Replacement BB5 Disc Pads - suppliers?

[lejogger]

Hi All,

My disc pads are due to be replaced, however Cycle Surgery tried to get me to part with the best part of £50 for two sets. To be honest, I'd rather upgrade to BB7 than spend that on pads for the BB5.

I've done the usual google searches, and the prices start at around £3 per set, but if the RRP is circa £25 I don't hold out much hope that these will be appropriate.

A few months back in a disc brake maintenance thread someone posted a link to site which seemed to have a vast array of pads with various compounds etc at reasonable prices, but I've scoured and I can't find it anywhere - so essentially, where does everyone buy theirs from, and are the 'non-Avid' replicas best avoided?

Cheers

 

[potsy]

Think the site you want is Discobrakes?
Not used them yet but they were mentioned in a thread of mine.

 

[lejogger]

Cheers, that looks just the ticket.

Now to decide which compound... Sometimes fewer options make these sort of decisions much easier!

 

[potsy]

Cheers, that looks just the ticket.

Now to decide which compound... Sometimes fewer options make these sort of decisions much easier!

That's what I thought!!
How many miles did you get from the pads?
I have done around 700 but haven't checked the wear yet, I imagine I'll get plenty more miles before they need replacing.

 

[lejogger]

Getting on for 3000 miles since May so they've not done too badly. Front are in definite need of replacement; rear aren't too bad at all, but if I'm changing the compound I'll do both together this time. You should be fine for a good couple of thousand more miles.

I've opted for the metallic sintered. Kevlar and ceramic seem nice, but my bike is an all-year-round workhorse, so I need something that is hard-wearing and suitable for all weather conditions. The BB5 are also fiddly, so I don't want to be replacing every couple of months.

Cheers again for the link.

 

[potsy]

Be interested to know how you find them compared the the OE ones.
I too have weighed up upgrading to BB7's but will see how the BB5's do first

 

[jay clock]

I used Discobrakes. No idea if they are as good as OEM but they seemed to work fine. And cheap!

 

[tincaman]

This is where I got mine, came very quick too

 

[lejogger]

Order placed last night. I'll keep everyone posted on delivery speed, quality and comparison to original pads.

 

[lejogger]

Ok... pads came in two working days. Looked pretty good.
Spent an hour on Saturday giving the bike a thorough wash and then replaced the pads. Was a pretty easy job, especially now I've used the previously mentioned method to dial them in a few times. Stopping power is excellent and no problems at all so far, but only done about 150 miles, so we'll see how they last.
Pretty impressed at the minute though.

 

[Jmenorton]

Slight off topic, did my first commute this morning, on a new CX bike with BB7 brakes, they didnt exactly give me mush confidence especially from the hoods, i has expecting over the handlebar power but i couldnt even lock up the rear. Hoping its just a new brakes issue, and a technique issue (first bike with drops)

 

[lejogger]

Slight off topic, did my first commute this morning, on a new CX bike with BB7 brakes, they didnt exactly give me mush confidence especially from the hoods, i has expecting over the handlebar power but i couldnt even lock up the rear. Hoping its just a new brakes issue, and a technique issue (first bike with drops)

I guess the first job is to find out where the lack of power is being caused.

I.e. Are the levers squishy - are you pulling them back against the bars - in which case it's an issue with how far the pads are away from the rotor. This will require taking up some cable slack, or dialling in the pads so they sit closer to the rotor.
Or are the levers feeling taught, but the pads just aren't gripping the rotor? Others may have more expertise than me on this, but I imagine this may be an issue with the pads perhaps needing to be sanded or just bedded in, or there might be some lube or similar on the discs?

BB7s have a good reputation, so it's probably just teething problems rather than a poor quality set.