Shimano brake pads

[trailgumby]

I'm wondering what the in-use difference is between the finned, "metallic" F03C pads for XTR/XT brakes, and the unfinned G01S pads that are branded for Alfine and SLX.

The G01S pads came as free spares with the recent purchase of C'dale Trigger 29er 1. The initial plan was to flog them off on fleaBay as the "organic" pads have a reputation of dissolving rapidly when the trails are wet. What's throwing me is that the SLX pads also seem to have a lot of brass-coloured metal filaments through them. So I'm thinking they may not be the dreaded organic compound after all.

If the only difference is the lack of cooling pads (and not the pad compound) I might keep them for use with my training wheelset on the race bike.

Your thoughts?

[TheRookie]

The finning is only of use if your usage would overheat the pad/fluid, for XC work were you are very unlikely to overheat the brakes, it's a waste of time ( and added weight).

Shimano do 3 pads, resin, organic and metal, it's the resin that dissolve like a bar of soap in the rain, their organic (which yes, have some metal in like a car brake pad) are good.

[Getter]

I recently switched from the F03C to the G01A ("A" is for the aluminum backplate) resin pads. I can't tell much of a difference. I found that the initial bite of the resin pads to to be better than the metallic ones. I use them on XT brakes with the Ashima Ai2 rotors.

I ride in So Cal...so I don't see much wet weather. If you ride in lots of mud, maybe the metallic will suit you better.

[trailgumby]

Thanks for the feedback, guys, much appreciated.

Here in Sydney we get quite a of rain and have gritty, abrasive sandstone soils. The rain patterns may change with the Southern Oscillation Index (ocean temperature measure) heading back to El Nino territory and expected drought conditions.

[Edu24h]

Forget shimano pads and try galfer ones.

[MichaelB]

...

Shimano do 3 pads, resin, organic and metal, it's the resin that dissolve like a bar of soap in the rain, their organic (which yes, have some metal in like a car brake pad) are good.

Don't believe that it's 100% right, but not wrong either.

They officially list two compounds - resin and metallic with varying backing materials, BUT, others have noted that for some pad versions, the non-metallic compound appears to differ for different pad sets.

Such as the finned resin pads for the Zee/Saint indeed appear to have more brass content so could be described as semi-metallic. May also just be a new batch/development of the Resin that hasn't found it's way to other pad variants.

[madsry]

Can anyone else speak to any appreciable difference in feel between the pad options? I don't really ride when it's wet, so that takes one variable out of the equation.

More specifically, I've owned XT brakes briefly a couple of years ago and trying to decide if I give them another try or not. I'm looking seriously at the Guide RSC's at the moment, largely based on the opinion of my mechanic. She indicated that they have much better modulation/feel and are easier to work on. The one thing that I questioned during my ownership of the XT's was that the power seemed to come on a little quicker than I cared for. To borrow an overused but accurate term, they felt a little on/off.

In any case, the Shimano brakes are still a very good value money-wise and just curious if playing with pads from Shimano or other companies could or would have a significant influence on the overall feel and modulation.

[trailgumby]

The consensus still seems to be that XTs are still the best brake out there. The Guides finally see Avid release a decent brake.

I haven't found any difficulty working on them, so your nechanic's comments make me curious. One thing I like is that the Shimano OEM brake fluid doesn't absorb water, unlike DOT fluid, and in temperature tests outperforms DOT as well. Oh, and it won't take your paint off.

That said I haven't tried Guides. A mate has them and likes them. We're planning a bike swap ride once my Trigger's fork arrives back from tuning.

The only downside is their weight. 80g an end extra (including rotor) compared to the X9 carbon levers they replaced.

[TheKaiser]

Can anyone else speak to any appreciable difference in feel between the pad options? I don't really ride when it's wet, so that takes one variable out of the equation.

More specifically, I've owned XT brakes briefly a couple of years ago and trying to decide if I give them another try or not. I'm looking seriously at the Guide RSC's at the moment, largely based on the opinion of my mechanic. She indicated that they have much better modulation/feel and are easier to work on. The one thing that I questioned during my ownership of the XT's was that the power seemed to come on a little quicker than I cared for. To borrow an overused but accurate term, they felt a little on/off.

In any case, the Shimano brakes are still a very good value money-wise and just curious if playing with pads from Shimano or other companies could or would have a significant influence on the overall feel and modulation.

Yes, organic vs. metallic pads will definitely give you a different feel. To generalize, metallic pads are usually more apt to give you that on/off feel, whereas organics will allow more gentle feathering and come on more softly.

As to ultimate braking power between the two, I have seen claims in both directions, either that organic is also capable of greater power at the high end, meaning it is superior both in modulation and power, or that metallic is more powerful at the expense of modulation.

Metallic is more durable, although that doesn't sound like an issue for you riding in the dry.

As someone mentioned above, aftermarket companies like Galfer make more variations. I have used both the "green" and "red" compound EBC pads which are both "organic" with metallic flakes but the red are far more powerful, whereas the green are more durable.

Just as a FYI, Specialized bikes have, at times in the past, come stock with 1 metallic and 1 organic pad in each caliper, with the thinking that it allows the best of both worlds in terms of feel.