I bought a set of the Kevlar organic pads off ebay. For the price they work well, with the exception that they are lacking wet weather performance. I would recommend them in the dry southwest if you didn't do trips into rain country, but I'll be switching back to OEM for my next set. They served their purpose- I needed pads and had little money, and they did work O.K. I'm creating a list of maintenance to do over the winter, and OEM pads are on it.
Here is a little info for those who don't know. This applies to bikes AND cages. There are several grades of pads available, with the main difference being how "hard" the pad material is. Harder pads last much longer, but wear the rotor more and usually have decreased braking performance. Very soft pads will wear rotors very little and sometimes have good braking performance, but wear quickly. OEM pads are a balance of wear and brake performance. Try to avoid any pad with claims of "lifetime warranty" or "long lasting"...they are usually VERY hard pads. Remember, pads are usually much cheaper to replace than rotors.
Another thing to watch out for...steer clear of "racing" pads. Pads designed for racing are usually designed to work with high heat, usually a high performance ceramic material. They offer great braking on the track, but don't work well on the street- they have very poor braking until they get warmed up with some hard braking. They also usually wear the rotors pretty quickly...not a problem in a race situation where parts get inspected each race, and get replaced often.
Jim
Here is a little info for those who don't know. This applies to bikes AND cages. There are several grades of pads available, with the main difference being how "hard" the pad material is. Harder pads last much longer, but wear the rotor more and usually have decreased braking performance. Very soft pads will wear rotors very little and sometimes have good braking performance, but wear quickly. OEM pads are a balance of wear and brake performance. Try to avoid any pad with claims of "lifetime warranty" or "long lasting"...they are usually VERY hard pads. Remember, pads are usually much cheaper to replace than rotors.
Another thing to watch out for...steer clear of "racing" pads. Pads designed for racing are usually designed to work with high heat, usually a high performance ceramic material. They offer great braking on the track, but don't work well on the street- they have very poor braking until they get warmed up with some hard braking. They also usually wear the rotors pretty quickly...not a problem in a race situation where parts get inspected each race, and get replaced often.
Jim
