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Recommended alternative bike consumables
I got a reminder from Wiggle for Ultegra pads being back in stock. Fortunately, they'd run out again by the time I'd got there. Last year they were as rare as hen's teeth and it's not much better.
Anyway, in desperation last year I bought some cheap and cheerful pads off Amazon at £8.06 a pair - Wiggle wanted £32 after discount! Admittedly the Wiggle model were finned but for the majority of riding, that's not really going to help.
The model I chose were Vandorm Comp which were ceramic. I've been using them for about 3 months, seem to be wearing well, squeak-free. They've gone up a bit, now about £8.80, however just bought 4 more sets - that's 4 pairs for the price of 1 pair of top spec branded ones.
So, do you have any hot tips on no-name brands that are considerably discounted from the real thing but work just as well? I suggest the rule is you must have tried them out to give them a proper recommendation.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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https://www.discobrakes.com/ for brake pads, shoes and more. Excellent quality, price and service in my experience.
I use Carboncycles.cc (or discobrakes, same company) for pads and I've also bought discs, stems, bars, suspension corrected rigid forks and miscellaneous bit and pieces. The price is very competitive and the parts are always top quality.
I always use their sintered Deore style disc pads at £10.99 a pair or £32.89 for 4 pairs and they stop great and last forever although can be really noisy the first couple of uses on a wet ride. They go from £8.29 for semi metalic to £13.29 for copper free.
Their carbon parts are always rated highly and seem well priced but i've only ever bought alloy so no personal experience there.
I was in the same boat. The price of those finned pads is ridiculous. I tried the non finned version (original Shimano) and I can't tell any difference. Bought some in bulk from Mantel at 13.95 for 2 sets which is as cheap as cheap ones.
Fibrax. Can't go wrong for most consumables - disc pads, discs, cables, rim brake blocks of every description, I've used them all & they work & are a fraction the price of big brands.
+1 for Fibrax, a local firm and sponsor of Wrexham RC. I buy Fibrax direct on ebay (ID cyclefanatics, I think), the stainless inner wires are cheaper in 10s and the ASH104 v-brake pads serve the rest of the family perfectly well. But their road inserts aren't anything special - I tried the red ones briefly but went back to Kool Stop salmon for the mudguard bike and Kool Stop black on the dry weather bike. Avoid Aztec rim brake pads, they are crap. I have no experience with disc brakes.
I used a lot of Fibrax when I was in the trade. Good quality.
Not exactly no name, but I got a set of wellgo V12s which were exactly the same as the DMRs I already had, and almost half the price. They make pedals for lots of people, without the name and a bit cheaper.
Noah and Theo pads are about the same price and I'm happy with the ceramic version. Not quiet in the wet but neither is any other pad I've tried, and I'm starting to think that loud brakes are good for a wet commute.
Perhaps not quite so consumable, but PlanetX Look Keo compatible pedals seem to last way better than genuine Keo Classics, probably because they're made of metal. Obviously not as light but you get a snappy click in and out for a lot longer.
I bought a pair of Planet X Keo compatible pedals a few years ago, they were cheap for a reason, the bearings were so rough that i sent them straight back, no questions asked, a full refund 9almost as if they weren't surprised to be getting them back) so, like quite a few PX parts, quality does vary considerably between batches.
Just looked at the website now and they have 3 different Keo compatibles at around the same price, none of which are the pair I have. So I guess some might be better than others and quality might not be quite as consistent as the genuine article as you say.