All this horrible weather is destroying brake pads at a rapid rate. There’s nothing much worse than the sound of the pads grinding into a paste on a ride, only to find when you get back home that you’ve virtually no pads remaining.
It’s time to replace them then, and as luck would have it news reaches us of RWD pads, which are now being distributed by Upgrade Bikes. RWD, or Race Winning Designs, is a home-grown company based in Swaledale, Yorkshire. With a strong background in the automotive industry they’re bringing that expertise to mountain bikes with a comprehensive range of pads to fit most disc brake models.
RWD Brakes Managing Director, James Hall commented on the news: “We’re really excited about working with the team at Upgrade Bikes over the course of the next few months. Out of all of the UK distributors, we identified Upgrade back when we first started as being the perfect partner for us, given the success that they have brought to their other brands partners. We’re more than confident that their team will do us proud.”
On offer are two types of pad, sintered and organic, and have been developed over a period of two years. The sintered pads are the choice for the current weather, where the trails are wet and muddy. A higher friction compound offers a strong initial bite, with consistent performance in wet conditions.
Better saved for dry summer use are the organic pads. A medium density compound gives great modulation and control and good performance in the cold, but due to the softer compound the wear rate is increased in the wet muddy conditions present at the moment.
The pads cost £12.99 for sintered and £10.99 for the organic. We’re going to fit them to a test bike and see how we get on.
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