brake pads - organic or metallic?

[bartspedden]

Generally speaking, I run metallic for my long (xc) stuff and organic(resin) for my short steep (dh) stuff. I have never really considered organic pads for bike packing routes because I have been afraid that they would wear out too quickly.... maybe I am wrong. What say you?

[mtbordie]

I prefer the feel of organic pads over metallic and I can't say I noticed a big difference in durability. This was with XT brakes
I didn't care for the noise that the metallic pads made either.  I carried an extra set of pads with me just in case though.

[Dr Galactus]

I run sintered (metallic) on the back so I can (if I want/need) drag it going down hills and organic on the front for when I actually need to stop.
I also dislike the feel and noise of sintered pads but for the back they're fine.

[bartspedden]

I run sintered (metallic) on the back so I can (if I want/need) drag it going down hills and organic on the front for when I actually need to stop.
I also dislike the feel and noise of sintered pads but for the back they're fine.

I like that idea a lot! I'm considering changing the front rotor from 160mm to 180mm as well. I imagine the larger rotor size would decrease the heat somewhat on the longer descents as well, which might extend the life of the organic front pads.

[Area54]

Go 180 front and rear and run metal pads, got this setup on the fargo with bb7r and love it for heavy loaded long descents. If you fist a rotor, you can swap it for optimum braking and no sizing issue with caliper adaptors.

[SlowRide]

Just finished TD with metal on front and back, no issues and no noise. With the amount of grit we had due to six days of rain at the start on gravel/dirt roads I heard of people replacing pads up to five times during the race, I never had to replace mine, had them checked in Steamboat and was still at 50% so I rolled them to the end. XT brakes.

[Yogi the Barry]

Re: Metallic vs. Organic Noise
All things equal, metallic should be noisier than organic, but IMHO the rotors have as much or more to do with noise. Rotors with large open areas/holes seem to make more noise than rotors with many small open areas. Some rotors just don't work well with certain brakes. A few months ago I got new XT brakes and tried running very lightweight Magura and Formula rotors I had laying around [large Swiss cheese holed rotors which worked OK with Elixir 9s] and the brakes drove me crazy with the noise they made. Replaced with Shimano Icetech rotors and even with metallic pads the brakes are almost silent.
The Avid HS1 rotors, many small holes, are quiet. Alligator weight-weenie rotors seem to work fine as a XC race brake, but heavy downhill braking caused them to discolor, squawk and overheat.
I think the better rotors have the swept area the same as function of radius, if that makes any sense. An uneven distribution of open area and/or openings which are too large cause the pads to vibrate/oscillate/scream/etc.
Re: Rotor size
Area54's idea of running 180 front and rear is a good suggestion to have a rotor swap option. I run 160 front and rear on the hardtail and 180 front 160 rear on the FS bike. Most brake applications use larger rotors/brakes on the front, because there is more weight on the front tire when braking. The front brake can work harder as a result of not locking up as soon as the rear [automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles]. Larger rotors should increase pad life and the brakes will run cooler. I've always wondered on the 180/160 bike if the shorter pad life in the rear is a result of the rotor size, brake dragging or both.

[EndoAgain]

I rode metallic pads for 10 years and never replaced a pair of pads though my riding in Texas and the midwest did not include mountain passes. Used some organic pads to get ride of brake squeal and promote a better feel with my BB7s two years ago. They felt wonderful and close to my hydraulics.  Had always avoided riding in bad weather as midwestern trails get beat up if you ride them in the rain. Then, brought my brand new Scott scale 650b to an end of year club race in Ohio, a rain or shine event, and it was pouring. My bike had organic XT pads with two rides on the bike. We started a 3 hr race through the woods. I think only three others in the expert class maybe 4. By the end of the race I had passed the last one and won...largely because everyone else's brakes had failed! I finished with only the front brake working. I had no idea organic pads could be eaten so quickly in mucky conditions. So...swapped my BB7s to metallic pads for the TDR. First day my levers were back to the bar with new pads! Could not find my tool to adjust the inboard pad and with frozen hands could only turn the outboard adjuster. This undoubtedly accelerated wear on the outer pad as it had to press harder and harder against the disk to get it pushed against the inboard pad. By day two I was adjusting the pad half way down each mountain pass. I walked steep descents to save them and made it into Whitefish where I got new ones. Made sure to keep them properly adjusted and they lasted the rest of the race. Don't think I would have made it to whitefish on organic pads. The Whitefish bike shop went through all their XT pads and said some racers used their primary pads and their spares and still came to Whitefish, metal on metal. For a long event I will take metallic pads and any noise that might go with them. For shorter events I do like the feel of the organic though.

[bncrshr77]

I run the XTR brakes with resin pads.  I'm sure the metallic ones would last longer but the constant squeal was too much for me.

[Yogi the Barry]

For 2012 CTR, I started out with brand new metallic pads on Avid Elixirs [180mm front and 160mm rear]. Got home and noticed the rear pads were worn down to the return spring, a.k.a. they were more than officially worn out. Front pads were about 70% worn. Only biked about 7-8 hours in the rain over a week. Swiss-cheesed Magura and Formula rotors overheated badly descending Tenmile and Stoney Pass. I'm sure organics would not have made it thru without needing replacement. FYI, I did carry one set of aluminum backed organics as a spare.