I’m sure it won’t be long before the ‘You shouldn’t buy XTR if you can’t afford the replacement’ brigade wades in with both feet.

For the rest of us, can anyone recommend any replacement pads for XTR 975 calipers? It’s not so much the price that’s putting me off, but I’m on my third set and I really don’t think the pads are all that great from a performance perspective.

Do EBCs 965 pads fit for example – they look the same shape?

Ta

Loads out there without the titanium plate-Google!

I found they do heat up but use 185 disc on the front (I still use 165mm all round and oragnic pads on the front and metal pads on the rear).

Clarke do cheap pads for a tenner upwards online and £15 max LBS.

Also If you hut around you can find old stock 2008 ctr pads at the original price beore the hike as they are bought before the price hike they can’t charge you more.

The A2Z pads are pretty good, I’ve fitted them to my SHimano brakes, about a tenner a set off fleabay

Cheers Zaskar. I’m not at all bothered about the Ti plate – but haven’t been able to see anywhere if the 975 pad shape is the same as the 965 and too tight to buy some to find out…

It looks like you are saying it is though, is that right?

If it’s made by Shimano and looks the same it’ll fit.We’ve also started selling Bontrager/Tek alternatives due to the cost of XTR.

Ive been handed a few sets of the multicompound ones by my LBS to try in place of the usual XTR pads I use. They come in at 19 quid a set and first impressions are very good….

All XTR pads are the same shape (965/975) but from personal experience, the hardest wearing pads I’ve found so far are the M975 metal (longer lasting than EBC Gold, Green & M965 metal).

Excellent. I wouldn’t have put it past Shimano to make them proprietory. Pleased they haven’t…

I’ll start with some EBC or maybe Bonty.

A2Z pads have been great in my XT brakes so far but I haven’t had them that long. Noticably stronger braking than standard XT and only £8.99

http://www.woollyhatshop.com/view_product.php?id=2465