The Organic pads that BBB produce are great aftermarket alternatives, especially when supply issues restrict the use of the standard OE options. It does however wear quickly and can suffer from brake fade with heavier riders on long descents. SRAM’s organic/'quiet' pad doesn’t seem to suffer from glazing and in most cases is a great pad and a brilliant option for most riders. That was the only flaw however and in general I’d say that they are nearly as good as the Exotherm 2 pads. I removed the pads and used some sandpaper on the top surface of the braking material and they behaved as new again, which was a simple fix but one that most people may be loath to do. This left the brake with less modulation and less initial bite – not to a dangerous level but it was definitely noticeable. I was surprised to find that the Powerful option can suffer a little with glazing over if the brake system gets too hot and this was a bit of an issue in the dry. The SRAM pads definitely didn’t mind a bit of rain, in fact I’d argue that they seemed to get stronger in wet conditions. But it’s still a relevant real world test as conditions will have a similar effect on the pads regardless of the brake itself. This was the only pad on the test which wasn’t tested on my Shimano Ultegra Callipers since it's SRAM-specific, so therefore you could argue that any comparison in performance cannot be verified. The 'Powerful' option lasts longer than the standard OE pads and offers more power and bite in wet conditions. They only produce pads for their own brake systems, but SRAM’s sister company, Avid, has helped make some really good quality pads.
#Road bike break pads upgrade#
Whilst not an upgrade for any other systems, I’ve included the SRAM sintered pads because they’re actually very good and they do offer an upgrade on the standard 'Quiet' organic pads when you use them in the correct conditions. I’d favour the Disc RS in most instances in comparison to the brand's Exotherm 2 pads reviewed below – the exception to this is when heat control is a factor. Pad life in general isn’t really a big problem as the reduced 1.6mm backing plate makes space for more pad material and this improves the service life of the pad – at the very least it gives you an extra margin for issues should the weather turn bad during a long ride when you’re away from home. The pads do wear ever so slightly quicker in the wet but they remain quiet. I tested all the pads on the same Shimano Ultegra Callipers – having used the Disc RS pads before I knew they’d offer me something more than the standard Shimano L03A (now replaced by the L05A-RF), but I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had even more power than I remembered.
Modulation to begin with is very good, but there is a very slight drop in performance when you really overwork the brake – I’m being critical here, because in all but very hot alpine conditions you probably won’t notice this. Other brakes almost feel slightly gritty to begin with or worse still, slightly glazed over, until you bed them in.
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