Brake pads wear

aFlabbyPanda

So I switch from discs to rim brakes for the last bike and while I was expecting to see faster wear I'm going through a set of pads a month roughly. I'm doing ~120k per week and its mostly city commuting but is this par for the course?

I'm using Ashima aluminium brake blocks at the moment and I'm happy to buy more expensive ones if they'll last any longer. Or should I just stick with the cheapest set and replace more regularly.

Plastik

Mudguards, winter weather and city commuting lead to astonishing rates of pad wear. Your mileage may vary but I'd be expecting more than 500km from a set of pads regardless of the conditions.

JBokeh

The water on the roads carriers all the grit and grime off the roads onto the bike wheels, which abrade away at the pads at a mad rate. Id be happier about the pads getting the wear and not the rim though. I'd give the rims a quick wipe with a rag when I get home, and maybe the pad faces too. I'd also buy a big pack of them to save money

NeedMoreGears

I get through two sets a year ; about 8-10,000km depending on the year.

crosstownk

I've just over 5,000km on the pads that came with the Shimano 105 5800 callipers I got last year. There's plenty of life left in them yet. I notice that braking in the wet is somewhat questionable (more force needed and a judder from the front wheel as I come to a stop) but if I clean the rims (Zondas) it helps. I've a set of Swissstop greens ready to go but I'll drain the life out of the Shimano pads first.

Seaswimmer

The_Sub wrote: »

So I switch from discs to rim brakes for the last bike and while I was expecting to see faster wear I'm going through a set of pads a month roughly. I'm doing ~120k per week and its mostly city commuting but is this par for the course?

I'm using Ashima aluminium brake blocks at the moment and I'm happy to buy more expensive ones if they'll last any longer. Or should I just stick with the cheapest set and replace more regularly.

Sounds way off.

How do you decide they are worn? Are you going by how they look or how they feel when braking. I do about 200kms per week and change about once a year. I use refill blocks sometimes or other times the whole block if its on sale. 105/Ultegra compatible brake blocks.

Standard alloy Mavic rim..

the.red.baron

Are you Chris Froome?

aFlabbyPanda

I change them when the pads have worn so I can no longer see the gaps/groves. I assumed this was right.

crosstownk

The_Sub wrote: »

I change them when the pads have worn so I can no longer see the gaps/groves. I assumed this was right.

This might sound obvious but sometimes dirt and other crap can fill the grooves and make it look like the pads are worn. I got caught out by this in the past but when I cleaned the brakes I magically had deeper grooves!!

tomasrojo

If you have alloy wheels and a small bit of spare time, it's worth digging out the stray bits of alloy that get embedded in the brake pads.

More of a rim wear issue than a brake pad issue, but it'll give you a chance to dig the schmutz out of the brake pad grooves while you're there.

Seaswimmer

The_Sub wrote: »

I change them when the pads have worn so I can no longer see the gaps/groves. I assumed this was right.

Personally I use them until they are down near the steel holder but I do clean the muck and grime off them regularly.

I simply open the brake calipers and run a damp cloth over the block from side to side fairly regularly..

I also tighten them in as they wear to get better grip..