break pads replacement - alu shards

[avocom]

Hi all

We had a particular wet July and I have noticed that the break pad inserts have collected a lot of grit and alu shards. Breaking became noisy and left some impressions on the (alloy) rims. Got through the month by plucking the shards off almost every commuting day which was really annoying.

Coincidence or not, the pads are now due to be replaced anyway. They are the standard Shimano inserts with the compound R55C4 and I'm thinking of trying something else this time. Does anyone have any other brands/models to recommend? The priorities are breaking performance and less prone to collect aluminium shards. I don't care much about how long they last.

I have read around about this on the net and found a lot of conflicting info. I'm guessing softer compounds would get more shards. Also read good reviews of the Kool Stop Salmon, but I think it is softer than their standard Black. Has anyone used them or even the dual compound which is half/half. I'm also open to other brands of inserts.

Thanks

Andre

[timothy_clifford]

Have used the Kool Stop Salmon, would recommend. I thought they lasted longer than the Shimano pads, but that may have been when I stopped using the road bike to commute on (got a fixie). They also seemed to collected less aluminium balls.

[Stuart]

Swiss Stop Green. Fabulous.

http://www.wiggle.com.au/swissstop-flas ... rake-pads/

[Dougie]

I bought the Swisstop Greens for my Alu rims online and they were out of stock so I was "upgraded" to the Yellow. I didn't like the Yellow on the Alu rims at all.

[JoTheBuilder]

Someone can correct me but I thought Swisstop Green was for aluminium and Yellow for carbon? I've used both and the Green on my Pacenti's has been excellent.

The Yellow on my carbons is average but then all braking on carbons is average. And in the wet is non existent.

[Eleri]

Someone can correct me but I thought Swisstop Green was for aluminium and Yellow for carbon? I've used both and the Green on my Pacenti's has been excellent.

The Yellow on my carbons is average but then all braking on carbons is average. And in the wet is non existent.

What she said is correct on all points.

[avocom]

Thanks all for the comments.

I had considered the Swiss Stop Green, but have read in a few forums a few people complaining that they eat away the rims by collecting stuff specially in the wet.
Can you confirm that they are 'gentle' on the wheels?

Cheers

[jonboy]

Andre, I use Swiss Stop green and just bought another set last week. In my opinion they are vastly superior to any shimano pads I've used.

The most noticeable difference is braking in the wet. Any pad will pick up more rubbish in the wet. Especially after wet rides its important to check the pads and clean them and pull out any fragments. They're relatively expensive but in my view, worth it.

John

[avocom]

Yep, I'm convinced and putting an order on Wiggle this weekend. If anyone wants to add something to the order and save delivery please pm me.

Cheers

[utopia]

Someone can correct me but I thought Swisstop Green was for aluminium and Yellow for carbon? I've used both and the Green on my Pacenti's has been excellent.

The Yellow on my carbons is average but then all braking on carbons is average. And in the wet is non existent.

SwissStop Yellow King has been superseded by Black Prince
http://www.swissstop.com/tech/compounds/black-prince/