Originally Posted by
owenfinn
What kind of pads are they?
Shimano pads seem to melt in the rain - with the black grit getting all over the braking surface resulting in that gritty feeling and noise. Kool Stop pads, in addition to stopping the bike better, don`t melt when wet, last longer and don`t pick up shards nearly as often.
You could also go over the rim braking surface lightly with a fine abrasive rubber block like this -
http://www.amazon.com/SandFlex-Flexi.../dp/B007R2LPBW
Hozan makes a similar pad designed especially for bikes and it's about the right size for rims.
I
try and wipe down my rims once a day when it is raining. In dry weather I can go weeks and weeks before I need to wipe down the rims, but as soon as it's wet, not only do the pads start shedding a lot more, the combination of passing cars and your own wet tires will cover the rims in grit that will eat away the rim surface at an alarming rate. If you can hear it, they need to be wiped down.