Are You Using The WRONG Brake Pads??

Metallic or Resin? Sintered or Organic? Which brake pad compound makes the most sense for your MTB (or road or gravel) hydraulic disc brakes?

Let us know your preferences and why down below!

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[madched]

I'm opposite, I've never noticed this warm up period or noise from metallic pads (unless when wet), they work flawlessly, . However my experience with resin pads is the brake fade and glazing. Once it happens, the rest of your ride is over.

[TheRickysee]

Definitely the best and most concise and common sense views I’ve heard on this topic. Good job thank you.

[jpconstantineau]

Any thoughts on ceramic pads? How does their performance differ from Sintered Metallic, semi-metallic or Resin pads?

[ManNomad]

Must be the riding style. I go through 2-3 metallic rear pads sets and one front set per year and find the resins unsafe when I need to stop. Maybe the Zee/Saint have a different feel. I am either max braking or off the brakes more than average riders and run the largest rotors allowed F/R. If I can't lock up my brakes with one finger at any time I don't trust them to stop me. Like you said...personal preference. Also, I buy bulk China metallic pads and find them as good or better then factory Shimanos at a fraction of the price. Only run Shimano rotors though. They are consistent though wear out quickly. Absolutely can not stand Sram brakes. No way No how. Hate them. P.S brake noise with metallic pads is 100% definitely installation or contamination not the pads.

[jonathonwilliams]

Thanks for this video dude, I'm doing my first MTB build and I bought a used bike. Pads were SHOT (as is a lot of stuff on my bike) so this video helped a lot to select the right pads!

[Likelybiking]

I live in the same area as you and I definitely prefer resin forsure!!

I had the Paul Klampers on my gravel bike and was super bummed about the braking performance. Once I put on resin pads they work sooo well!

[PanSkrzetuski]

I appreciate the straightforward comparison. Just what I was looking for.

[TecraX]

TLDR: Resin pads is definitely the way to go for people who want to avoid brake squeal at all cost... Even if this means occasionally plowing head-first into a concrete barrier or another type of obstacle due to the lack of stopping power!

[not-a-raccoon]

I switched to semi metallic from the stock resin pads on my mt201 brakes. Sanded the rotors with 180 grit and cleaned with acetone (i think. Here in Norway it's called "red spirit." Its what i had on hand.). And i noticed right away even before bedding there was an improvement in braking performance. Braking is highly subjective and it pays to experiment.

[daseishorn]

On alpine descending with luggage I had trouble on many descents with fade which caused me to have to grab my brakes like crazy to stop. Since I’ve got metallic pads I’ve not had a problem.

[paulkelly]

Oh bliss so little rain, my dream place. I'm in the UK and we get more like 300 days of rain.

[prof_writer]

I like the organic pads. They don't have as much bite but seem to run silent for me. Never any screeching or grinding noise I get with the metallic pads.

[michaelhotten]

I read a blog post on Shimano's site that said some of their pros would run a combination setup in each caliper. So a metallic on the inner piston and a resin on the outer. I forget now the reasoning but something to chew on.

[BeiberholeRVA]

Another well done vid! Check out the Truckerco semi-metallic pads. I use them on my 2 piston Deore's (aluminum plated), and 4 piston SLX's (they only make them in a steel plated). It really is the best of both worlds, you get that resin initial bite but no brake fade.

My trails in VA don't require much sustained braking either. but I do a lot of short hard braking. Every now and then, when I go to the bike park, I don't need to switch to a straight metallic pad, unless I really wanted to.

[anthonyhebert-trudeau]

I'm a Shimano guy for both MTB and Road brakes and I found that upgrading rotors for thicker ones solved most of the drawbacks of metallic pads. I don't need organic pads anymore.

[warrenjansen]

If you're still out there, maybe you can answer this for me. Your video was very informative and well done but how do I determine what kind of pads are on my bike now if I don't know? I know the backing plates come painted different colors, but it seems to me that the pads themselves have three distinctly different looks. How do I tell what I have?

[neilgoth]

I've been running mixed pads per caliper for years: sintered for the inner pad and resin/semi-metallic for the outer pad.

[danharvey]

It's interesting about squealing brakes.. I had a bike with Magura MT5s, factory resin pads up front & Galfer black metalic at back, & i hardly noticed any squealing in regular 500m descents, both in dry & post rain on wet hardpack.. Then i bought a new 2nd hand YT Tues with SRAM Codes, resin pads f/r, & i noticed the brake fade & i noticed squealing due to classic lack of SRAM stopping power.. Then before i sold my old bike i swapped the brakes over, Magura on the new bike & SRAM Code onto the old.. And pretty much silent brakes again.. The only time ive noticed squealy brakes is times where after a week of rain the trail is so wet & muddy that you have to modulate the whole way down cos there's litterally no traction, your'e squirreling the whole way down & you have to run super low pressure.. Other than that i havnt noticed loud noisy brakes, wether resin or metalic.. Except for when ive had a contaminated rotor.. I think sometimes it comes down to people not bedding in their rotor/pads properly, or cleaning their rotor occasionally with brake cleaner. Or maybe braking technique, grabbing or dragging their brakes rather than modulating them as much as possible.. My constant irrational/rational fear is using my brakes too much & wearing my pads & having no ability to brake haha, so i instinctively modulate.. I think modulation is key to less noisy braking..

[topbanana]

about the metal pads they last longer yes, but your break disc does not i had metal pads for about 1 year now i just commute and joy ride on a trek hybrid fitted with Shimano XTR BR-M9000 XC break set and Shimano XTR SM-RT99 rotors. at £50 each rotor i be sticking to resin for durability of the rear rotor its really eaten into it. and been hydraulic breaks for what im doing makes no different to me. it stops when i want had both pads in. also sometimes you get the ticking sound of the metal pads just clipping against the rotor normally after heavy breaking. can be annoying

[christianalboroto]

How is your SLX brakes holding up now? Are you still using it and is it still good? Planning to get SLX to upgrade my MT200