Disk brakes (pad suggestions) and a wobbly wheel ....

[clonmult]

With the fine weather, finally got back out on the bike last night. Its a Trek FX 7.3 Disk (disc?), up to January I'd been using it for the commute to work. It generally worked absolutely perfectly, although with the state of the London roads i occasionally wondered about my choice of a non suspension bike ...

Had a little wander down the road to see the state of it, brakes weren't particularly grippy, but acceptable.

The brakes are Shimano M465 disks, not hydraulic. In the 7 months I was commuting on it, maybe did 1500 miles, and reckon that the pads must need replacing - the stock Shimano pads don't seem too expensive, but are there any suggestions for better pads?

What was most worrying is that the rear wheel appears to be warped. Admit that I've just left the bike in the back garden in all weathers, but surely the wheel wouldn't normally just develop a (small) warp in just a few months of being outside?

Regardless though, it was absolutely fantastic to get out and do a few miles, find a pub in the country, and sit down with a good relaxing pint with nothing but the sound of the country

First real ride of the year is always memorable.

[snotrag]

This chap does great pads nice and cheap -

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/

[neil_bolton]

snotrag said:

This chap does great pads nice and cheap -

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/

These'll be taiwanese special's I expect. I've read one or two of his buyer reviews on the site (for the BB's actually as I fancy some gold ones) and they were complaining of failures.

I'd be cautious of taking them to France and using them under high stress conditions when I know Goodridge G-Stars work faultlessly.

However for commuting use, they're probably perfect

[clonmult]

neil_bolton said:

snotrag said:

This chap does great pads nice and cheap -

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/

These'll be taiwanese special's I expect. I've read one or two of his buyer reviews on the site (for the BB's actually as I fancy some gold ones) and they were complaining of failures.

I'd be cautious of taking them to France and using them under high stress conditions when I know Goodridge G-Stars work faultlessly.

However for commuting use, they're probably perfect

No longer commuting, purely pleasure riding, so I'm more likely to try and get more speed out of the machine. So I'll probably need more reassurance on the stopping ability. The original Shimano pads are only about 7 or 8 quid a pair.

[neil_bolton]

clonmult said:

neil_bolton said:

snotrag said:

This chap does great pads nice and cheap -

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/

These'll be taiwanese special's I expect. I've read one or two of his buyer reviews on the site (for the BB's actually as I fancy some gold ones) and they were complaining of failures.

I'd be cautious of taking them to France and using them under high stress conditions when I know Goodridge G-Stars work faultlessly.

However for commuting use, they're probably perfect

No longer commuting, purely pleasure riding, so I'm more likely to try and get more speed out of the machine. So I'll probably need more reassurance on the stopping ability. The original Shimano pads are only about 7 or 8 quid a pair.

Well, to give you an idea, replacement Saint/XT/XTR pads in Goodridge G-Star format are on average about £15. I've managed to find 4 sets at £11 each plus £2 postage and that was CHEAP!

I'd say £7 isn't bad, especially for Shimano's own stuff.

ETA: Shimanos own pads are very good - just they aren't Sintered, and I need sintered for my bikes as I frequently get them very hot

Edited by neil_bolton on Wednesday 7th May 12:02

[clonmult]

neil_bolton said:

clonmult said:

neil_bolton said:

snotrag said:

This chap does great pads nice and cheap -

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/

These'll be taiwanese special's I expect. I've read one or two of his buyer reviews on the site (for the BB's actually as I fancy some gold ones) and they were complaining of failures.

I'd be cautious of taking them to France and using them under high stress conditions when I know Goodridge G-Stars work faultlessly.

However for commuting use, they're probably perfect

No longer commuting, purely pleasure riding, so I'm more likely to try and get more speed out of the machine. So I'll probably need more reassurance on the stopping ability. The original Shimano pads are only about 7 or 8 quid a pair.

Well, to give you an idea, replacement Saint/XT/XTR pads in Goodridge G-Star format are on average about £15. I've managed to find 4 sets at £11 each plus £2 postage and that was CHEAP!

I'd say £7 isn't bad, especially for Shimano's own stuff.

ETA: Shimanos own pads are very good - just they aren't Sintered, and I need sintered for my bikes as I frequently get them very hot

Edited by neil_bolton on Wednesday 7th May 12:02

I initially found the stopping ability of the discs to be pretty good, although after getting a bit of WD40 on them it reduced their powers somewhat .....

Ta, I'll probably go for some of the Shimano pads and just see how the rear wheel goes. This is my first time doing casual cycling on the bike, and even without suspension its huge fun throwing it around, off kerbs and all that.