I like to keep stock of consumables so I can replace bits when I notice they need it. Typically late at night or at the weekend, when an emergency LBS trip is not so convenient.
The latest fix session involved the rear disc brake of my Tripster, flat mount Ultegra calliper. It’s been squeaky for a while, and I was losing lever throw. I suspected the same issue that made me replace the front one; worn seals. I decided to give it one last chance, bled the hydraulic line and replaced the brake pads.
> How to spot counterfeit bike components and avoid getting ripped off
I set off last Sunday on the club ride, and at first all seemed fine; my fettling had done the job. Then all wasn’t fine–I lost all rear braking altogether. Working on the basis that loss of hydraulic oil was the issue, I continued on my ride using the front brake only.
When I got home, I checked the calliper for hydraulic oil when I noticed the brake pads looked a bit odd: no braking surface at all on the backing plate.
That would explain why the lever went all the way back to the handlebars without a hint of braking.
Turns out I’m not the only one this has happened to; a quick Google found other stories like mine. The brake pads in question were genuine (-looking it turns out) Shimano L05A-RF brake pads. The packaging looks convincing, and so do the pads. The kerning is correct, the stamps are the right number and placement. I mention this because I found a cautionary tale on reddit that mentions these two as tell-tale signs of non-genuine pads.
The only hint something is not as it seems was some sort of glue residue around the braking surface.
I bought four sets of these, and this was the first I had used. Out of curiosity, I wanted to find out how easy it is to make the braking bit come away from the backing plate. With a screwdriver and hammer, a small tap will do it. No wonder they didn’t survive a ride for long.
I buy Shimano brake pads, rather than cheaper alternatives, to avoid this very issue. Turns out the ones I found out on eBay for cheaper were too good to be true, and a false economy. They were £43.46 for two pairs (four sets), which was about half the price of anything else I could find at the time. The delivery estimate was around three days, which I assumed meant they weren’t coming from China and were therefore safe. I was wrong.
Thankfully I only had one set of these on the bike, and it was on the back. At best, I would have been scraping myself out of hedge otherwise…
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29 thoughts on “Be careful where you buy your brake pads, kids: a cautionary tale on how to spot fakes after I got duped by some convincing counterfeit Shimano”
Fakes come with a split pin.
Fakes come with a split pin.
Personally I’ve gone with a 3rd party bake pad supplier, cheaper and more options that the very few Shimano offerings.
Many of the brake pads,
Many of the brake pads, chains etc are fake on eBay and even some listed on Amazon. You have to buy from a trusted retailer if you want to be sure of purchasing genuine parts. Not really worth the risk of using fake parts that could end up with a serious accident.
If they are cheap and listed on eBay there is a high probability they are fake. They spoof a UK address and add fake reviews so the listings look genuine with a cursory glance. You need to read all the bad reviews and see a long history of trading with good reviews. It’s just easier and safer to buy direct from a trusted authorised Shimano dealer.
eBay and Amazon are not interested in addressing the fake part sellers on their sites. You can usually get a refund if you spot they are fake, but that involves posting them to the address they spoofed. So just a lot of aggravation and you now have to order the parts from an authorised dealer.
I got many cut to size kmc
I got many cut to size kmc x1s from what is now a very trusted seller on eBay.
Good deals but not ridiculous bargains.
EBay id please 😍😍
EBay id please 😍😍
Bankrupt bike parts.
Bankrupt bike parts.
My fake pads looked fine,
My fake pads looked fine, even worked well. The telltale was that the squealed like tortured banshees every second the brakes were applied from the first moment I used them. Apologies to all the 8-hour racers I had to pass, but I didn’t have any other pads that day!
Don’t buy genuine/fake
Don’t buy genuine/fake Shimano looking pads, get genuine Chinese pads from Aliexpress they are brilliant, been using them for years and whey cheaper as well 👌
SpiffySmurf wrote:
I think I’ll curd my enthusiasm for a bargain and stick with genuine Shimano.
WHOOSH.
WHOOSH.
Thats the point you completely missed going over your head.
SpiffySmurf wrote:
I’ve previously bought Shimano-compatible brake pads from https://noahandtheo.co.uk/index.php and they seem to be good quality at a decent price. As they’re a UK company, I suspect they get their stuff manufactured elsewhere, but at least they have a name and brand to protect, so have an incentive for quality control.
The problem with fake Shimano pads is that they have no incentive for quality control – best to go with either a respected source or a less well known brand that no-one bothers to fake.
SpiffySmurf wrote:
..
The author seems re-assured
The author seems re-assured that “The packaging looks convincing, and so do the pads. The kerning is correct, the stamps are the right number and placement.” – I would think that the more major warning sign is that they were sold on eBay at a discount price; I wouldn’t be expecting official prodcuts to match that part of the description.
