Every brake compound tested - The ultimate guide for road bikes!

[@itzalex2369]

You are the only guy on yt who tests and give honest oppinions on cheap stuff. Love ur content

[@Frostbiker]

I love to see that he actually uses the stuff that he has found to work for him. He's one of us.

[@theonemanopinion2764]

Cade media do this too. They advocate for Decathlon Triban £300 bikes all the time. So much so they got sponsored by decathlon.

[@Paksusuoli95]

Anyone who buys Chinese should think of the poor dogs :(((

[@Omar411269]

@@Paksusuoli95 wow that's a prejudiced comment to make....

[@Paksusuoli95]

​@@Omar411269 Prejudiced of you to assume they don't do those things. Your western mind can't comprehend that they're different from you.

[@timcoggins1445]

It was a great pleasure meeting you! I went for a chat at lunchtime with the mechanic at our village bike shop and I walked out, but then stepped back in asking a guy there "Excuse me, are you Luke?". It was really good to have a chat 👍

[@shin6997]

his name as always, Luke

[@DanTuber]

Changing brake pads is a pain. So much respect and appreciation for your effort.

[@manoz6194]

I read that as "charging" lol, I was like wtf are you on about?

[@festerofest4374]

@@manoz6194 Won't be long and we'll have bluetooth brake pads that need to be charged lol

[@kurt1391]

It should take < 5 minutes. Throw the bike in the stand, remove the wheel, take out the clip, unscrew the screw, pop out the pads, press the pistons back in, reverse all that, and done. Sometimes the caliper has to be realigned, which can take one minute or more than that if it's a pain.

[@DanTuber]

@@kurt1391 The trickiest bit is getting the screw to go through both holes of the clips

[@not-a-raccoon]

It's a really not that bad. It's about a 20 minute job and pretty straightforward

[@lemonshire1]

Respect for the amount of effort you put into this video (and all the others of course). Keep up the good work!

[@JourdainColeman]

What an awesome video! Well presented, with great information, and humor. I like the mix of vlog style with valuable/voiceover! Thanks for taking the time to put this test together, getting this much footage combined with the editing must have taken an age!!

[@TraceVelo]

Real recognises real 👊 😎 No but seriously thanks Jourdain, this did take an absolute AGE in the edit, learnt a butt load in the process tho. Filming vloggy style content outdoors is a massive challenge, and def change to my usual style.

[@JourdainColeman]

@@TraceVelo The effort definitely shows!! 👌🏼 The KZbin Algorithm should bring people to this video for years to come

[@SkylarsRnD]

I still have rim brakes but wanted to watch this video bc you're that awesome. Love the content Luke!

[@DonnieX6]

It's about time somebody sells some sintered metal brake shoes for rim brakes :D

[@kevingregoire1042]

impressive video production, roadside testing, sound quality, broll, macros, charts, refs, storytelling, one-man do it all with the tripod on the back. You spoil us really !

[@leicusezeo6757]

This really helps me to choose the proper combination of brake pads I should use for my daily commute bike. Thank you for your serious effort and practical tests

[@RickRolling-tc7vb]

That was the best video on brake pad compounds that I've seen. Really comprehensive, full range of conditons, good methodology and excellent summary - and the effort and deication you put into your testing is very much appreciated. Well done, thanks, and keep up the good work in as sustinable way as you can.

[@johnandrus3901]

Very interesting. I don't ride a bike with disc brakes, but your comparison also is applicable to automobiles. Various different pad compounds are offered. I've used ceramic pads on my two high-performance cars for years. Excellent all around braking and no visible brake dust on the wheels. I'll stick with rim brakes on my bikes. Both my road and tandem bikes have cantilever brakes and they work well in the wet and dry. I've been running CODA's in front and Kool-Stop in the back. Very little wear, so I don't worry about replacing them often. I'm 66 and I still ride around 25 miles a day, as long as the weather permits. Where I live in the States, it isn't too hilly, but I still have a lot of stop-start riding before I get to the usual bike trail. I do ride one route that is a roller coaster in many spots, but only once a month or so. Either way, an excellent comparison and video.

