Following on from my series of Fresh Goods Sunday's I have moved onto the replacement disc pads on my Creo 2 over a year ago. If you have been following my last weeks of Fresh Goods blogs the original disc brakes on my Creo 2 were poor to say the least straight from the box. After some scrubbing in they was still no more powerful so as per last Sundays blog I swapped the disc rotors to Shimano XTR / Dura Ace version and swapped the pads over at the same time. I have used Swiss Stop Exotherm pads on my Creo 1 road bike and have been faultless but wanted to try something different. I looked at these pads when they first come to market but the rrp was just eye watering at the time £100 for front and rear, just plain crazy. There was a few companies discounting them down at the beginning of 2024 and Inspiral Cycles had two pairs in stock so Gary did a price match and the deal was done. Fitting was simple enough with one bolt through the caliper / pads. I did not have to depress the pistons back in as the brakes were that new. I followed the break in procedure to the T to get the maximum performance from the pads. After a few rides the pads were spot on. I am not sure if the braking performance was improved with just the change of pads or just the discs or both as I swapped them over both at the same time. I have been using them for 14 months now and have had no problems what so ever. There is still plenty of pad left on them and have had all sorts of weather conditions and temperatures chucked at them. Even with the change of disc and pads the overall Sram brake performance is not as good as all my other Shimano brakes but the new Red is supposed to be a lot better by all accounts. The rrp has been reduced but they are still very expensive for two very small pads.
RRP £42.50 per pair (1 set) and I paid £31.25 from Inspiral Cycles, (RRP was £49.99 when I bought them over a year ago.)
Manufacturers Blurb -
Mass (+/-1g): | 20g per set + 1g spring |
Compatibility | SRAM Red eTap AXS 2018-2023 & 2024+ (Gen. 2 'Two-Piece' caliper), Force eTap AXS, Rival eTap AXS, Level Ultimate,TLM B1 (2020+),TL,T,Level, XX, XO, Avid Elixir 9,7,5,3,1 |
Composition | Ceramic organic Performance friction compound containing graphene. Thermal coating containing graphene. We don't use copper or any heavy metals |
Usage | All weather conditions |
In the box | Two pads (set per wheel), one spring |
Lifespan | According to our own tests single set of pads lasted on average 8000km ( 4900 mi) in hilly terrain. (road use, predominantly dry conditions) |
IMPORTANT Due to the handmade nature of our pads, a thicker coating layer on the leading and trailing edges of the backplate can occur. If you find that your GRAPHENpads don’t want to slot into the caliper easily, or when inserted don’t move freely, please remove them and sand the leading and trailing edges of the backplate, until installation or free movement is possible. You can contact our Customer Service team for more information.
Even though our pads provide excellent performance and lifespan in all conditions, when cycling for a prolonged time (winter season for example) in very bad and highly abrasive conditions (thick mud, grit, wet sand) their lifespan will be reduced. We use an organic-ceramic base friction compound which by definition wears faster than a metallic friction compound.
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