How to find the right Bike Brakes & Parts AI guide
Written by an AI model from its trained knowledge.
What the AI looks for in Bike Brakes & Parts
- Brake fluid type
- Shimano, Magura and Tektro hydraulics use mineral oil. SRAM, Hayes and Formula use DOT fluid. Use only the fluid printed on the lever or caliper. Never mix the two, and never put one in a system built for the other. The wrong fluid destroys the seals and can cause brake failure. A new bleed kit and fluid must match the brake brand.
- Pad shape and compound
- Match pads to the exact caliper model, because pad shapes are caliper-specific. Choose resin/organic pads for quiet, strong bite, or sintered/metallic pads for wet, muddy or long-descent use. Do not fit sintered pads to rotors marked 'resin only'. A pad that looks similar can fit poorly or rub. Sintered pads wear resin-only rotors quickly.
- Rotor mount, diameter and thickness
- Match Center Lock or 6-bolt to your hub. Adapters exist only to fit 6-bolt rotors on Center Lock hubs. The rotor diameter must match your caliper mount or adapter. Replace the rotor at the minimum thickness stamped on it. A wrong mount won't install. A wrong diameter misaligns the caliper. A worn rotor overheats and can crack.
- Caliper mount standard
- Frames and forks use post mount, flat mount (common on road and gravel) or older IS mount. Calipers and adapters must match the frame and fork mount and the rotor size. A flat-mount caliper won't bolt to a post-mount frame without the correct adapter.
- Rim brake pads and cable pull
- Carbon rims need pads labelled for carbon. V-brakes need long-pull (MTB-style) levers, while road calipers and cantilevers need short-pull levers. Road levers take pear-head cable ends, and flat-bar levers take barrel-head ends. Alloy-rim pads on carbon rims overheat and damage the brake track. A cable-pull mismatch gives a mushy or weak brake.
- Brake vs shift cable and housing
- Use brake-specific inner cable (thicker) and compressionless or coiled brake housing, never indexed shift housing. Shift housing can burst under braking load, causing sudden loss of braking.
Brands that matter
- Shimano: The default for OEM-compatible pads, rotors (Center Lock) and mineral-oil hydraulic parts.
- SRAM: DOT-fluid hydraulic brakes. Pads and rotors fit its own calipers, so buy SRAM-pattern parts.
- Magura: Mineral-oil brakes with a strong reputation for MTB stopping power. Uses its own pad shapes.
- Hope: UK-made calipers, rotors and floating rotors, with long-term spare-parts support.
- TRP: Hydraulic and mechanical disc brakes plus rim brakes, popular for road and gravel.
- SwissStop: Premium rim brake pads, including well-regarded carbon-rim compounds.
- Kool-Stop: Long-standing aftermarket rim and disc pads in many compounds.
- Jagwire: Brake cables, housing, bleed kits and hoses in many fittings.
What to avoid
- Mixing DOT fluid and mineral oil, or topping up with whatever bottle is on hand.
- Touching pads or rotors with lube or degreaser residue. Contaminated pads usually have to be replaced.
- Unbranded 'universal' disc pads that don't list the exact caliper models they fit.
- Using shift housing or thin shift cable for brakes.
- Alloy-rim brake pads on carbon rims.
Questions
Can I use any brand's pads in my disc brake?
Only if the pad is made in your caliper's exact shape. Aftermarket pads list the specific caliper models they fit. Check that list rather than going by brand.
Can I put a 6-bolt rotor on a Center Lock hub?
Yes, with a Center Lock-to-6-bolt adapter. A Center Lock rotor cannot be fitted to a 6-bolt hub.