Brake Pad Rim Review

When it comes to riding your bike on a daily basis, you’ll come to depend on certain parts of the bike without even thinking about them. For example, the bike brakes and shifters. Most bikes still come with what are called “rim” brakes, which also can be called cantilever brakes, rod brakes, or u-brakes just to name a few different sub-styles of the rim brake system. The most common part that gets replaced on a rim brake bike is of course the brake pads themselves.

Rim brakes are not used today on road racing bikes or mountain bikes hardly anymore. Rim brakes are actually poor quality brakes to begin with. This is especially true during any kind of wet weather or when you ride your bike on trails with mud, dirt, grime, and so on. Once any water gets on the bike rims, rim brakes simply perform poorly even if made by Dia compe brakes. When you brake under wet conditions your rim brakes can “chatter,” which means they grab the rim and then are released from the bike rim in quick repetitive motions. This causes your bike not to slow down or stop properly and can cause the whole bike and you to shake! Trail mud can get stuck between the rim brake and the rim, causing it to brake poorly too. 

Upgraded rim brake pads can be purchased at your local bike shop as made by Tektro brakes or TRP brakes. Sometimes you will have to replace the caliper to make aftermarket rim brake pads fit properly, other times you may not have to do this. Id completely depends on how old your bike is and the make and model. If you are unsure what will fit, then see your local bike shop mechanic for some suggestions.

What It’s For

Rim style brake pads are small pieces of rubber material that get squeezed against the bike’s tire rims as you pull on the brake lever. The rim brake pads move by the action of a cable that travels from the bike brake levers to the bike cantilevers and calipers, which contains the brake pads and their metal holders. Aftermarket rim brake pads, which include Avid pads and Shimano pads, generally are made from more advanced rubber or other materials to help you bike brake quicker, with less effort on the brake lever. These brakes are good for wet and muddy weather and seem to last much longer than stock brake pads do.

Major Manufacturers

Avid, Shimano, Jagwire, Delta.

Pricing

Prices on rim brake pads start at about $5.99 per pair up to more than $30 a pair for higher end units.