as a pig on hard braking. Semi-metallic brake pads cause more wear to the brake rotors.
• Sintered or ceramic brake pads are designed for extreme use. These are quieter than the semi-metallic ones, more expensive, even more durable. These put more wear on the rotors than the organic pads.

Just to illustrate my use: My Vado SL came with 160 mm 2-piston hydraulic disk Tektro brakes equipped with organic pads. During my use, I could often do dramatic emergency stops without any issue, and the brake pads have been deadly silent.

My heavier Vado 6.0 (which is designed for 45 km/h assistance) has 180 mm rotors and originally came with TRP Zurich 4-piston e-bike brakes. (Now, I had to replace the rear brake with a Tektro Slate, also 4-piston, e-MTB rated). I have used the manufacturer's recommended semi-metallic brake pads here. I could do very long descents with modulated braking on high mountain roads. Yet these pads can terribly squeak on braking!

I have never had an urge to go ceramic.

Interestingly, I had experience with 203 mm brake rotors on two different e-MTBs, and by chance those e-bikes always had organic brake pads. The stopping power on either was so high you could easily be thrown off the bike by them! (Actually, I had an Over-The-Bars on one of those e-bikes due to excessive stopping power!) Which only illustrates the organic pads are very good (and it is the brakes that do matter).

 

[Aushiker]

I would use exactly the same brake pads as delivered with your e-bike for the replacement. There is no reason to try to "improve" on them. In general:

Magura recommend (via their interactive tool) Magura 9.s (rear) and 7.s (front). The 's' stands for sport. They are described as:

'the all-rounder with good properties in all areas of use. Very good durability, low brake noise and good braking power. Organic compound.'

A small bonus is that they are reasonably priced.

Anyway I will give the OEM pads a try for a little while before making my mind up.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Anyway I will give the OEM pads a try for a little while before making my mind up.

New bike owners often make a mistake thinking the stock equipment is substandard. Very often it is a good stuff indeed.

 

[Aushiker]

New bike owners often make a mistake thinking the stock equipment is substandard. Very often it is a good stuff indeed.

I am not a 'new owner', but from my experience over many years, I have often found better alternatives, e.g., Kool Stops for rim brakes and, in the case of my fat bike, switching to SwissStop disc pads.

The only new part for me is that this is a much heavier ebike, whereas all but one of my previous and current bikes are analogue; plus, I had not come across the provision of eBike brake pads, hence was interested in whether they were considered a better option.

The exception was a Giant Defy, which I converted to an eBike (350w Bafang motor) some years ago. That has rim brakes (Kool Stop pads), and has been 'stolen' by my son, and is still in use.

Anyway thanks for your feedback, and as I said, I will give the Magura pads a go.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

You have bought a Riese & Müller Supercharger, which is a high-end e-bike.
There's simply no reason for the German brand to cut corners there.

 

[Aushiker]

A quick update. I had to replace the front pads on my Salsa Mukluk today after 1,700 kilometres. I probably left them a bit late, to be honest. Anyway, I had a set of SwissStop Disc 15E pads on hand for some reason, so I fitted them. I did do a comparison to a set of SwissStop Disc 15 pads I also had in the spares box. The eBike set is about 0.5mm thicker.

It will be interesting to see how well they wear and how they feel braking (once they are bedded in).