[@canegrimey]

Ceramic pads tend to hold the heat in the pads. so when u apply the brakes they transfer alot of that heat back into the rotors. Semi metallic and metallic pads transfer more of the heat into the brake calipers and brake fluid which helps keep the pads cooler longer so they dont transfer as much heat back into the rotors. If you have a fully hydraulic brake system then cooling is increased even more due to all the fluid that the heat can be transfered into

[@global_nomad.]

just wanted to update here on the ceramic pads - after seeign this video I ordered some of these - only tried the ceramics in the last 6 weeks but very impressed in all conditions and though i do get some noise occasionally , on the whole they are much quieter and effective than a wide range of other previously tried pads - so thanks for your testing and sharing. gives me added trust in your opinions and experience.

[@tippy35075]

Had the ceramic pads up front get so hot on a steep decent this morning that you could not only smell them, but also my front rotor is a different colour now

[@global_nomad.]

@@tippy35075 i havent done a long enough (or steep enough) descent to really push the pads but that can also be about technique - not keeping the brakes constantly engaged and allowing them to cool in short bursts - may have happened to any pads.

[@daevion5585]

The Bonus Clip got me excited for the next episodes, Goodluck on the videos and builds Luke! 🥖🥖🥖

[@Carftymk]

bless you so much. i've never understood how people compared brake pads and rotors and i've been looking at these on ali last week

[@global_nomad.]

just looking and new rotors and pads, both worn. so good timing. thanks also for adding notes in the text below, helpful

[@wayneclement7201]

Ive run N&T Pads and Rotors for a few years now, amazing quality and value. Rotors with a bit more meat to them seem to handle the higher heat I've found, i.e smaller/less holes in the rotor, so there's more metal

[@andrewwhite1065]

I think ive found the best blend of price and performance for my relatively low cost factory hydraulic brakeset. I fitted 2 -140mm 6-bolt rotors from AliExpress that are copies of Shimano's ICE (which is splined) but not for my Dura-ace DI-2 road bike, but for an e-scooter. Absolutely amazing, when combined with Shimano's reasonably priced and durable resin compound pads. * the scooter weighs 38kg and can reach a speed of 75km/h... so i have to have a brake system that can rapidly dissipate the heat and give me reliable performance even in the wet.

[@merckxy54]

Another great review that we all needed! Did not realise there were so many different compounds!

[@pab2611]

Nice video Luke, only one thing I think should be taken into account regarding the different pads is that when you change pad composition you should also change the rotors or at least sand the top surface to remove the layer that the previous pads leave in the rotor surface. Otherwise great video as always! Keep it up 🤙🏼

[@LawrenceSeetoh]

Thank you Luke, that is a very good comparison. I concur with your conclusions, the semi-metallic are aa good choice for most riders. My bike has mechanical disc brakes and came with resin pads that had horrible bite. Going downhill always scared me, so I switched out to compressionless housings and semi-metallic pads and the difference was heaven and earth. The only thing I've not tried yet is cable actuated hydraulic brakes. 🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖

[@onebighoffy]

You cant just swap brake pads for a proper test. The key is in bedding in the brakes. What happens during this process is the pads scratch the rotor then deposit material into said scratches. Once this is achieved you have full braking potential. If you swap pads on already bedded brake rotors, you begin depositing new pad material onto different old material. This is why bike shops label rotors with the type of pad material used (so ive heard) It is also recommended to buy new pads with new rotors so you can properly bed them in. My bike came screwed up from the test rides it had been on. One of the disadvantages of buying new bikes from a bike shop. It would be nice if they bedded in new rotors on new bikes to initiate the process, but i can see how that would add significant cost.

[@Peo_Sahlin]

Great as usual, Luke! 👍🙂 I'm thankful of all the work you put in making these videos.

