Originally Posted by dynaryder
I had a Giant Sedona with discs for a little over a year and a half. My commute is all hills,I rode it through the rain/snow/sand/salt last winter,and used the front brake hard playing polo once a week. I changed the front pads once,and still had the stock rears when I sold it.
What brakes do you have? Discs require occasional pad adjustment. Squealing can usually be cured by cleaning the rotor.
I have Avid BB5 mechanicals. I've adjusted the brakes a number of times, but the brake pads have at least 3000km on them already, if not more. I've had to replace the rotors once, because they were warped.