V-Brake Pad Life?

Per (PeteCresswell):
>I've got disc brakes

.... on the bikes I ride the most...

V's on the utility bike, but it doesn't get enough miles/hills to wear the pads
very much.
--
PeteCresswell

(PeteCresswell) wrote:
> This is almost trolling because I've got disc brakes, but I keep
> wondering....
>
> I've read several reports of people who have completely used up their
> V-brake pads on a single descent.
>
> Do the things really wear out that fast or are those reports from the
> fringe?

Fringe.

> This is almost trolling because I've got disc brakes, but I keep
> wondering....
>
> I've read several reports of people who have completely used up their
> V-brake
> pads on a single descent.
>
> Do the things really wear out that fast or are those reports from the
> fringe?

It has nothing to do with being a "V" brake, and everything to do with
whether the descent is wet or dry. Wet conditions can destroy both brake
pads and rims very quickly. We had a customer who would go through a set of
rims in just a couple of winter descents (long descents, about 2500 ft
vertical). He seemed not to mind because he had such a good time doing it.

Muddy descents in gritty conditions (as if someone has found non-abrasive
mud somewhere?) is like running dual-sided sandpaper between your rim and
brake pads. It's one of the best reasons to consider disc brakes.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

"(PeteCresswell)" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> This is almost trolling because I've got disc brakes, but I keep
> wondering....
>
> I've read several reports of people who have completely used up their
> V-brake
> pads on a single descent.
>
> Do the things really wear out that fast or are those reports from the
> fringe?
> --
> PeteCresswell

(PeteCresswell) wrote:
> This is almost trolling because I've got disc brakes, but I keep
> wondering....
>
> I've read several reports of people who have completely used up their
> V-brake pads on a single descent.
>
> Do the things really wear out that fast or are those reports from the
> fringe?

I'm glad you asked this question. I've wondered, too.

Are these heavy, slow riders who baby it down the descent?

Or are they rocky descents where low speed is a priority?

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
>> I've read several reports of people who have completely used up their
>> V-brake
>> pads on a single descent.
>>
>> Do the things really wear out that fast or are those reports from the
>> fringe?

> It has nothing to do with being a "V" brake, and everything to do with
> whether the descent is wet or dry.

I hate to disagree with someone as smart as Mike, but... I think V-brake
pads are traditionally much thinner than canti pads. So V-brake pads
will typically wear out faster; not because you shed more material, but
because there is less material to shed before the pad is toast. So I
think there is an indirect connection between the brake type and brake
pad life.

> Wet conditions can destroy both brake pads and rims very quickly.

> Muddy descents in gritty conditions (as if someone has found non-abrasive
> mud somewhere?) is like running dual-sided sandpaper between your rim and
> brake pads. It's one of the best reasons to consider disc brakes.

With this I agree.

--
Dave
dvt at psu dot edu

On Fri, 10 Mar 2006 17:07:50 +0000, Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:

>> This is almost trolling because I've got disc brakes, but I keep
>> wondering....
>>
>> I've read several reports of people who have completely used up their
>> V-brake
>> pads on a single descent.
>>
>> Do the things really wear out that fast or are those reports from the
>> fringe?
>
> It has nothing to do with being a "V" brake, and everything to do with
> whether the descent is wet or dry. Wet conditions can destroy both brake
> pads and rims very quickly. We had a customer who would go through a set of
> rims in just a couple of winter descents (long descents, about 2500 ft
> vertical). He seemed not to mind because he had such a good time doing it.
>
> Muddy descents in gritty conditions (as if someone has found non-abrasive
> mud somewhere?) is like running dual-sided sandpaper between your rim and
> brake pads. It's one of the best reasons to consider disc brakes.

It's true, wet MTB descents can wear out brake pads in a jiffy. I can't
imagine wearing out pads in one ride, but V-brake pads are pretty thin.
Shimano's compounds wear very quickly indeed, so maybe it's possible.

It also depends on the length and nature of the descent. I used to make
3-4000' descents a couple of times a week. In winter I would go
through a set brake pads every couple of months, and have to adjust them
(for wear) several times in between. In dry conditions pads last for
years.

Rims wear quickly in wet conditions too -- a compelling
argument for disk brakes.

Matt O.