[@elayaSP]

Man i just enjoy the detailed and honest approach of your videos. Also i don't know if i mentioned in other videos, but trying the chinese brands it's just a big help for those who want to try alternatives. Keep the good work!

[@frenzalrhomb1]

Thanks for all the effort on this. Great video, cheers matey👍

[@tubularmonkeymaniac]

Finally an honest opinion without the BS. I’m an MTBer mostly trail. I don’t think I can bother with the time it takes for full metal to heat up, as the trails open with jumps. So sounds like semi is the choice for me! Thanks!

[@geeoffchin]

Really great video, so thorough as well, I've always had a question about the different brake materials, and didnt think I'd ever get it answered!

[@Miekzz]

Thanks for another super video Luke!

[@TheYoowan]

I've been using noah and Theo pads since 2016 and always thought they were excellent value. Currently running the ceramics but strangely today one pad's friction material came away from the backing completely. I inspected them and found the backing was kind of corroded. The remaining pad was a bit crumbly too so probably just the harsh winter roads. It doesn't put me off as I reckon it's just the lack of cleaning I do in the winter. To be fair I think I must have been running them for close to a year 😂

[@OAikoT]

You must have seen my comment XD Thank you so much for this! For my e-bike which with me weights 105kg I have found ceramics to be the perfect ones, I bought the CnC Ceramic pads I know different brands have different mixtures, I run mechanical 2 piston callipers and Shimano Ice Tech 180mm discs never ever had issues with those changing colour but with organic and semi-metallic pads I always had issue with glazing even with normal gentler breaking.

[@colinlewis2342]

Just ordered some semi metallic pads on your advice love the videos and honesty 🥖

[@h3n488]

I find that combining sintered on the front and resin in the back give a good performance; Avid's sintered pads on BB7s seems pretty quiet and after bedding in always seem to bite nicely without the need for heating up first. Resin rear pads prevent locking up the rear wheel due to better modulation and lesser braking force.

[@krzysztofkolodziejczyk4335]

i was always of opinion that resin are only pads for rear wheel that make sense. for any kind of bike

[@KelvinSuddith]

Great video! I was just wondering what the difference was myself, as I have a CX bike that could use a refresh. On a separate note, good mustache, very super trooper-esque

[@Rikmk90]

Appreciate the time and effort put into this video Luke 👍

[@craigmaddison8254]

This has to be the most thorough test of anything ever!

[@paulstuart9465]

I've been using the ceramic version for a couple of years and prefer them to others.

[@glennoc8585]

Great test Luke and i tend to agree on the semi metallic. Good vocab too...not banal or trite

[@jasonjaeger7383]

Great comparison! I’ve never seen a video like this of this quality

[@Vajni68]

Strange conclusion at the end there, but you showed a hybrid break, maybe that is why you feel semi-metallic the best for mechanical breaks? Probably it is multi factorial, for sure, the rider's weight and riding style adds to the result. For me the resin comes prior to the semi-metallic, especially on descends. When I dropped from 2K in the Alps, the semi-metallic had no breaking power at all half way down, while I had a resin installed in the front, that was squeaking loud, yet had bite of a great white shark all the way down. Thanks for sharing your experience, I really enjoy your contents!

[@jonathan_f2]

I much prefer the cheaper bang-for-buck components reviewed on your channel. You definitely hit the target audience of cyclists want quality bike builds within a reasonable budget! Regarding brake pads, I prefer mainly finned semi-metallic pads which I find work best for climbing and descending. I do find the fins cool things a bit faster. Keep up the content!

[@rascal1234]

Probably makes a big difference what manufacturer you choose from. For MTB DH, I use MTX Gold Label HD pads. By far, the best I have ever used, including metalic pads. They also last 3 times longer. For me, as a heavier rider, they really elevate the brakes (Sram Code). I have tried their red label, but they aren't as good. So, the material makeup does make a big difference.

