putting together an order on CRC, hence the posts....
i'll be guiding over the summer so need some pads that will last. mostly riding with novice/beginners so not too many mad crazy long DHs. longevity is the key here.
can i drop XTR/XT pads into my SLX.... i believe i can but would like a little reassurance.
oh, and when it sayd 'pair' do they mean 2 pads or two sets, i.e. 4?
Fibrax Shimano XTR 14€: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=1907
Clarks 6.50€ organic (sintered out of stock): http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=35417
Goodridge 14€ ceramic (!?): http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=35417
Nukeproof 16€: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=42150
Shimano's own 16€: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=28842
Swissstop 17€: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=42622
fanks!
or try superstar components? 4 packs for £20-30.
Run them on all my bikes and can't tell the difference between them and the originals in the organic style. Just ordered a mix of kevlar and sintered pads for longevity in the wet after recommendation from a few friends.
A set is one pair of pads.
Another vote for superstar sintered pads - much better than organic for longevity, can't notice the difference in stopping power.
cheap too, wouldn't bother with XTR to be honest.
Go for quality for longevity - and sintered for the same reason.
I prefer to use OE sintered in my hopes - and get rewarded with thousands of miles of life, I have used EBC, ashima and koolstop but the OE ones were best - but only marginally. The ashima are relatively new in the bike so I don't know really about them yet.
I run DiscoBrakes sintered pads and I'm getting about the same amount of life and stopping power in my 2-pot Saints (same as old XT), and only just a bit less in my Hope E4s. These brake pads cost about 1/3 - 1/2 the price of the stock pads and seem to do the job just as well.
I'd be tempted by the Superstar ones now because they (almost certainly) come out of the same factory and come with a 45 day trial period (if you think they're rubbish, send them back and you get a full refund).
Sintered is definitely the way to go.
When I went to the alps I took 4 pairs of sintered pads, expecting to use them up - I didn't even use HALF of the pads that were fitted!
This poses a question - often they would get hot and stopping power would reduce. Would I be better using organic pads, and accepting that I would get through a few pairs, but they would heat up less, and offer better braking performance???
DrP
A pair is enough pads for A brake. echo the comments above, sintered for longevity, organic for "I have to stop right now" . Goodridge sintered are, by far the very best
I like sintered pads, cos they last longer than organics and I'm tight
Wherever hayes and hope have their pads made, if that factory makes them for any of the aftermarket budget pad suppliers i'd love to know.
No complaints with my superstar ones yet, although I do bed them in with an indecent ammount of heat, almost stoping from 30mph 20+ times on a 1in3 hill, it gets rid of 20% of the pad sometimes, but the remainder often lasted an entire winter of riding in the Peaks which destroys components like no other place on earth!
Assuming you're going somewhere warm and dry I'd stay away from sintered. They are best suited to British mud. Organics last fine in good weather.
I use Discobrakes for all brake pads.