Tektro Brake Pads

Tektro brake pads are sort of a copy of the Shimano pad. The pad that we use in our e-bikes is our A10.11 model Tektro brake pads. This brake pad it's partially centered, which means it has some metal in the compound. You can either get centered or organic pads from Tektro. The organic pads are primarily made of resonant organic particles. Those tend to wear out a little quicker, but they don't tend to squeak as much. The centered pads, they're embedded with little bits of metal. They tend to get a little bit of surface rust on them and the brake rotor gets a little surface rust on them. So you could get a little bit of squeaking with a centered pad, or sometimes a lot of squeaking. However, centered pads do last quite a bit longer, and they have a much more positive feel at the brake lever when you're hitting the brakes.

Front Brake Pads vs. Rear Brake Pads

On most bikes and electric bikes, both the front brake pad and the rear brake pad are the same. You can run different compounds front and rear, but we do not. And it's not necessary to have the exact same compound. You could run matching compounds or centered in the front and organic in the back. It won’t affect the performance of your bike

Brake Pad Care

Although many believe squeaking is a tell tale sign that the brake pad needs to be replaced, it isn't really an indicator of needing new brakes. It can be, but it's not a definitive indicator. Generally, if your brakes are squeaking, the caliper is either not lined up with the brake rotor, the pads aren't lined up with the plane of the rotor, which can just be as simple as a brake adjustment. If you have mechanical brakes, then the inner pad adjustment could not be set right, which is flexing the rotor, which can also cause squeaks, and/or the brakes just haven't been ridden in a while. The centered pads can tend to squeak on a slightly rusty or oxidized brake rotor. But generally speaking, you should change your pads somewhere between 500 and 1,200 miles on your e-bike. Now, that doesn't mean you have to hit 1,200 miles and change your pads, but at the very least have a professional mechanic inspect them and make sure that there's enough pad life left to continue to ride.

Brake Pads on Electric Bikes

Brake pads tend to go bad on e-bikes quicker because you're breaking at higher speeds when compared to traditional bikes. The more abruptly you brake the more strain on the brake pads, and thus the more often they need to be replaced.