Guide des composés de plaquettes de frein : Lequel devriez-vous choisir ?
Not sure which brake pad compound to choose? We carry three: Trail, Gravity and Sintered. They all fit the same calipers, so this is not a fitment decision. It comes down to your rotors, your conditions, and which trade-off you would rather live with.
The short version: Trail beds in fastest, is the quietest of the three, and wears soonest. Gravity also beds in quicker than sintered, lasts longer than Trail, and is still quieter than sintered. Both are safe on resin-only rotors and both ramp up in power as you pull the lever. Sintered lasts the longest and holds up best in the wet, but it takes the longest to bed in, it is the loudest, its power feel is linear rather than ramping, and it cannot go on resin-only rotors.
What's in Them
Trail: Kevlar, ceramic, copper and alloy fibres with graphite, in a resin bond. Built for a quick bed-in and quiet braking, and it insulates the system to keep heat in the rotor. Works on all rotors.
Gravity: Kevlar, ceramic, copper and alloy fibres with graphite, in a resin bond, with more metal fibre than Trail. Built for harder bite in the wet and longer life, and it insulates the system to keep heat in the rotor. Works on all rotors.
Sintered: Copper, ceramic, graphite and metal fibre fused without resin. Built for wet, gritty conditions and long life. Brake in bursts rather than dragging.
Quick Comparison
| Trail | Gravity | Sintered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed-in | Quickest | Quicker than sintered | Longest |
| Pad life | Shortest | Longer than Trail | Longest |
| Noise | Quietest | Quieter than sintered | Loudest |
| Power feel | Ramps up | Ramps up | Linear |
| Heat | Insulates the system | Insulates the system | Conducts heat into caliper and fluid |
| Resin-only rotors | Yes | Yes | No |
| Best for | Quiet brakes straight away, maximum modulation | More life than Trail, harder bite in the wet | Wet and gritty conditions, year-round riding, e-bikes |
Check Your Rotors First
This is the one hard rule in the whole decision. Trail and Gravity are both safe on resin-only rotors. Sintered is not. Many rotors have their pad rating printed on them. If yours says resin only, your choice is Trail or Gravity, or you can fit rotors rated for sintered pads first.
How They Feel at the Lever
Trail and Gravity ramp up. Power builds as you pull harder, so you can feather your speed on loose or steep ground and still get a strong stop when you commit. Gravity has more metal content than Trail, so it bites harder, especially in the wet. Trail is the one for modulation.
Sintered is more linear. Power comes on in step with lever pressure instead of building towards the end of the stroke. If you want a brake that does the same thing at every point of the pull, that is the appeal.
Trail
Trail beds in the quickest of the three and is our quietest compound. If you have had a set of pads that howled for the first two weeks, this is the answer to that. Power ramps up smoothly as you pull the lever, which makes Trail the easiest of the three to modulate. Like Gravity, it insulates the braking system, keeping heat in the rotor instead of letting it migrate into the caliper and fluid.
Choose Trail if you:
- Want quiet brakes from the first few rides
- Like to feather your speed and want the most modulation
- Run resin-only rotors
- Ride mostly dry to mixed conditions
Trade-offs: Shortest life of the three. If you are getting through a lot of pads, Gravity or Sintered will stretch the interval.
Gravity
Gravity sits between the other two. It beds in quicker than sintered (a little slower than Trail), lasts longer than Trail but not as long as sintered, and is quieter than sintered though not quite as quiet as Trail. Power ramps up the same way Trail does, and the extra metal content gives it a harder bite, especially in the wet.
Choose Gravity if you:
- Want more rides out of a set than Trail gives you, without going sintered
- Want a harder bite in wet conditions
- Run resin-only rotors
- Ride long sustained descents where lever feel matters
Like Trail, Gravity insulates the braking system. Heat stays in the rotor rather than migrating into the caliper and fluid, which is what you want on a long alpine descent where the lever going soft is the thing that ends your run.
Trade-offs: A slower, noisier bed-in than Trail, and a shorter life than sintered. If brake noise is the thing that bothers you most, run Trail instead.
Sintered
Sintered pads use metallic particles bonded together under high pressure and heat. They are the longest lasting compound we carry and the one that holds up best when the trail is soaked and gritty. Power comes on in a linear way rather than ramping up, so the lever feels consistent through the whole stroke.
Choose Sintered if you:
- Ride year-round in the Pacific Northwest or a similar wet climate
- Ride an e-bike, where the extra weight wears pads faster
- Want the longest interval between pad changes
- Prefer a linear power feel over one that ramps up
The trade for that durability is heat. Sintered conducts heat efficiently into the caliper and brake fluid, and on long sustained descents that can contribute to fluid fade and a softer lever. For mud and wet, sintered excels. For sustained alpine descents, the system insulation of Trail and Gravity gives you an edge.
Trade-offs: Loudest of the three, the longest to bed in, and it wears rotors faster than Trail or Gravity. Not for resin-only rotors. If you need rotors rated for sintered pads, we sell those here.
Still Deciding?
Start with your rotors, then work backwards from what annoys you most:
- Your rotors say resin only: Trail or Gravity. Sintered is off the table until you change rotors.
- Noise annoys you most, and you accept changing pads sooner: Trail.
- Changing pads annoys you, but you still want a quick bed-in and a quieter brake than sintered: Gravity.
- You ride wet and gritty all season and want maximum mileage: Sintered.
- You want power that builds as you squeeze: Trail or Gravity. You want a linear feel: Sintered.
- Your lever goes soft on long descents: Trail or Gravity, since both insulate the system. Pick Gravity if you also want longer pad life.
If you pick one and do not get on with it, our 60-Day Guarantee covers you. Get in touch and we will sort out a swap to a different compound.
Do I Need Finned Pads?
Finned pads (also called "ICE Tech" style) have aluminum cooling fins that shed heat during long descents.
Consider finned pads if you:
- Ride long descents (15+ minutes of continuous braking)
- Do shuttle runs or lift-accessed riding
- Ride an e-bike, where the extra weight puts more heat through the brakes
- Experience brake fade on your current setup
For most trail riding with typical climb-then-descend patterns, standard pads are sufficient.
Can I Switch Between Compounds?
Yes. You can move between compounds freely, and plenty of riders run different compounds front and rear. When you switch, we recommend:
- If you are switching to sintered, confirm your rotors are not resin-only first
- Clean your rotors with isopropyl alcohol when switching compound types
- Bed the new pads in properly (20 to 30 moderate stops from speed)
- Consider a fresh rotor if you are switching from sintered to Trail or Gravity, for best results
Still Not Sure?
Use our Brake Pad Finder to get a recommendation based on your brake model. Or contact us, we are happy to help you choose the right compound for your riding.