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Finned Brake pads
 
Hi everyone, this is my first post.

I've just built an electric mtb based on a Scott Scale 720 hard-tail and a 1000w Bafang motor. I am a novice mtb rider, partly disabled after a motorbike RTA, hence the electric motor.

The bike weighs 25kg with battery and I'm 95kg, and I'm finding that stopping at the bottom of my local hill, on road, requires a lot of braking power. I'm stopping OK without any discernible fade, but I'm using 100%. Ideally I'd like to have something in reserve.

I've upgraded the rotor from 180/160 to 203/180 and put some Matrix race pads in the front. This has helped, but after reaching 45 mph downhill the other day I had a major lack of confidence.

So I've just bought some Zee 4 pots, F & R, and before I fit them I have been looking at brake pads again. Found this site, studied the pad type graph/chart and watched a great video of blind testing pad types, but I can't find a mention of finned pads.

So here's my question: Are finned pads a distraction I should ignore, or with 120Kg doing 45mph should I consider using them to reduce the risk of excessive heat getting into the brake system/fluid?

I don't plan to do stupid speeds all the time, but electric bikes often have more powerful brakes than their non-electric cousins. Besides, I've taken up mtb riding to lose weight not frighten myself!

Thanks for your advice Smile

(PS. Yes, I know 250W is the legal max for the road, but it's the only route to my local trails...).

by r4robert     Mon Nov 25, 2019

 
Hi,
Thanks for your post. We don't have finned pads in our line-up and from our experience, they don't make a massive difference under normal riding conditions. They do help to dissipate when you are riding long descends where there is a lot of heat build-up and no opportunity for the brakes to cool down again. You are describing a situation (when you are descending at 45mph on an e-bike) which is rather extreme, and a mountain bike brake might be pushed to its limits there. Finner pads might help in that situation; we can't reliably comment on that as we don't look back at personal experience here. Larger rotors and four piot brakes should help as well as a compound which can deal with the heat build up a bit better.

We hope that helps.

DiscoBrakes Team

by Mikethebike     Tue Nov 26, 2019

 
Thanks for the reply.

I've ordered a couple of sets of the Ceramic Pro pads, as looking at your pad compound graph they provide powerful stopping power.

I agree 45mph is extreme, but it's only for a minute or so, hardly the same as a sustained DH run, so heat build up in the brake system should be relatively low. I'll stick to non-finned pads from now on and think more carefully about compounds instead.

Great to have found you guys!
Cheers.

by r4robert     Tue Nov 26, 2019

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