Are all brake blocks equal?

[Strick]

Aside from different fitment, do brake blocks differ much?
To put it in perspective, I sell car parts for a living, and am very aware of the difference in quality of different brands / compounds. Stopping power, wear, noise, etc. There are certain brands that I would not entertain having fitted to my car.
I find myself with well worn brake blocks, in need of replacement, so wondered if cycle brakes had the same options?
If so, is anyone able to point me in the right direction of the better ones please?
Thanks in advance.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

If money is no object Kool Stop pads are commonly acknowledged as the best in the market.

 

[zexel]

There will possibly be disagreement but I find upper end Shimano blocks a decent compound for dry and wet weather although they can be quite harsh on certain wheels.

The best (and dearest) are Swisstop.

I find the cheaper rubbery type tend to squeal and are rubbish in the wet.

As an aside what's your opinion on Pagid pads?

Edit: Just spotted you're near P'boro. I'm in Huntingdon, looking for some parts for my car.

 

[Strick]

Thanks for the replies guys.


Zexel; Pagid are OK, but aren't what they used to be (as with so many things), but are still better than a lot of brands out there. Ferodo, and Mintex are both good brands. What make of vehicle is it?

 

[Grizzly]

I got my Trek road bike about 18 months ago, the standard blocks lasted about 4 or 5 months. I put Kool Stops on and they are still going, not only that but the improvement in stopping power was obvious straight away.

 

[apollo179]

Should you use different brake pads depending on whether youve got alluminium or steel wheels. ?
I had some pads that ripped chunks out of an aluminium wheel once - abrasive like sand paper - put some bso pads on and it was ok.

 

[HLaB]

There's a definite difference in pads I've just put Kool Stop inserts in my ultegra brakes, I would say braking only marginally improved (but these are rear pads I use the fronts more) but there's less black oily mess :-) The Ultegra pads lasted 9600 miles, it'll be a while before I find out if the Koolstops last as long On another bike I economised and bought cheap Ed Co Op pads, they were pretty effective (but I used them on the front where they'd be more powerful) however, they were pretty noisy even after I toed them in (I've never had that problem with any other make of pad).

 

[Theseus]

I would use Kool Stop if ICBA to wait for some, but I tend to go to the nearest Halfords (just a walk away) and get Clarks pads. They do the job OK and are cheap to replace.