[@peterfietstvandaag]

That insta360 footage is great!! Can you do a video about that, with the mounts you use.

[@StalinorgelTV]

Thank you for the video and the effort. Anytime I change my brake pads I need to 'break them in' It takes around 15 min where I pedal with a small and decent pull off the brakes. I do it because I want the brake pad to wear in specifically to the disc

[@andreortizdecarvalho]

Decathlon semi metallic, well priced, durable, nice braking power.

[@jonathangreen7111]

I use N&T ceramics with TRP Spyres. I find them very good, mostly riding in the Peak District. It would be nice to hear your findings on wear rates, particularly on a gravel bike... Cheers.

[@chrismadden9126]

Great to see as i have their Brake pads ready to fit as and when needed.

[@soccerguyhammers]

This video answered all my questions about different compounds. Excellent tests, going above and beyond as always. Fantastic job!

[@abchtus1]

Thanks for summarising for us urban riders- we appreciate you not forgetting us!

[@Boellemids]

Thank you for continuously uploading great videos!

[@woduk]

Metal pads I never got along with. You can get good quality resin organic pads I use them on my mtb hope brakes and they seem to last ages even in uk weather. For road riding I would agree with semi metallic as you need bite from cold but some kind of longevity in the wear rate

[@benmillns8976]

I find rotors make a huge difference too. The Icetech Shimano rotors delay fade and feel smoother no matter what pads I'm using. My fav pads at the moment are the Uberbike Kevlars, N&T ceramics are a close second.

[@DavidtheDoom]

Great thorough test! I run resin only, pads are cheap and easy to replace, rotors not so much. Also it forces me to keep up on the maintenance on the rest of the system! :)

[@mikemelbrooks]

Riding a tandem i found it very interesting, i can get brake fade going down some quite modest hills and thats with massive Ebike discs.

[@feetwind]

Great video and fantastic idea, but unfortunately not sure if the results are that valid. IMO, you really have to pair rotors to one specific brake pad type and not switch it up, or else the bedding will be working against the other pads. Maybe it was the specific combination of stuff I've had, but I have had pretty poor experience trying to use disc brake cleaners when switching pads to a different compound; it just didn't work very well.

[@isaks3243]

I run sintered metal brake pads on my enduro bike and I love them. they are noisy but the stopping power is there and it never fade away

[@astraea_4368]

Luke I hope you can also showcase us your camera setup when riding and how it should be done regardless the type of the camera, coz it's superb!!!

[@vikindumaquis]

Thanks for hard work and the good mood dolidoodooo !!

[@valmorell]

Woah, some serious work here. Thanks...

[@connorhignell5155]

Such good content, I’ve just started doing all my own disc brake maintenance and this video is perfect I’ll definitely be checking out this brand in future thank youuuuu 🥖🥖🥖

[@JMJM75257]

I'm writing this before watching the video as to not sway my opinion yet! I have always gravitated towards a semi metallic pad. Mainly due to the decent trade offs. Good initial bite with decent all weather performance at the cost of a slight noise penalty. I've always found fully resin pads to lack in the bite department and they seem to not last anywhere near as long as a semi metallic equivalent. I'll be interested to hear what you have to say about the matter.

[@rskng]

Great review. Would have been great to also get feedback on breaks dust. Using SRAM brake pads and my left sock is wasted after every descent and white bike completely covered in dust.

[@not-a-raccoon]

Just changed to semi and didn't look back. They're amazing

[@philoso377]

Nice video and presentation. The metal fragments here should have local flat portion facing the disc. Otherwise a random composition creates fragments peaks facing disc can worn it down fast. Softer pad materials produces a much stronger brake force also wear down fast. Metal fragments integrates will improve the life time is taken as trade off the force for longevity. Avoid steal fragments on steal disc. Copper and or aluminum fragments are preferred over steel.