What, you’ve never found bike
What, you’ve never found bike parts for sale at cheaper than the recommended retail price?
Yes, but half the normal
Yes, but half the normal price should ring alarm bells.
Jakrayan wrote:
Depends on where you’re buying them from, certainly I’d be suspicious on eBay et cetera but reputable outlets like Merlin Cycles, for example, have some Shimano pads at up to 60% off at the moment and I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t be selling fakes.
Iwein says he bought them at
Iwein says he bought them at £43.46 for four sets, which is not an especially good deal and certainly not a price that would raise any flags.
I’ve only spent a couple of minutes searching, but Hopkinson Cycles (which appears to be a real brick-and-motar shop based in Wakefield and so I would presume get genuine Shimano parts from a reputable distributor) are selling them for £9.99 each, so 4 sets for <£40. https://hopkinsoncycles.co.uk/product/shimano-l05a-rf-disc-brake-pads-and-spring-with-cooling-fins-alloy-backed/
Even if you want to stick to larger, more well-known retailers, Sigma Sports have them for £13.99 each, so four sets is £56 (and Sigma are rarely the cheapest option, so finding them a bit cheaper somewhere else would not be surprising). https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Shimano/L05A-RF-Disc-Brake-Pads-Resin/XWYG
To get official pads for less
To get official pads for less money then buy the K05 model instead of L05. The K05 lacks the cooling fins, but I’m sure you don’t need those for UK riding because the descents are never long enough (and I’ve seen many new bikes spec’ed with them as OEM). If you want the genuine version of the L05 pads for a cheaper price, then buy a box of 25 and share them out amongst your riding buddies. Looking for deals on eBay is not the safest way to go.
I quite agree, whenever I’ve
I quite agree, whenever I’ve had a bike with cooling fin brake pads when they’ve worn out I’ve replaced them with the cheaper (but still OEM) finless model and never noticed a difference, even in the hottest weather the UK can offer. I’d probably consider using them if I was riding a Vuelta mountain stage in August but for general use in temperate climes I think they are probably unnecessary.
At risk of going ever further
At risk of going ever further away from the spirit of the original post, I’ll comment that the world of SRAM pads is no rosier. Due to the fact that the Force / Rival / Apex / Avid systems have various iterations and constructions, it’s difficult to work out if you’re buying the correct pads, even when going ‘genuine’.
Coupled with the fact that many resellers use the wrong image or a generic image in their product description.
The facebook groups for SRAM frequently run 80-90 comment-long threads on the topic of brake pads! Interesting to note the differing levels of trust in the 3rd party suppliers tends to be geographical. Swiss stop, Galfer, Gorilla etc all have their fans in different countries.
Would love to see a Road.cc group test of 3rd party brake pads!
Ive been happy with pads from
Ive been happy with pads from
https://gorillabrakes.com/
This happened to me too. Only
This happened to me too. Only one of the pads on the front let go, luckily I wasn’t far from home and managed to limp it back with just the back brake.
I have had this happen with
I have had this happen with Shimano OEM pads on a brand new bike in the lakes they got that hot the back plate deformed and popped the compound on one side so it not just fake pads.
I buy pads directly from EBC
I buy pads directly from EBC Brakes. Trusted brand, particularly in the motorcycle world (where disc brakes have a much, much longer history, in much more demanding conditions). Good value and excellent performance.
I’ve been buying my Shimano
I’ve been buying cheap pads for my Shimano GRX BR-RX810 Flat Mount Disc Brakes off ebay for years. Had no problems. Here’s what I buy….
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/186566225108
I use koolstop or swissstop
I use koolstop or swissstop pads, allways buy them at decent bike shops. Much cheaper amd less noisy then the originals
Swissstop stopped making the
Swissstop stopped making the hope ones, unfortunately. Did find at least a set in one of the parts boxes while I was searching for other stuff. Yay!
Same thing happened to me a
Same thing happened to me a few years ago. I’d just finished descending and was on the flat, I applied the brakes gently as I approached a junction and heard a “ping”.
The brake pad material had completely separated on one side and left me with no front brakes. Had that happened 5 minutes before, it could have been messy!
These were OEM pads for Hayes CX Expert brakes.
Are worn seals on ultegra
Are worn seals on ultegra callipers just an accepted fault now (like their cranks that fall apart)? Just asking as I had two sets of callipers replaced under warranty before I switched to Hope (and a crankset replaced).
All my bikes have been Shimano equipped. Not sure the next one will be.
w61 wrote:
Haven’t had a problem with my calipers – they certainly outlasted my cranks