Brake pads wearing too fast

Shedite27

Bought a new bike a month ago. Brought it back to the LBS today for a one-month checkup and he said the brake pads look very thin (almost at the minimum after a month!). I've used it for about 200k (1 longish ride and daily commuting). My daily commute is very stop-start, so I would be breaking fairly regularly.

Is this likely to be down to me, or is there anything they could have setup wrong? My last bike had dodgy brakes, so I'd say I was using it a bit too much. Is it just me a case of getting used to breaking hard for the last few seconds rather than holding the brakes lightly for a few seconds to slowly reach a stop?

Shedite27

BTW, I'm collecting the bike tomorrow morning, so I'll obviously be taking his advice, just want to see if there's something I should be asking him

Lumen

Keep the rims clean if you want to preserve your pads.

200k is nuts though. That's less than couple of weeks of cycling.

dahat

What pads are they?
I switch all mine to Swiss stop as soon as the standard ones are worn.

AndrewJRenko

Disk brakes or rim brakes?

Shedite27

They're rim breaks, the ones that came as standard on the Cannondale Synapse.

I'll try keeping them cleaner, and hopefully figure out if I'm breaking too fast/slow

RobFowl

Can only imagine they must have been rubbing. No way they would wear that fast under normal circumstances

secman

Explains why your Avg is 7.7 kmph

strmin

My brake pads last for 3000+ km in stop-go commute and they are low quality for €7 per pair. After 200km you should barely see signs of wear.

Wishbone Ash

strmin wrote: »

My brake pads last for 3000+ km in stop-go commute and they are low quality for €7 per pair....

That may not be a good thing. If you're pads aren't wearing, your rims are. I'd prefer to replace pads than rims.

Type 17

It's probable/possible that the factory-fitted brake pads are lesser-quality than those generally available as spare parts, so don't be too concerned, but keep an eye on the life-span of the replacements.
It's common that a bike's factory-fitted tyres, brake pads and other consumables are cheaper to meet a particular price-point.

I've also noticed that Cat-Eye's literature mentions that the batteries supplied with their lights may not provide the duration given in the specifications (ie: cheaper batteries supplied from the factory, but measurements taken with premium batteries).

Canon laser printer literature also states that the supplied toner cartridge does not contain as much toner as their replacement versions, so it's not just a bicycle industry thing.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

That may not be a good thing. If you're pads aren't wearing, your rims are. I'd prefer to replace pads than rims.

Not necessarily, it depends on how long your rides are and how often you brake, for example if all your spins are 100km+ rural routes then chances are your doing very little braking.

The brakes on my winter bike have at least 4000kms on them and have loads of life left, I would brake very little on my spins and when I do its gentle braking approaching junctions etc etc

Wishbone Ash

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

That may not be a good thing. If you're pads aren't wearing, your rims are. I'd prefer to replace pads than rims.

Not necessarily, it depends on how long your rides are and how often you brake, for example if all your spins are 100km+ rural routes then chances are your doing very little braking.

The brakes on my winter bike have at least 4000kms on them and have loads of life left, I would brake very little on my spins and when I do its gentle braking approaching junctions etc etc

The poster referred to stop go commutes hence my reply.

TheBlaaMan

FFS ...will some mod at least change the spelling in the thread title.

Think of the children reading this.....

Shedite27

C3PO

I've found the last few weeks very hard on the pads on my SS commuters! Wet gritty roads play havoc in my experience!

Shedite27

Right, I've had enough of my brake pads - need to invest in new ones. I've heard that cartridge are the way to go. Anything I should be looking for when buying them? I've never had cartridge brakes before. They're for a road bike with rim brakes.

lissard

The holders are cheap - maybe €10. I think they are a universal size (open to correction here) . I think they can take any brake cartridge. I have some BBB ones and I put Swiss Stop Green pads in as my brake rubber. I have to say Swiss Stop are quality - seem to last forever and have brilliant braking performance.

Hungrycol

I go through brake pads regularly but then again I am heavier than your average bear and it takes a lot to stop my momentium! BBB ones are cheap and wear quickly but perform well in the wet.

Shedite27

Cheers, so I had a look, am I right in thinking the Swissstop Shoe and Pad costs €27 while the pad on their own cost €24?

Even the cheap version Shimano 7900 shoe and pad costs €17 while tha pad on its own costs €12?

Not a huge amount of difference to bother with replacement pads is there?

Eamonnator

Swimcyclerun have the Swissstop brakes, may be a bit cheaper and they offer free postage.
http://www.swimcyclerun.com/brake-pads/swissstop-flash-pro-bxp-brake-pad-2-pairs.html

Actually, looking at that again, even though the pads and holders are pictured, I think it may only be the pads, that
are offered.

robyntmorton

I swapped out the stock pads on my Vitus with these ones from Clarks. There is a massive difference to them!

They were cheap, improved performance on the stock brakes, and the kit which I got included shoes front & back, spares front & back, and spare gear cables for €13 something (no longer available on CRC, but may be found elsewhere)

lissard

Brake shoes: €6.49 per set

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/clarks-55mm-brakes-shoes-inc-extra-pads/rp-prod35450

Decent rubber: €24.39 for 4 pads
http://www.swimcyclerun.com/brake-pads/swissstop-flash-pro-green-high-performance-blocks.html

I'm inclined to buy the best I can get when it comes to brake pads and tyres. Not being able to stop with sh**ty brake pads is scary. My mind was made up on this matter coming down from Glenmacnass a few years ago on a cold wet day. Even with my brakes on full I was still moving @ 30kmph! Needless to say those pads went in the bin the next day.

Mefistofelino

Shedite27 wrote: »

Cheers, so I had a look, am I right in thinking the Swissstop Shoe and Pad costs €27 while the pad on their own cost €24?

Even the cheap version Shimano 7900 shoe and pad costs €17 while tha pad on its own costs €12?

Not a huge amount of difference to bother with replacement pads is there?

The shoe-with-pad prices are for a single pair i.e. enough for a single brake. The pad-only prices are for 2 pairs of pads. The shoes without pads work out around €15 per pair.

CrowdedHouse

Shedite27 wrote: »

Cheers, so I had a look, am I right in thinking the Swissstop Shoe and Pad costs €27 while the pad on their own cost €24?

Not a huge amount of difference to bother with replacement pads is there?

2 Full shoes but 2nd price is for 4 pads I think