Road bike brake pads Black Friday: discounts

Which pads for which brake caliper?

The safest option is to start with the reference of your caliper or the cartridge in place. At Shimano, the R55C4 rubber fits the Dura-Ace BR-9000 and 7900 calipers, the R55C3 fits the Ultegra BR-6700, and the R50T2 equips the Tiagra and Sora. Sram offers inserts for its Apex, Rival, Force, and S900 Direct Mount calipers. The Campagnolo calipers require their own format: Zipp, Mavic, XLC, or Clarks offer their rubbers in a Campagnolo version alongside the Shimano and Sram versions. The V-Brake and cantilever pads available here, notably from Kellys or Avid 20R, are intended for mountain bikes, city bikes, and cyclo-cross.

Carbon, aluminium or treated rim: the right rubber

• Aluminium rim: a classic road rubber is sufficient, softer for grip in the rain, harder for durability.
• Carbon rim: use a rubber marked for carbon, like the carbon inserts from Sram, the Platinum Pro from Zipp, or the carbon version of Jagwire Road Pro S.
• Exalith treated rim: this very hard and textured braking surface wears out ordinary rubbers quickly, hence the Exalith pads from Mavic.

Discounted pads: getting the reduction on pads

The labels indicate the quantity in parentheses or in the name. A pair, noted as x2, fits one caliper; a set of four covers both the front and rear; boxes of 25 or 50 pairs are for workshops and clubs. Also check what is included: rubber only to slide into an existing pad holder, complete pad holder with its rubber, or pad delivered with its mounting bolts. When compared to the number of pads, a workshop box is then comparable to a simple pair. Do the math on the strikethrough price just like on the discounted price: it's the only way to know which offer truly reduces the cost of each rubber.

Other pages on road braking

Outside of promotions, the road brake pads explain throughout the year the adjustment and wear of the rubbers. If your bike has disc brakes, check out the road brake pads from Black Friday. New pads deserve a good condition caliper and a smoothly sliding cable: check the calipers and cables and housing from the promotion, or the practical pads. The clearance keeps the end-of-line stock.

Brands of pads in the selection

Shimano sells the cartridges for its road calipers in pairs or in boxes of 50, with or without a pad holder, from Sora to Dura-Ace.

Zipp, a carbon wheel manufacturer based in Indianapolis, designs its Platinum Pro pads for the braking surfaces of its own rims.

Sram supplies the pad holders and inserts for its road calipers, including a carbon rubber for the S900 Direct Mount caliper.

Jagwire, known for its cables and housing, offers its Road Pro S rubbers in Shimano and Sram formats, in all-weather, rain, or carbon versions.

Mavic includes dedicated pads with its Exalith treated rims, including a finer version for its CXR rims.

Frequently asked questions

Can you use carbon pads on an aluminium rim?

That's not their intended use, and the rubber then picks up aluminium particles. Once used on an aluminium rim, it should never go back on a carbon rim, as it could scratch it.

Why do new pads brake less effectively?

Their surface is still smooth and does not fully contact the rim. A few firm brake applications at low speed help shape them. If braking remains weak, clean the braking surface and check the alignment.

How do you slide a rubber into its pad holder?

Remove the small locking screw, slide the old rubber back, then insert the new one fully. Put the screw back in: it prevents the rubber from coming out during braking.

Do Shimano pads fit a Campagnolo caliper?

Not directly: the shape of the pad holders is different. Use a rubber in the Campagnolo format, or a compatible pad holder if the manufacturer offers one.

When can you take advantage of Black Friday discounts on pads?

The event centers around the Friday after Thanksgiving, and Vélo-Store extends its discounts on pads throughout November. It's a good idea to plan ahead for a pair: rides in the rain and on gravel wear down a rubber in just a few kilometers, and worn pads can scratch the rim and increase stopping distances.