Road
Brake Pads

One of the key components of a road bike is its brake pads. Brake pads are essential for slowing down and stopping the bike safely, making them an important safety feature. There are two main types of brake pads used on road bikes: rim brake pads and disc brake pads.
Rim brake pads are the most common type of brake pad found on older road bikes. They are designed to work with rim brakes, which use friction between the brake pad and the rim of the wheel to slow down the bike. Rim brake pads are typically made from rubber or a composite material, and they come in different shapes and sizes to fit various types of rims. They also have grooves or channels on their surface to help channel water away, providing better braking performance in wet conditions.
On the other hand, disc brake pads are used with disc brakes. Disc brakes use a metal rotor attached to the hub of the wheel and calipers that squeeze the rotor to slow down the bike. The disc brake pads are made from different materials such as organic compounds, metallic orsemi-metallic materials. These types of brake pads offer better stopping power and are less affected by wet weather conditions compared to rim brake pads. However, they do require special calipers and rotors, which makes them more expensive.
One of the main differences between rim brake pads and disc brake pads is how they wear out. Rim brake pads tend to wear out faster as they are in continuous contact with the rim of the wheel. They also need to be replaced more frequently as they tend to get debris stuck in the grooves, which affects their performance. On the other hand, disc brake pads last longer and require less maintenance. However, when it's time to replace them, they can be more expensive than rim brake pads.