[Closed] Disc pads - shortest time they've lasted?

Approximately 2 hours from newly bedded in to backing plate, at last Sunday's Brass Monkeys race. To be fair though, it was an extremely wet race in very sandy terrain - a fatal combination for pad wear. It wasn't just Shimano sintered pads though, hardly anyone finished with functioning brakes.

I went through a new set on the front in 35 minutes on wednesday night 🙁
I must admit I didn't give them much chance to bed in, but my part worn rears were down to the metal just as quickly and they have been in a 5 months.

Boo - I must try harder!

1 lap of DTD last year, genuine Formula pads. Not much braking to do either, so fack knows how that happened!

1 year.

I have a set on my solo that look like they might not reach 1000 miles. about 3/4 worn with about 700 miles on them

Last winter I joked with a fellow MTBer at Holmbury hill that I doubt the SSC brake pads I was putting in would last me back to Dorking...they didn't. Don't know exactly how far that is (10 miles maybe) but I hoped for more 🙁

2 1/2 hrs, also at the Brass Monkey this weekend.

That's also my record for a big ring at the same race.

GB

le plenny one run down to the bone,fitted at top of it,nowt left after:-)
set up wrong mind ahem!

Had a new set of pads(still in their unopened packaging) kicking around in my camelbak for a few months.
Time came when I needed to fit them,& the friction material had come away from the backplate!(Packet still sealed).
So,they didn't even see a caliper.

Beat that!!

I'm with nuke. Couple of hours around Leith Hill / Holmbury.

About a 6 months,

cheapest offers at the mo?? exspensive as now eh.

I don't understand how it can happen so quickly. I only just changed some pads that I used for the Mega in July.

AND they were superstar ones.

grumm - Member

I don't understand how it can happen so quickly. I only just changed some pads that I used for the Mega in July.

AND they were superstar ones.

it's got to be how you ride.

couple of weeks ago at afan, mate riding an enduro got through a brand new set of pads (and half the backing plate!) in a day and a half. Me, riding an inbred showed no noticeable wear.

I must have not been going fast enough to need brakes!

I ride leith/holmbury/pitch hill right through the winter and my pads (SSC sintered) have lasted about 6 months so far (with lots still left on them)

I just don't seem to go through brake pads that quick (wish I could say the same for chains/cassettes/chainrings!)

Less than half a lap of the Strathpuffer course in 2007...so that would be about 3 - 3.5 miles 😯

Admittedly they weren't bedded in, but it was just insane how quickly they vanished

one weekend, also at afan, me and two mates went through two sets of brake pads each, put some fresh ones in, the back set went through to the backing the next ride.

About 7 miles of Holmbury/Pitch.

Sunday - 1/2 used, and then down to the backing plate between the Ladybower carpark and to the top of the Roman Road...

Seen Avid pads disappear in one descent of Roman Road a few years back, 'bout 8 riders all with Avids suddenly had no brakes at the bottom.

So 1.5 rides out of Goodridge Organics is looking pretty good then. Especially when it was pretty wet at wharncliffe and on the N.Y.Moors
(They were all I had, and I expected much better)

Superstar seem to last the longest for me

It would seem anyway, that if a pad goes very quickly is not bedded in properly and/or not suitable for the slop?
I wonder how much (excessive) rotor size affects bedding in ability especially with lighter riders without any proper hills (eg some/many XC races?) to get a decent amount of heat to the pads?

2 very wet rides on the Q/tox, about 38mls... but they were "Avids".. 😕

the break pad year in the 'puffer was bad, half a lap (15-20 mins-ish) and your pads were gone.

3 miles, Dalby, last winter.

WE have had much discussion on this. I think science officers post at the bottom of page two on[url= http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/is-pad-clearance-a-delusion/page/2 ]this thread[/url] is as close to an explanation of how this occurs as we have seen.

All I can be certain of is that the hopes I use I get long pad life and on the tandem where the brakes get used a lot and the brakes get very hot pad wear is minimal - no measurable wear in a wet weekend in the quantocks for example.

