Today I replaced the brake pads which came with my touring bike's TRP Spyke brakes. Dropped in a set of Hardheaded Ram disc pads in DH blue. Cleaned the rotors and adjusted everything. Now I just need to bed the pads into the rotors, and I'm ready for some big descents. I hope.
Awaiting your review....I love the ones i have on 2 bikes
It took longer than anticipated, but I finally got to test these pads on a proper descent: ~1500' in ~12mi. They are the right answer! I was surprised at the difference in feel using them on a high speed descent vs. everyday cycling.
Around town they can be a little chattery and seem to require more frequent adjustment than the stock pads did. They also grab noticeably but not hugely better than stock. Vastly quieter when wet.
Coming down the mountain at speed, I daresay that as DH specific pads, they really 'woke up' for the first time. The brakes' grab was solid, consistent, and unwavering. Almost like dropping an anchor
.
Also silent. Did I mention that? No squeals, chattering, grinding, nothing but sweet, blissful stopping power.
With the stock pads, I could induce fade by grabbing too much brake too fast. Nothing dangerous, but noticeable. Not with these pads. I'm sure it's possible to get them hot enough to induce fade, but it appears to take a good bit more effort to do it.
The bike on which the pads are mounted is not an e-bike but may as well be in terms of its weight. Last time I weighed it in riding trim, it came in at 70lbs. I ride with quite a lot of gear. On top of that, I'm no lightweight myself. More weight means greater strain on brakes even on the flats, and much greater when things get steep.
In several places, the geometry of the trail and number of other users combined to require quick speed checks. Nothing close to a panic stop, but a still a series of solid brake grabs to go from ballpark ~25-35mph down to ~10-15mph. Performance was consistent and utterly predictable.
Interestingly, while they seem to wear faster in around town riding, on the mountain, the pads seemed to wear more slowly. With the stock pads, by the end of this descent, I could feel that the pads needed adjustment. The same was true of any descent of more than 1200ft or so. Nothing dangerous, just that change in feel which tells you it's time to adjust.
Not so with Hardheaded Ram's pads! I didn't notice any significant change in brake feel, lever pull, sound, or any of the other indications that it's time to adjust one's mechanical disc brakes. They just kept grabbing.
In closing, I think that for me, the pads are largely wasted riding around town. They work better than stock, but not a whole lot, and they appear to wear faster. I am not a fan of chatter, and they do that from time to time. I find those weaknesses to be offset by their performance on the terrain for which they were designed.
There, they grabbed vastly better than the stock pads, with no detected fade and seemingly plenty of additional stopping power on tap. The lack of 'feel-able' pad wear at rides' end was eye opening for me.
I've questioned whether I'd buy them again based on everyday riding, but wanted to reserve judgement pending a proper test in the conditions for which they were designed. I'm glad I did. For steep grades and tight curves, these pads are the bomb. No question that I'd order them again, and I'll probably grab a set for the fat bike, too.
Thanks for the recommendation, i12!