Originally Posted by laterider
How long do your brake pads usually last? I know there are lots of variables involved, but I was just wondering. I've had my second bike for a month and riding it about 80mi a week and to me it already looks like I've been through about half the pads. The brakes are just average tektros with the one piece plastic pads. I live in florida so I'm not riding brakes down hills - its just flat as can be here. An unavoidable part of my rides always takes me through an area that has well water from sprinklers all over the road, so I'm constantly wiping down the alloy calipers to remove the spots (and the rest of the bike too). Doing this has me looking at the brakes in the process. Just as a side thought, could the water itself be accelerating wear?
Three things contribute to accelerated pad wear:
1. downhill braking
2. wet riding
3. lack of maintenance (not cleaning rims on a regular basis)
Some of the above you can't do anything about. Some you can. Where I live and ride in flat Florida my biggest challenge is wet riding. But even so, a pair of pads (Dura-Ace front, Kool-Stop rear) can easily last me 10,000 + miles.
Bob