[@Hardlydan]

Being a fat bloke with several bikes, I've tried sintered and organic on my mountain bikes. Might have to give ceramic a go for Porlock hill!

[@concernpinoy9228]

thank you for sharing the test , the results 👌

[@veganpotterthevegan]

My absurdly expensive graphine pads are certainly an upgrade. Now that I have them, I find them necessary considering I'm using Red22 shifters with mechanical brakes converted to 12sp because I hate how every hydraulic hood feels in my hands. They're still not as good as hydraulic brakes but they're much closer now.

[@kennys1425]

N&T pads are my first choice, an excellent and helpful video as always 👌🏻

[@singingitman]

Testing the Shimano ICE pads and discs would be interesting, comparing them to what you have just tested. Perhaps comparing the semi metallic between the bands, ice Vs non ice.

[@Destide]

Massive hills and constant rain and gravel path grit roads has made brake pads a weekly consumable for me, I started with the ones that came with my bike some resins , then went semi-metalic now on sintered here's hoping they last. Good to see an over view of some more affordable options

[@donovanrice2671]

I have kool stop mtb sintered pads on my gravel bike and I ride it basically every day and I live in Portland where it rains a ton and they have lasted almost a year… but really comes down to how much you brake and proper bedding in and using compatible and quality rotors.

[@mattvanderwalt6220]

I used ceramics (Alligator?) on Hayes HMX-1's on my SS MTB - they were amazing.

[@askmeaboutmattweiner]

I admit, you could also do heat testing by dragging your brakes at a particular wattage for a particular amount of time, then do your full stop testing.

[@smiche2]

I run different pads on front and rear. Rear usually resin for quick stops in the city and the front are metallic for long descends.

[@pierrex3226]

That sounds pretty smart actually

[@mikebike1258]

Luke. Love your videos. I actually was thinking about changing brake pad compounds so this video is PERFECT timing. (BTW, please lose the mustache, it is no bueno)

[@aponinenaugcasio8456]

it might also be a nice comparison between regular rotors and the ones that are intended for metallic brake pads.

[@henrychungfitness]

Luke doing the Lord’s good work 🙏 I wish I saw this before buying my pink Cooma pads off Ali

[@drissghalmi6278]

Brill is always on my weekend bike ride loop nice to see it on your video

[@ellipticalsoul]

Another great informative video! 🥖I got resin pads with my brakes but I found the stopping power lacking and they were squeaky too. Perhaps I didn't give them long enough to bed in though. The inexpensive semi-metallic (vandorm) ones I got from eBay are much better (although me being 90kg might be a factor..)

[@ducky4258]

Well if yall want the quick answer, SIKE watch the video! Of course there is a difference, Good job Luke!!

[@cegalleta]

Metal pads are a bit overkill for road bikes but for mountainbiking I'll never use resin pads again. The best ones I've used personally have been the TRP sintered ones, but most feel quite similar. The times I've used normal resin pads has been scary, you never know when your brakes will stop working and that's a bad feeling. The only resin pads that have endured descending have been galfer pads (all compounds are great tbh), but they wear out so quickly that aren't worth it unless you only use them for racing. Specially the pro compound, after 1 day at the bikepark they'll be half done and the powder from them wearing out makes them a bit noisy, though they get back to normal cleaning the residue with some alcohol. Just my experience.

[@imrevadasz1086]

Interesting test, but this only proves to me more and more that I don't want to ever deal with disc-brakes on a bicycle 😅. I just love those rubber brake-pads.

[@williamcrampton394]

Hi Luke. Another excellent and informative video. Thank You. Any chance of waxing the end of your 'tache for the next one? Well done.

[@GerhardGeficky-jg4ok]

I rode motorcycles for years and the best brake pad is SINTERED for maximum Stop. There is always a compromise. Sintered wears the Rotor. Takes time to warm up to work best but has the most stopping power. Ceramic is garbage and doesn't last. Best option is resin if your a beginner.

