Hi all, sorry I searched the forum as I know this topic was covered recently but no luck.

My XT disc brake pads are up for renewal. Which aftermarket ones are decent as shimano are pretty expensive…?

Also, it was really wet on saturday, i had a ride and then marshalled a race. My brakes were pretty poor in the wet, and squealed quite a bit (as did everyone else’s) Is it just pads? wet weather? rotors?

thanks in advance

EBC work for me.

Suoerstar Resin (or maybe called semi metallic) are decent and have proved quite. Avoid sintered pads as they tend to be noisy

Ok I’ll take a look. Not great brakes in the wet are the norm though?

Squealing on disc brakes is, IME, always due to contamination of the pad and disc. Everytime I get squalimg brakes in the shop now I do the same thing:
Replace pads and clean the disc.
Brake cleaner is a waste of time. Either pop the disc in the dishwasher, or in some soapy water then rinse with boiling water from the kettle, or pour meths on it and set it alight.
Also, Shimano pads these days are getting cheaper. I like Superstar pads but most Shimano ones are £10/pair now and they are better.

Not great brakes in the wet are the norm though?

You should have good performance even with some noise, you can get squeals in the wet, depends on the material Superstar Kevlar were the worst for me. Give your discs a good clean, as above, and fit new pads, check for any obvious contamination on the old ones.

Squealing brakes in wet weather is due to a lack of heat in the pads. This can be due to the compound of the pads… It’s normally nothing to worry about..

It’s worth replacing the pads with genuine parts as (IMO) 3rd party pads never have the same performance..

This is interesting to read. Won’t the lads get contaminated after every ride more or less?

howsyourdad1 – Member
This is interesting to read. Won’t the lads get contaminated after every ride more or less?

You can get waterproof shorts, but it’s easy enough to shower afterwards.

Got uberbike race matrix pads and can’t rate them highly enough for power( 180mm rotor on the front and can get the back wheel in the air sat down). They are quiet on a supposedly squelly set of avid juicy 3 brakes. They squelled after a river crossing on Sunday but went away after a good but of braking to get some heat back into them.

You can just chuck some new lads in, but it’s best to check your old lads for brake fluid contamination, or spray lube, fork oil or uneven wear, anything else that can point out a problem before it gets worse.
Clean your discs to make sure any crap on there doesn’t contaminate your brand new lads.

Howay the lads

Another vote for Uberbike Race Matrix pads here. I’ve used them on XT and Avids with very little squeeking at all. Performance and durability seem top notch too.

Another happy Uberbike Race Matrix user here and if you can get 10% off with the code FACEBOOK10 for today only

Just ordered some race matrix pads / lads . Will clean my rotors too. Thanks all!

Nice one – cheers for the code Pridds. I need a quick order 🙂

Superstar Kevlar. End of (and you get Haribo with them).

Well 😉 … Sintered by their very nature of having metal in them will squeal, and they aren’t as powerful at breaking. They last a long time however. Organic on the other hand are the opposite. Least noise, but wear fast in the wet and mud. Kevlar are closer to sintered for wear but more like organic in noise. Best of both worlds. Add Superstar pricing, and it’s a no brainer.

I’ve had no issues with the Superstar Kevlar myself. A lot better than their sintered.

Sorry.. hijack..
How do the s/s kevlar fair in british winter? Took them to the alps this year and was blowing through a set of pads every couple of days, obviously you brake more but I think the foul weather played it’s part.
Gone back to sintered assuming kevlar would just wear too fast & EBC resin last me about 6 weeks, but used superstar again this time and yesterdays ride got to the point where I was apologising to everybody I saw for ruining their sunday walk with braking you could hear a mile away….

Very much depends on the trail surface and conditions, but I can run with Kevlar for many months in British wet. Wet rocky places they’ll last longer probably than sandy gritty places.

Like you, I go through them much quicker in the alps, but that’s even in the dry. I’d brake less but you reach insane speeds there without braking, and likely I’ll die 😀