I thought this would be easy. I have a Radrunner 2 ebike. Easy question: What brake pads do I need? Semi metallic, organic? What brand? Are Tektro 10.11 all the same? I saw Tektro 10.11 organic but the add said it was for hydraulic brakes but I have cable brakes. Will these work? Lots of questions but maybe only one answer. Thanks for the help!!!!
What brake pads do I buy???
- Thread starter just4fn
- Start date
Gionnirocket
Well-Known Unidentified Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Y. O.
All you need to match is the size /shape of the pad.. No difference hydraulic or cable
As for material.. I like ceramic as they have excellent stopping with minimal rotor wear and no noise.
Metallic and semi metallic have greater stopping power but add noise and rotor wear. If you don't need extreme stopping power I would avoid them.
Organic are fairly quiet but wear more quickly than the others. Usually the cheapest option.
As for material.. I like ceramic as they have excellent stopping with minimal rotor wear and no noise.
Metallic and semi metallic have greater stopping power but add noise and rotor wear. If you don't need extreme stopping power I would avoid them.
Organic are fairly quiet but wear more quickly than the others. Usually the cheapest option.
Slaphappygamer
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Aptos
My bike uses the same type of pads. I use these.
I dunno, they were cheap. They stop the bike just fine and aren’t noisy.
I don’t ride a lot. Just 8 miles a day to commute.
I dunno, they were cheap. They stop the bike just fine and aren’t noisy.
I don’t ride a lot. Just 8 miles a day to commute.
spokewrench
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
It seemed like the rear pads in my Radrunner wore out very fast. Actually, it was 15 months of daily riding. Because I was in the habit of applying both levers together, maybe they had been worn out for weeks without I noticed. I learned from that to apply each brake independently at least once on every ride, to see if it needs service. It's also the best way to bed pads.
Radpower's instructions made adjustment seem so complicated that I hadn't messed with anything but the barrel adjusters for the cable housing. Because of that, I wasn't aware that the rear caliper had been bolted down askew at the factory. That was one reason the pads didn't last long. The other cause happens to all bikes with mechanical brakes. Turning the handlebars flexes the housing for the rear cable. The housing is a sort of spring. Gradually it grows longer so that the amount of cable sticking out is shorter, pulling the lever on the caliper and causing the back brake to drag a little. The pads wear until you notice you can pull the lever all the way to the handlebar. You tighten the cable and the stretching and wearing continue.
I ordered Corki brand pads. The Amazon description said they'd fit Tektro brakes. I measured one of the pads I was replacing to be sure the measurements were the same. I ordered resin pads, like OE. The other kinds are to perform when very hot if you hold the brakes on a long, steep descent. If ceramic pads didn't have drawbacks, all would be ceramics. If you don't like ceramics, switching should be cheap and easy.
You loosen the cable adjustments so that that lever on the caliper will open all the way to the stop. Then you use an H5 hex key to unscrew the caliper and adapter from the bike. IIRC, between the caliper and the adapter there are special "washers" held on by tiny o-rings. If they fall of, you need to find them and figure out the right way to install them. It may be that the brakes will work fine without them.
Now you straighten the cotter pin to pull the pads and spring out. The adjustor is a sort of fat screw head on the inboard side of the caliper. It has an H5 socket. To make room for new pads, you should probably back it off a turn, maybe more. I've bought two brands of replacement pads in this size, and both came with ridiculously big, stiff cotter pins. Eventually, I replaced them with R clips. If I want to remove pads for inspection, it's easy to pop an R clip out and pop it back in.
You slide the caliper around the disk and screw it snug, then back off 1/4 turn or so, so that the adapter can slide back and forth. Then you tighten the adjustment screw with its H5 socket until the wheel won't turn. I like to reach from the other side, through the spokes with an H5 bit on a 6" ratchet drive extension. Then I back off, about 2 clicks, until the wheel turns freely. Now I pull the handlebar lever for that brake. If it pulls all the way to the bar, I need to tighten the cable adjustments. Then I clamp the pads to the disk by lashing the lever to the bar with a clove hitch. This keeps the caliper aligned with the disk while I tighten the caliper screws. The brake is now adjusted and aligned.
