In article <[email hidden]>,
timfy said:
Now I dont mean to be rude but this is the kind of conversation that we have
concerning 150mph+ motorcycles at 300lb+ weights. Can it really make that
much difference on a treader. <jumps into trench and keeps head down>
Yes. Having tested disk brakes back to back with multiple compounds on a
long hill and over months and months on test bikes.
There's essentially three pad compounds on mountain bike brakes.
1. Organic
Cheap and works well in dry conditions and has less build up of heat but
they tend to absorb water and muck easier than sintered pads.
2. Sintered
Harder wearing and work better in the wet once you've got them up to
temperature. IMHO every mountain bike brake should have sintered pads
minimum unless it's a weight weenie XC race bike where organics would be
a better bet or dare I say it, v brakes.
3. Kevlar
Much better at coping with heat. Wear quickly. Only of use to
downhillers.
Shimano tend to ship brakes with organic pads in their cheap brakes -
Deore level. As do Hope in all of their brakes (unless they've changed
again). The Shimano ones will wear through very quickly and a set of
Deore hydraulics were the only set I had in testing that wouldn't stop
me on my hill test. I had to use a dry stone wall as a brake. ;-)
Hope's are notoriously bad for transferring heat away from the pads to
the calipers unless you run their 'alpine' kit which they've started
fitting on all brakes now. Sintered pads make the problem worse.
Formula, Hayes and Shimano XT use sintered pads standard. And they work
a treat, especially 4 piston brakes.
Magura seem to mix and match compounds on their brakes depending on the
model but I've never had one that wasn't terrible at overheating and
pumping up on the lever. Currently, I've got a MartaSL brake on one of
my bikes and it's powerful enough but you have to remember to use it
sparingly if you don't want it to heat up and drag.
If I was to pick one brake, it'd be a Formula 4Racing with 185mm front
rotor, 165 rear, some sintered pads, goodrich hoses and a good DOT3
fluid. Then old ShimanoXT 4 pots, then Hayes. I don't really like any of
the others. Depends where you ride though - That's my favourite setting
for hilly country. If I was living somewhere flat, I'd use rim brakes,
they're less hassle, lighter and cheaper. A set of SRAM 5.0 V brakes and
levers is all you need.
Shaun
