Km/miles with brake pads

[Jief]

Hi,
i'm a proud owner of a RadRover 6+ since a month.  I really love this bike !   But after only 325km (200 miles), i think my brake pad are already dead ...   after how many km/miles do you change your brakes pads ?   
Thanks

[santacruzpaul]

Hi,
i'm a proud owner of a RadRover 6+ since a month.  I really love this bike !   But after only 325km (200 miles), i think my brake pad are already dead ...   after how many km/miles do you change your brakes pads ?   
Thanks

The fronts usually go first,
200 miles doesn't sound right to be worn out, I have a rad rover 5 with mechanical brakes and got about 1500 miles out if the fronts, And about 3000 miles from the rear.

Thanks Brunotj,
Forgot to mention, I am 6 foot and 220 lbs. Not too hilly of an area,

[bruntoj]

I weigh 220 lbs (100kg) and live in a hilly area.  I get about 200-400 miles depending on whether it?s soft or hard/sintered pads I?m using. RR6+


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[santacruzpaul]

I weigh 220 lbs (100kg) and live in a hilly area.  I get about 200-400 miles depending on whether it?s soft or hard/sintered pads I?m using. RR6+


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Thanks Brunotj,
Forgot to mention, I am 6 foot and 220 lbs. Not too hilly of an area,

[Radiculous]

I didn't get 1k miles before the rear pads totally disappeared. Front pads weren't bad. Just the trailing ends were worn a bit. Replaced them with pads from Rad.

I'm 150lbs with alot of pad hungry trail descents on my Rover6. 

[handlebar]

I didn't get 1k miles before the rear pads totally disappeared. Front pads weren't bad. Just the trailing ends were worn a bit. Replaced them with pads from Rad.

I'm 150lbs with alot of pad hungry trail descents on my Rover6.

Until I switched from my Radrunner a couple of weeks ago, I weighed 255. I live at the top of a 6% hill with two speed bumps. After about a thousand miles, I found that the back brake wouldn't hold when I squeezed the lever to invert the bike for maintenance. Using both brakes together, I hadn't realized the rear didn't work. I didn't know how long ago it had failed.

One pad was worn away. The other was thinner at one end than the other. When I assembled the new bike, I had noted that the back wheel had more resistance than the front. I attributed this to the motor and planetary gears. Beyond cable adjustments, I hadn't adjusted the brakes because the manual made it intimidating. Obviously, the back brake had come from the factory badly adjusted.

Disregarding the manual, I used common sense.
1. The lever on the caliper needs to open all the way to the stop. If necessary, loosen the cable adjusters.
2. Loosen the two screws that hold the caliper to the bike, maybe 1/2 turn or less, to let the caliper can move into alinement,.
3. Tighten the inboard pad until the wheel won't turn. I reach through the spokes with a 5mm allen bit on a 6" extension from a socket set.
4. Loosen the inner pad until the wheel turns freely. It may be only an hour or two on a clock face.
5. Use a shoestring with a clove hitch to pull the brake lever toward the hand grip. If you can pull the lever all the way to the handgrip, you need to tighten the cable adjustments.
6. With the brake applied, the disk is aligning the caliper. Tighten the caliper screws and remove the shoestring.

A potential problem is elasticity in the cable housing. Applying the brake squeezes the housing lengthwise. When you release the lever, pads may still drag because the springy housing may become slightly longer. The rear cable was spongier than the front becuase it's longer and has more bends. I made it much less spongy by lashing the lever toward the hand grip for 48 hours, whenever I wasn't riding. I switched off the battery so the brake light wouldn't run it down.

I bought pads on Amazon from a company that offers five pad materials. I chose resin, the least durable. After 1800 miles, they're doing fine, as are the OEM front pads after 2800 miles. I don't remember even having to adjust cables.

[Jief]

Thanks all !

I weigth around 190lb and ride a little bit fast with a bridge to cross (Jacques-Cartier, in Montreal)    i check my pads yesterday and they are at middle life ...   But i found them very noisy, like sandpaper that we rub together. 

The RR6+ had hydraulic brake so they just need to be adjust once ... (if i'm not wrong)

What the best material for brake pads ?

[handlebar]

Thanks all !

I weigth around 190lb and ride a little bit fast with a bridge to cross (Jacques-Cartier, in Montreal)    i check my pads yesterday and they are at middle life ...   But i found them very noisy, like sandpaper that we rub together. 

The RR6+ had hydraulic brake so they just need to be adjust once ... (if i'm not wrong)

What the best material for brake pads ?

Here's the brand I bought.
https://amzn.to/3WGdVwH

The manufacturer explains the differences among the five materials:

"𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋 - Choose a resin/organic pad for casual riding, a semi-metallic pair of disc brake pads for more frequent use, and multi-metallic/sintered or copper brake pads for more aggressive riding. Multi-metallic/sintered or copper disc brake pads are perfect for more aggressive riding like downhill."

Metal helps pads stand up to heat, which will increase wear and could cause immediate failure. My highest hill is under 40 feet, I estimate, so non-metallic pads do well. (Unlike the OEM front pads, they do make a little noise, contrary to what the manufacturer says.)

As a teen, I would descend more than 1,000 feet on one hill. It required little from the brakes because I could ride safely at 45 mph, and air drag kept me from going faster. Descending 1,000 feet on a steep trail where I had to ride the brakes, could overheat the pads I'm using.

[Fionn]

i'm about 172.72 Cm (5'.8") and 70 Kg (154 Lbs) very hilly area so lots of DH trails.

I have replaced the front brake already and theres not much remaining on it, the rear is due to be replaced now, I have 2,900 Km clocked up so this is pretty ok.

Radpower advised me to get these brakes for the RR 6+  https://www.mantel.com/jagwire-pro-semi-metallic-schijfremblokjes

[handlebar]

i'm about 172.72 Cm (5'.8") and 70 Kg (154 Lbs) very hilly area so lots of DH trails.

I have replaced the front brake already and theres not much remaining on it, the rear is due to be replaced now, I have 2,900 Km clocked up so this is pretty ok.

Radpower advised me to get these brakes for the RR 6+  https://www.mantel.com/jagwire-pro-semi-metallic-schijfremblokjes

My Radrunner has Tektro brakes, so I searched for that at Amazon. In the product description, I matched the photos and measurements against the pads I needed to replace. Your link explained the advantages of the nonmetalic pads I chose. (I cheated and used translate.google.com.)

[Fionn]

Oops!, I didn't realise that the page was in Dutch. When I was ordering, i had chosen the language dropdown and selected Ireland.
I've got the brakes but still haven't fit them yet!