We like our e-Bikes, but our neighborhood’s long, steep roads turned out to be quite a challenge for our bikes’ OEM brakes.
Both bikes’ original hydraulic disc brakes were 180mm rotors front and rear — apparently not heat-treated — and resin (organic) brake pads. All components were likely OEM entry-level grade.
I burned out my bike’s original pads within 76 miles, and the semi-metallic replacement pads subsequently ate the non-heat-treated rear rotor. As described above, I replaced my bike’s rotors, caliper adapters, and pads with heavy duty components, and the results are impressive, although probably still not ideal.
My wife separately concluded she was uncomfortable with her bike’s brakes. I replaced her bike’s 180mm non-heat-treated rotors with Hayes V8 203mm heat-treated models, installed new Shimano caliper adapters, upgraded her brake pads to Shimano’s latest generation resin (organic) products, and I carefully aligned her calipers and pads properly with respect to the new rotors. 😰
It was a real challenge to find 203mm rotors with a “wide” braking surface for “wide” pads, as most large rotors are apparently feature “narrow” braking surfaces and use narrow pads in an effort to save weight. 🙄
What a difference in braking performance! Happy wife, happy life!
Safe travels!
Jim / crewzer
New 203mm front disc brake rotor and pads on DW’s ~60 lbs. e-Bike:
New 203mm rear rotor and pads:
The rotor width issue:
