Originally Posted by
sjanzeir
The longer, narrower pad will have a more gradual braking effect, but will feel smoother in action and easier to modulate, whereas the shorter, wider pad will furnish a harder initial bite but with less finesse in action. Am I in the ballpark?
What's your reasoning behind this statement?
Personally I would think (for a given surface area) the pad shape i.e. length v width is largely irrelevant to any of the qualities you mention above.
From my own limited experience of hydraulic brake design, one of the most important (and often over-looked) factors regarding "feel" is how rigid the caliper body is (stiffer the better). Obviously pad material is very important too, along with the hydraulic circuit itself.