[@erhan6095]

Hats off. This is what I call testing.

[@ro...valverde1622]

I really like the shimano with the fins mostly for the looks 🙈 They are silent and work great as well 😁

[@BrianRPaterson]

Excellent. Ceramics sound like they're worth a try. Cheers

[@sutherlandrb32]

I thought the same thing. Ordered a set of the ztto ones that look like the finned Shimano ones on ali express. They got installed last night first ride tomorrow so we will see if the hype is real. Like $7 for the pair!

[@minhnguyenle5230]

And?

[@sutherlandrb32]

They are good. I'm not finding they burn out my rotors the same way he did in the video. I think if you told me they were resin I would believe you ​@@minhnguyenle5230

[@BrianRPaterson]

@@minhnguyenle5230 Dunno yet. Mine are still in the post. AliExpress can take a while.

[@JLneonhug]

Clearly not that good as you never came back to tell the tail...! 😅😢​@@sutherlandrb32

[@emmabird9745]

Hi Luke. Great vid. Baggettes by the dozen (as you can see I can't do mogees). Thats fully hydraulic and mechanical but what about the hybrid (mechanical-hydraulic) brakes, particularly those HY-Road ones you showed us?

[@wufler28]

Testing gets better and better. 👍 You just missed the graphene pads from absolute black 😛 What about heatsinks on the pads? I think I'm changing out the resin on my l-twoo Rx groupset for ceramic.

[@kevingregoire1042]

I wish, ceramic and resin had the fancy cooling fins some semi-metalic have.

[@truetaxx4579]

I was alway told, that when switching between resin and metallic you have to switch rotors as well may that have affected the testing?

[@hug8956]

I use metal pads because they manage the high heat generated during bikepacking with heavy loads.

[@MrInternetDude]

Good work man love your content

[@lukesanders768]

Tesco meal deals are the best, and paired with a Monster Juice, can't be better

[@Vasyapetrov666]

What about combining different type pads in one caliper?

[@richnovi]

Love tache and the channel. Keep it up Luke

[@ashleyhouse9690]

Great video 👍👍👍 I've used the same blue, resin pads from the eBay seller you highlight for several years now. My experience is slightly different from yours in as much as I have never experienced any issues with brake fade in several trips to mountainous areas like the Alps and Gran Canaria. Also, my main reason for switching to resin pads was the almost complete reduction in brake squeal, in wet or dry conditions. I got fed up with the brake squeal of the standard pads from Shimano and SRAM which I think are semi-metallic, especially in wet conditions. I may give the eBay semi-metallic pads a try on your rec as they are cheap enough and the service is great. As a small aside I had some kevlar pads from Superstar Components on my MTB a few years back and they were the dogs danglies in almost every respect. Sadly, they stopped doing them.

[@brookegravitt4117]

Luke, I can confirm that Play-Doh coated pads are super quiet, but single-use. Great for entertaining your toddlers, but not super great for Cyclocross races.I’ve found the Metallica pads are extremely hardcore, but hearing ‘Ride the Lightning’ every time you brake gets tiring. I guess I’ll try the ceramic or stick with resin for now. 🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖

[@sepg5084]

I guess i am interested in using Resin up front and Ceramics at the rear 🤔

[@markusseppala6547]

Can you make a video about 4 piston brakes? Maybe the hope RX4+?

[@abedfo88]

Big fan of the pink elite coombas from ali express. I believe they are a ceramic compound

[@impaledface7694]

Before I watch the video, yes. metallic was always better in the rain, and resin was the best for quiet braking. Oh, and sram brakes always squeal. It's a feature.

[@impaledface7694]

Honestly I can't say what pads my bikes have. I tend to just use the stock ones and they work great. Suspect semi-metallic or resin on all but the DH bike/brakes.

[@hankamania]

Juice Monster Aussie Lemonade is good, but I prefer the Pacific Punch flavor, which I'm drinking as I watch this.