TRP and TLW recommend only using Isopropyl alchohol or IPA for brake cleaning as it leaves behind no residue and is safe on o-rings and seals. When it comes to braking, friction is your friend! It’s essential to be very cautious when handling, washing and lubing your bike and to ensure any products that find their way onto the braking system don’t contain any lubricating ingredients like silicon.Ĭolin Esquibel at TRP won’t even touch a brake rotor with his bare hands, you really don’t want to risk the residue of your Cheetos or natural oil finding its way onto your brakes. Not quite the best of both worlds, but a good all-rounder. What they do however is blend some of the bite, and lever-feel traits with longevity and heat management. Semi-metallics strike a middle ground between the two, not quite reaching the bite levels of a Resin pad nor the longevity of the Metallic. The folks at TRP, and our own personal experience suggest that if you’re a heavier rider or someone who’s on the brakes a lot, metallic pads are the way to go. They resist heat fade a lot better and last a lot longer though, especially in wet, gritty, or sandy conditions. Metallic pads solve some of the issues from the resin option, however they are louder, slightly more “harsh” in their initial pad contact with less ramp up, and have less initial bite when hot. Once up to temperature, the initial bite is awesome on resin pads, however they can be more susceptible to heat fade, don’t work as well in wet, and don’t last as long as the alternatives. The resin pads will deliver a softer, more delicate lever feel upon initial pad contact to the rotor, making them the choice for World Cup downhill superstar Neko Mullaly. The standard options are Metallic (Sintered), Semi-metallic (Hybrid material) or Organic (Resin).
Again, we like to opt for thicker rotors where possible, but it’s important to ensure your brake caliper will accept some of the thicker units.ĭepending on the brand, there are usually two or three options for brake pad materials. This not only lets the rotors handle and dissipate the heat a little better, but makes them much less prone to warping or bending. Standard rotors are 1.8mm-2mm thick, whereas TRP brakes use a thicker 2.3mm rotor. Rotor thickness is something that’s often overlooked, but it can make a big difference. It’s important to make sure your bike will accept a larger rotor and you won’t void any warranties, but it’s one of the simplest upgrades you can make to your stoppers. The increased control and confidence in your brakes at the end of a long descent pays dividends.
A larger rotor will add weight overall, but at The Loam Wolf we’d always err on the side of bigger is better. If you don’t like to read, just check out our in-depth YouTube video and please be sure to subscribe as we’re really trying to grow our channel! Enjoy.īrake rotors are available in a range of diameters, from weight-weenie approved 140mm discs to monstrous 223mm units that are appropriate for stopping a tank.
Wondering why your mountain bike’s brakes aren’t feeling as good as they used to? Looking for the best solution to cure contamination or fade? Or are you just looking to make your brakes work powerfully and reliably as they can for as long as they can? We sat down with TRP, World Cup racer Neko Mulally and TRP’s lead engineer Colin Esquibel to give you some tips on cleaning and maintaining mountain bike disc brakes.
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