Hey, I'm sick of the pads that are on my Cannondale with Shimano RSX comps, they're really loud and scratchy, and don't seem to be able to fine tune the stopping power (it's like they're either on, and skidding, or off.. and hardly in between). So for my fixie build I want to get the right pads (for side-pulls), that are quiet in application and won't bind (this is for front wheel brakes, and I don't want to go over the bars).. I guess this depends on their tackiness? I don't mind replacing them frequently, but I'm not about to spend $50 on those cartridge ones.

Anyone have any tips or experience?