Quick question:
In general, do we take spare brake pads on rides with us?

more importantly, do people carry pre bedded in pads, or fresh out the packet pads?

Ideally, you take two pairs of pre bedded pads.

In reality, you forget them.

Tend to have one pair of fresh on me.

Depends. long bothy ride in November? Definitely. Messing about in the woods this time of year, probably not.

never – my brake pads last thousands of miles

TandemJeremy – Member

never – my brake pads last thousands of miles

wot he said

Ive been on the same pads on my Formulas for over a year and 1500 miles.
I figure if i shred a pad i can either get home on the other brake of stick the good pads on the front.

Then again , i don’t suppose it would harm to carry another pair in my bag if i decided to do an all day adventure.

Yeh i do, but not sure why as i have never needed them, and if i did i wouldn’t be able to fit them as there Avid Juicys…

Usually have a part worn set lurking in the bottom of my pack.
Came in handy a couple of weeks back after cack-handed refitting of a wheel after a puncture managed to slice the pad off the backing plate…..On Juicy’s . Yes, it can be done on the trail !
Used the existing pads still in situ & a multi-tool to open the gap & then fit the spares.

May have been a bit more careful if I hadn’t have been so cold !

Chris

I usually carry a new set, especially if the pads on the bike are nearing the end of their life. They only take about 30 seconds to fit, but there’s no point in changing them until you have too.
Plus, sods law states that your only going to need spare pads on the day when you don’t have any.

Always keep a spare set or two in the backpack. Oh and fresh out the pack…

Always carry a used but not quite worn out set in my back pack along with a spare spring. What do they weigh?? FA, so don’t see the point not to carry a spare set, if I wanted to ride with one brake I’d only have one fitted.

1x fresh pair

Usually have a half worn pair because if you’ve bled the system with worn pads they’ll usually go in without faffing with bleeding off fluid. Also carry a spare dropout too, surprising how many people only think of it when buying a new one after the five mile trudge back home with one that’s snapped.

Seldom clean out my bag so- yup, spares a plenty. Inc a couple of pairs of new pads for my Avids. As above- not desperately heavy 😉

one fresh pair but never needed it as i always check the pads prior to my ride!

I’ve taken to carrying a spare pair with me, although pads usually last me several months I’ve had them wear on in one ride on a couple of occasions, and it’s spoilt the day not having spares. Now that you’ve mentioned it, I’ll bed them in in put them back in the packet.

Theory: I always carry 2 spare pairs of pads. Never without them.

Reality: I get 100m’s into the DH last week, hear spring on caliper, remove pads, chuck them because I always carry spares and I’m in a bad mood due to chainsuck on the climb, check my pack and realise that I didn’t put them in after washing it. Cycle rest of day with 1 brake.

Always 2x fresh pairs.

Can only recall one occasion in recent years of needing to change them during a ride (SSC not genuine Hope sintered!)

Current ones keep going and going and going…….

1 pair fresh pads

I’ve needed them a couple of times

A couple of runs donw Whites in the rain in winter and you may well wear out a half worn set that would otherwise last months in the summer.

I always carry a set – never bet them in, I just use them – that beds them in.

I carry 1 pair of fresh pads. None of my mates do so I usually make a profit from selling them on. (The first time I loaned them, but now I seem to carry all the spares for our group who can’t be bothered carrying them themselves. The cost of a spare from me is now a cuppa and cake at the end of the ride.)

I have spares with me.

I have a little plastic box with various spares in, like pads, mech hanger, a few chain links, etc. It goes on every ride, regardless of length.

My spare pads are brand new (Hope sintered) but I’ve never noticed a need to bed them in. I just put them in and ride and they always seem to last 6 months or more.

We have the same small tubeless repairkit box which holds a spare hanger (broke one at GT this Sunday), a few quicklinks and a bit of chain, pair of M4 pads, pin, spring and clip. Doesnt weigh much at all. We both have M4 brakes so its a good compatability thing not having different stuff.

Coatesy’s advice is spot on. I once had my front brake “pump up” and stay on. It was a very warm night in the Peak on one of Tim Johnson’s Sideways Cycles midnight rides. At 3am, you do not want to walk back to the start – even if you had a clue where you were. My emergency mostly-worn pads did the trick.

never – my brake pads last thousands of miles

Unless you buy inferior pads with unreliability issues, I tend to agreee. However, IME, it’s often a bent spring that’s likely to fail or a lost pin, so I always just carry at least one set of spares. If I’ve got old ones, they’ll do, if not, then new ones.

yep, and really needed them the other day as my spring went mental and wrapped itself inside my rotor.

Avid juicy 3s. How come you can’t change yours will? They’re simple!

Reality: I get 100m’s into the DH last week, hear spring on caliper, remove pads, chuck them because I always carry spares and I’m in a bad mood due to chainsuck on the climb, check my pack and realise that I didn’t put them in after washing it. Cycle rest of day with 1 brake.

Ahhh so you’re one of the hoodie wearing boyz who lob old/broken bike parts into the fields instead of taking them off the hill with them eh? 😉

Incidentally I carry a spare set for both my front and rear, and one set for the missus. All pre-bedded but only because I’ve tried different pad materials.

Coffeeking. Nope, I’m the guy who is waiting for new chainrings to be delivered to Spain so suffers persistant chainsuck, looses his temper when his pads fail, lobs them and then spends the next 30minutes looking unsuccesfully for them! 😉

Never normally leave anything on the trail, philosophy is take more back that you leave with!

“often a bent spring that’s likely to fail “

Don’t know about other brakes, but with Hopes, you really don’t need the spring. It makes it easier to fit the wheel, as it pushes the pads out of the way, but that’s about it. when the spring goes, I just take it out, put the pads back in and carry on. there’s usually 1/3 of the pad material left.

Spare pads and spring always here.