I am convinced heat is the major part. If the pads don't get hot hey wear out

Avid pads for me last very well.

They only lasted 25mins in a very wet/muddy race though.

A few hours around Cannock has seen off a new pair of Hayes pads, although granted I perhaps didn't bed them in as well as I could have. But I've had a few pairs not last much longer than 2 trips to Cannock in winter.

And a pair of new Superstar ones failed to last the Open Adventure race in the Peak yesterday, but because one of them fell apart rather than from wear.

I once had some Hop sintered pads that didn't quite last out the year.

About two and a half laps of the Brass Monkeys saw my Magura Julie genuine pads down to the metal at the rear from new at the start. The fronts hung on for another lap.

Brakes are for whimps!! 😉

25 minutes, did you take your hand off the lever? 😯

I generelly replace mine in the summer, getting down now though!

Shortest life ever - 1 hour 15 minutes for XTR sintered at the brass monkeys. Had a sticky piston so one pad was full, the other wore down to the metal - noticed it when the pad spring got dragged into the rotor 🙁 I have now fixed the piston and use Clarks pads as they last longer than XTR and are half the price!

Think my experience is second only to gary_C, brand new pads removed from packaging, fitted to caliper and the friction material fell off the back plate as the disc slid between them, so swapped to a second set in the camelbak and they lasted about 3 miles, both sets made by a fruity company 😉

Not had any wear issues since using genuine Hope sintered and organic pads

2.5 miles in the peaks

Shortest for me was about an hour & a half when i replaced the pads & forgot to put the split pin back in on 'me Julies' & the pads fell out.

Apart from that - I think about 3 months was the worst - SSC pads that weren't bedded in.
Current SSC pads still going since late March/early April - getting pretty low now though.

It is deffinatly the type of brakes, Last year i was in the alps with formula the ones. Went through a set of pads a day, (300 euros worth) went the year with hope motos, and have 1/2 used a set of pads with 3 weeks riding in the alps, and 2 days at cwm carn uplift. the brake pads in my hopes on my xc bike are 2 years old. though i did change my whole front brake after a year.

Votchy,mine were a 'fruity' brand,too!

(As if the stw'ers hadn't already guessed) 😆

I think you do get the occasional dodgy batch.

I had some EBC ones a couple of years ago - I could feel them wearing away as I braked on a road descent in the alps just after replacing them (short descent down to the chair lift and I could feel the lever coming closer to the bars all the way down). One side had disintegrated by the time I reached the bottom. Maybe it was a "bedding in" problem but I doubt it.

Wiggle replaced them though and fortunately I had some old ones to pop in for the rest of the ride.

I've trashed quite a few sets in one ride others last forever. Some I've had on for over 12months with over half the braking material still on it and then vaporised the other half in one wet ride.
Basically
dry weather riding = years,
wet weather = variable (hours, days or months depends on riding and how wet it is) As TJ says science officers idea sounds plausible from my experience. trouble is once you've shredded the cured brake surface how the hell do you cure them again mid ride if it's cold and wet?

It is deffinatly the type of brakes

trouble is once you've shredded the cured brake surface how the hell do you cure them again mid ride if it's cold and wet?

By braking excessively?

Worst was approx 25miles around Afan and my Magura pads were gone. It was raining and lots of grit must have thrown into the pads to wear them down at a massive rate.

Normally i get a good 4-6months depending on where i ride and what the conditions are like.

trouble is once you've shredded the cured brake surface how the hell do you cure them again mid ride if it's cold and wet?

small discs and braking lots

A set a lap at Hit the North last year. I thought I was taking my preparation far too seriously fitting new pads before-hand. They were down to the metal front and back after one lap. The superstar stand there must have made a mint that day!

SSC sintered pads from new to only microns in a day. There's something in the peak's grit me thinks.

They might not have been bedding in properly but it was the constant grinding noise coming from both wheels that gave away the true reason.