RX4+ Aftermarket Disc Brake Pad Options

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SgtRock
Posts: 63
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2015 9:22 pm

by SgtRock

Hi

Just trying some RX4+ Calipers and was looking at pad options. Usually I always use Swissstop Green (Organic) or RS pads. Work great, no bed in time and super quiet etc. But you can't get Swissstop pads for the RX4+ Calipers. I have used the RX4 original Calipers with Hope's red pads (all weather) on my gravel bike with no real issues but just wondered about other options.

I think that Hopes pads are actually made by Galfer. You can see the match up in the following links:

https://www.hopetech.com/_repository/1/ ... eGuide.pdf

https://galfer.eu/bike/brake-pad-comparison/

So Red is All Weather, Blue is Road and Green Pro.

Anyone tried all these compounds or have alternatives? I will be off to the mountains in a few weeks so that will be a consideration in performance and I also spend most of the time in the hills at home.

I will be using with Sram centreline X rotors or possibly Swissstop catalyst rotors - I have both.

Thanks in advance.

jlok
Posts: 2400
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2015 3:30 am

by jlok

Isn't the RX4+ just unified the SRAM and Shimano variants pad size so that they all use the same pads as the RX4-Shimano?
Rikulau V9 DB Custom < BMC TM02 < Litespeed T1sl Disc < Giant Propel Advanced SL Disc 1 < Propel Adv < TCR Adv SL Disc < KTM Revelator Sky < CAAD 12 Disc < Domane S Disc < Alize < CAAD 10

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SgtRock
Posts: 63
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2015 9:22 pm

by SgtRock

That's correct the new calliper uses the same pad in either Sram or Shimano. This is also the same pad as used in the E4 calliper.

There options with Hope or Galfer pads. Looking for some feedback or alternative to consider.

thewoodsman
Posts: 42
Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2022 7:08 pm

by thewoodsman

https://galfer.eu/bike/brake-pad-comparison/

this is the link Hope customer service provided when I asked them about pad selection. i have both rx4+ (road/gravel) and e4 (mtb) brakes, so all my pads are compatible with both sets of brakes. 700c and 650b wheelsets for the gravel bike.

blue pads on the 700c wheelset, red on 650b, green as a spare. blue pads have no issues with rain, but if the weather gets really nasty or there is a lot of debris on the paved trails, I will run my gravel wheelset with smooth tires (and the red pads). have used blue pads with the 650b wheelset for dry, mixed-surface riding, but the swap is rarely worth it for me. I never use the black pads--barely cheaper than red and no benefit. green I carry for road, gravel, or mtb as a spare. they work with all my brakes, all conditions, and the bed in time is quicker. I do not race, so no reason to use them for competition as some people do, but they are great as a spare.

HJWS
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2020 2:55 pm

by HJWS

Is it possible to swap out blue for red (and vice versa) without contaminating the pads? I'd always assumed there was a fundamental difference between the blue/red pads so couldn't use interchangably but maybe not.

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thewoodsman
Posts: 42
Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2022 7:08 pm

by thewoodsman

should have clarified: I have two sets of rotors, one for each wheelset, so each pair of pads/rotors stays together.

in the past, I have used different pads with the same rotor, with varying results. all Hope/Galfer pads are semi-metallic, so they are more alike than the Sram pads I used to use, which are either organic or sintered (unless they have released a semi-metallic pad; I have not kept up with their stuff). in theory, this means you can swap Hope pads without compromising the rotor as much, and less risk from any cross-contamination of pads.

on the bike, this is mostly true. swapping Sram pads gets messy, brake performance is compromised pretty quick, and they need to be sanded clean. swapping Hope pads is much less of a pain because the pads are so similar (kind of like swapping between two sets of the same pad). I have done it without resanding the surfaces and just wiping them with alcohol. there might be some small change, but not enough to notice for the vast majority of braking.

that said, what makes the Hope pads better for swapping is the same thing that makes them better for just sticking with either blue or red: they are fairly similar, and both great in most conditions. I did notice a little less performance from the blue when I would pick up a lot of road debris or mud, but still better than most other options. I really should not have been on my bike in those conditions (storm rolled in and I ended up going through a lot of torn up road/construction). for the red, which I have been riding with some 650b smooth tires on the paved trails while I wait for new road wheels, there might be some difference on longer/faster descents, but not sure how much is in my head. if I had either a road or gravel bike, I would stick with one or the other. because I use my bike for both, I use both.

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