Bicycle Mechanics - brake pad wear question?

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?

I'd say mine typically last 1500-3000 miles before I replace them, generally when about 1/4 to 1/3 of the pad is left.

Water probably isn't accelerating the wear, but dust and mud in the spray could well be. So you've put 320 miles on them, and they're already half worn? Ya, that DOES seem fast. It might be that the stock pads that came with the bike are really soft and wear faster. But I agree that they seem to be wearing out much faster than normal.

Personally, I like the Kool Stop Salmon-colored pads the best. They've had excellent lifetime for me.

If you're riding on the stock tektro pads, i'd suggest you switch them out immediately.

thanks mox, when I got the bike I didn't think they were stopping very well and I thought geez, these are all plastic, maybe I should upgrade. After a few rides I guess they seat in, because they seem to stop a lot better than day 1. They do seem thinner to me, but most likely I'm over estimating wear and have plenty to go for a while.

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

If you're riding on the stock tektro pads, i'd suggest you switch them out immediately.

operator, the reasoning behind this?? are you saying they are that bad?

operator, the reasoning behind this?? are you saying they are that bad?
If you like the brake pads, and they give enough stopping power in the conditions you ride in... keep 'em.

Everybody has their own preference of brake pads/chain lube/inner tubes/saddles based on their experiences, but there's rarely a good reason to stop using something that works well for you.

I've got at least 7000 miles on a set of KoolStop insert pads (black) and they're still going strong. I ride hills and flats, not mountains.