| Compound Type | Material | Conditions | Features | Best For | Durability | Price |
|---|
| Semi-Metallic Kevlar Multi-Compound | Organic Graphite Copper | Dry to Wet Conditions, All-rounder | Durable and better wet-weather performance than organic, More predictable power than sintered pads. Quicker to warm up than sintered. Good braking power in wet & dry conditions. Works very well from initial engagement due to the hardness of the materials used. Rotor friendly with lasting performance and good heat dissipation. | Road, Mountain, Gravel, | Medium | Budget |
| Enduro Ceramic | Hard Ceramic | Dry to Extreme Wet Conditions | High performances at high and low temperatures. High resistance to fading, Enduro Ceramic , Carbon ceramic compound high temperature fade, excellent modulation in all conditions. improved formula compared to Ceramic buna N, Long lifespan low rotor wear. | Road, Mountain, Gravel, | High | Standard |
| Enduro Sintered | Premium Metal | Dry to Extreme Wet Conditions | Longer lasting. Strong stopping power under extreme braking. Consistent in wet and dirty conditions. Can handle very higher temperatures. Aggressive power. The materials used are of the highest quality from one of the world’s most prestigious brake pad manufacturers, quality control is second to none. Without a doubt one of the best sintered compound for bicycles on the market today. | Mountain, Gravel, | High | Standard |
| Ceramic with Nano-Tech | Ceramic | Dry to Wet Conditions, All-rounder | Non-aggressive for the disk. High performance at high and low temperatures. Buna n ceramic compound offers quiet vibration damping brake performance resulting in good modulation and lever response with a slightly longer lifespan compared to Multi-compound. The ceramic compound is very stable under a wide range of temperatures for consistent performance, excellent brake thermal recovery, and smooth, progressive control. | Road, Mountain, Gravel, | Standard | Budget |
| Sintered | Metal | Extreme Conditions, Wet, Muddy, Gritty | Longer lasting ,Strong stopping power under extreme braking, More consistent in wet and dirty conditions, Can handle higher temperatures Not prone to glazing Sintered compound offers powerful braking, Aggressive friction, a full metal compound excellent lifespan due to the hardness of the materials, which makes it good value. Sintered pads can withstand extreme punishment due to wide operating temperatures and very high friction. | Mountain, Gravel, | High | Budget |
| Kevlar | Kevlar – organic | Dry to Wet Conditions, All-rounder | More Durable and better performance and longevity than Semi-Metallic Developed for good braking power in wet & dry conditions. Works very well from initial engagement. Due to the medium hardness, Rotor friendly with lasting performance and good heat dissipation. materials from Dupont Germany and Resin compound from monmentive USA . | Road, Mountain, Gravel, | Medium | Standard |
| Enduro Resin | High quality Resin material | Dry to Wet Conditions, All-rounder | Excellent initial bite, especially at low temperatures. Sharper initial braking response. Quick to bed-in. Quieter. | Road, Mountain, Gravel, | Standard | Premium |
| Enduro Pro | Special Formula | Dry to Extreme Wet Conditions. | Long lasting, Ebike, very high temp brake fade, excellent power feel and modulation, Developed for E-bike Heavy riding use Downhill and Enduro, with powerful braking, low wearing and a long lifespan – more than 2-3 times wear than a standard OEM brake pad. | Mountain Road, EBike, | Very High | Premium |
Mike G –
These are great pads, good value and perform really well, buy them… read on if you want a bit more info.
I cycle on average around 140 miles a week a mix of commuting and pleasure, a mix of 60% on and 40% off-road.
Having exhausted the stock SRAM pads I was looking for new pads that met my needs and tried quite a few (at least 5) different brands, from SRAM originals to Evans own brand, they all do the job of stopping you, but in my experience they also all seem to have the same 2 base problems:
– Horrible brake screech
– One of the retaining springs snaps causing the pads not to retract properly.
I think Gorilla brakes have got this dialled with these pads and compound, installing on front and back at the same time, even during the bedding in process there was only the faintest of squeals in the wet, something that really used to make me cringe as I pulled up to traffic lights at 7:30 in the morning.
Stopping performance wise, these are great, living in the Peak District I have some fast and winding descents to tackle and these stop quickly every time i’ve needed them to, if anything, I’m more concerned about being ham-fisted and locking up on a gravelly path at 30 mph although it’s not happened yet.
I’ve been using the probikegarage app to monitor my components and having ridden these pads for around 1,000 miles the springs still seem stiff and solid and I think I’ve got a couple of hundred miles left on the front depending on how muddy the bridal path I ride on gets, the rear has lots more left. Considering I’ve got anywhere from 150 miles 1,250 miles on a set of front pads I’m really happy with this.
So these pads until Gorilla brakes release an upgraded compound are now on my permanent spares list, they bed in fast, are quiet and from what I’ve experienced have a great life span too.