Fifty Plus (50+) - Replacing my Dura Ace brake pads

While washing my bike today I noticed that my rear brake pads are getting very close to being worn out. I had been watching the front ones pretty closely and assumed they would wear out the fastest. I can't see the rear ones very well since I put a rack on the back for commuting. When I bought the bike the pads looked brand new and I have put about 5000 miles on it so I would say the brakes have done well. My rims look good too, except they do not have any type of wear indicator which I don't like. I had a rim blow a sidewall while riding my mountain bike and it was scary sliding to a stop after the big bang.:eek: My question is, should I buy more dura ace pads because they wear well or should I switch to something else, like kool stops that might not wear as well but should be easier on my rims?

Can't go wrong with either Shimano or Kool Stop pads. Just get the ones that fit your brake shoes and make sure they're aligned properly. Rubbing against the tire is probably what caused the blowout you mentioned.

Rubbing against the tire is probably what caused the blowout you mentioned.

I didn't say it well above. The sidewall of the tire did not blow out on my mountain bike, it was the side of the rim. They were fairly new bontrager rims and the dealer gave me a new upgraded set.

Can't go wrong with either Shimano or Kool Stop pads. ...

I disagree vehemently. I tried a set of Shimano pads in my early Campagnolo sidepulls at my LBS owner's recommendation, because they looked cool. However, a few steep descents in foggy weather quickly convinced me that the Shimano pads had made an already marginal braking system (Shimano aero handles, Campagnolo single-pivot calipers, black-anodized Campagnolo Omega rims) even worse. I am still not satisfied with my brakes (next step, Shimano dual pivot calipers), but changing to KoolStop salmon pads did improve my stopping power appreciably. Based on my personal experience, I cannot recommend Shimano brake pads.

Sorry to hear that. On my race bike I've always used Ultegra pads and calipers. The wheels: Rolf Vector, Mavic Open Pro, or Mavic Ksryium SL. The braking is almost too good. On group rides and crits I'll loosen the front caliper to make it harder to accidentally lock up up a wheel in the heat of battle.