With a mechanical rear brake, after every few weeks of riding I lash the rear brake lever to the bar overnight. That corrects the tendency of the cable housing to stretch so I can avoid drag and a spongy brake.
Radpower's instructions made adjustment seem so complicated that I hadn't messed with anything but the barrel adjusters for the cable housing. Because of that, I wasn't aware that the rear caliper had been bolted down askew at the factory. That was one reason the pads didn't last long. The other cause happens to all bikes with mechanical brakes. Turning the handlebars flexes the housing for the rear cable. The housing is a sort of spring. Gradually it grows longer so that the amount of cable sticking out is shorter, pulling the lever on the caliper and causing the back brake to drag a little. The pads wear until you notice you can pull the lever all the way to the handlebar. You tighten the cable and the stretching and wearing continue.
I ordered Corki brand pads. The Amazon description said they'd fit Tektro brakes. I measured one of the pads I was replacing to be sure the measurements were the same. I ordered resin pads, like OE. The other kinds are to perform when very hot if you hold the brakes on a long, steep descent. If ceramic pads didn't have drawbacks, all would be ceramics. If you don't like ceramics, switching should be cheap and easy.
You loosen the cable adjustments so that that lever on the caliper will open all the way to the stop. Then you use an H5 hex key to unscrew the caliper and adapter from the bike. IIRC, between the caliper and the adapter there are special "washers" held on by tiny o-rings. If they fall of, you need to find them and figure out the right way to install them. It may be that the brakes will work fine without them.
Now you straighten the cotter pin to pull the pads and spring out. The adjustor is a sort of fat screw head on the inboard side of the caliper. It has an H5 socket. To make room for new pads, you should probably back it off a turn, maybe more. I've bought two brands of replacement pads in this size, and both came with ridiculously big, stiff cotter pins. Eventually, I replaced them with R clips. If I want to remove pads for inspection, it's easy to pop an R clip out and pop it back in.
You slide the caliper around the disk and screw it snug, then back off 1/4 turn or so, so that the adapter can slide back and forth. Then you tighten the adjustment screw with its H5 socket until the wheel won't turn. I like to reach from the other side, through the spokes with an H5 bit on a 6" ratchet drive extension. Then I back off, about 2 clicks, until the wheel turns freely. Now I pull the handlebar lever for that brake. If it pulls all the way to the bar, I need to tighten the cable adjustments. Then I clamp the pads to the disk by lashing the lever to the bar with a clove hitch. This keeps the caliper aligned with the disk while I tighten the caliper screws. The brake is now adjusted and aligned.
With a mechanical rear brake, after every few weeks of riding I lash the rear brake lever to the bar overnight. That corrects the tendency of the cable housing to stretch so I can avoid drag and a spongy brake.
Last edited:
PedalUma
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Petaluma, CA
Tighten the inside on mechanical all the way every week, then back off a click. Then tighten the outside all the way and back off two revolutions of the barrel adjuster. A littlie intitaiall rub is great. It won't last 20 applications and will stay tight for a reasonable time.
Chazmo
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Central Massachusetts
Glad you brought this up, @just4fn It’s time for me to change the disc brake pads on my Fättie. Good information here from @spokewrench and others. This will be my first time changing pads. Mine are hydraulic, but it sounds like there’s little difference in the mechanism.
PedalUma
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Petaluma, CA
Use them. They can be lightly sanded first. Make sure there are no oils. Then bed them by getting up to speed and pumping the brakes hard but not to a full stop.
Gionnirocket
Well-Known Unidentified Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Y. O.
To clean up a pad I like to give them a gentle wet sand using a flat block and some 320 to 600 grit. Then spray/wipe down with isopropyl.
But I think the more accepted bedding process is to come up to speed and then apply modest even pressure.. but not coming to a stop using one break and then repeat with the other
Then repeat the entire process 2 or 3 times.
No hard and no pumping.
That said it's not absolutely necessary as long as you don't hard brake and use the same moderate even braking on your first ride.
But I think the more accepted bedding process is to come up to speed and then apply modest even pressure.. but not coming to a stop using one break and then repeat with the other
Then repeat the entire process 2 or 3 times.
No hard and no pumping.
That said it's not absolutely necessary as long as you don't hard brake and use the same moderate even braking on your first ride.
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