Life expectancy of shaved brake pads

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Greg66
Posts: 231
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2005 8:06 pm

by Greg66

A combination of FC 808s and Simkins Egg brakes means I had to shave my pads to get the wheel into the calliper (ps: a serrated bread knife was the perfect tool for the job - a clean cut removing a layer of even thickness in a few seconds).

So now I have pads which are instantly worn and the limit line is much closer to the surface of the pad.

I've always assumed that the vertical groves cut into the pads are for cooling, or at least have some purpose. So if I cut those grooves a bit deeper than they were, why can't I run the pads until they are worn well past the limit line? I'm not going to run them all the way down to the shoes, obviously, but I can't see why I can't get a bit of extra life out of them.

Thoughts?

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sungod
Posts: 1702
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:37 pm

by sungod

the slots also help clear water, once they're worn away (as i found out on a wet commute) the pads take much longer to bite in the wet

there must come a point where too deep a slot weakens the pad, might increase risk of losing part of a pad under braking; depending on rim width and calipers they might also run out of travel and limit maximum braking force

no idea how significant these are, i'd guess more of an issue if you do descents needing heavy braking

assuming that's what the slots do, if you don't ride in the wet and don't need heavy braking you may as well leave the pads alone - no need for water clearing and they won't be getting too hot

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Rick
Posts: 2034
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 4:30 pm

by Rick

Personally, since I regularly get a decade or so out of a set of brake pads, I wouldn't worry about it.

wingguy
Posts: 4318
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:43 pm

by wingguy

Keep running them and find out. Assuming the compound stays the same all the way down there shouldn't be a problem.

FYI though, SwissStop make thinner versions of all their road pads specifically for those wide rim/specialist brake combinations. Other companies may do as well.

eric01
Posts: 909
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2006 1:06 am

by eric01

Just keep an eye on it and you'll be fine. Are you using the zipp gray pads? They do wear faster relative to a pad with a compound designed for alloy rims. A check pre or post ride and some common sense should tell you when they need replacement


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tinozee
Posts: 764
Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2011 7:53 am

by tinozee

SwissStop makes a low profile "black prince evo" pad for use on wide rims on TT and other integrated brakes.

http://www.excelsports.com/main.asp?pag ... =1&minor=8

Might as well try the ones you shaved first, and if you need them you can always get these.

NiFTY
Posts: 1493
Joined: Sat May 26, 2012 11:26 pm

by NiFTY

I imagine they use one compound uniformly the whole way through, pads should last a long time regardless.
Evo 4.9kg SL3 6.64kg Slice RS 8.89kg viewtopic.php?f=10&t=110579" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Greg66
Posts: 231
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2005 8:06 pm

by Greg66

Thanks all. Reynolds Blue pads on my tri bike. Won't be getting wet weather use (unless I am unlucky on a race day). I will keep an eye on them and report back if I have problems.

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