Disc newbie: GRAVEL Pad life? Rotors?

[makoti]

Just picked up my bike at my (not so) LBS, and he surprised me saying my pads on the front are getting close to needing to be replaced. More than 50% gone.
I was surprised, because the bike barely has 1000 miles on it. All the miles are a mix of road and gravel, and I am a chicken so I brake maybe more than some, but still. 1000 miles? Is that normal? So I'm looking to replace then in 5-600 miles?
How about the rotors? Replace them at the same time? Or is it like your car, where as long as you don't scar the rotors, you can use them for much longer?
Campy Ekar, 160s, if that matters.

[jkbrwn]

So, so many variables. Wet, dry, constant braking vs feathered braking, rolling vs flat vs straight up mountains etc etc.

I have never replaced pads after only 1500 miles.

[Alistair]

That's not completely crazy. No idea what Campy pads are like, but the organic Sram road pads wear like they're made of bread. I bought my current bike in late 2021 and I'm on pad set #3, so not even a year of use per set (I do ~3000 miles/year on this bike). I went with metallic pads this time, hoping they wear a bit better (and so far, no real difference in initial bite or performance).

And the more mud and dust and grit, the faster the pads will wear. A season of cyclocross can eat a set of two easily, despite not much mileage/hours vs a full summer gravel/road season.

[NHAero]

Seems very fast to me. I have replaced the Shimano pads in my MTB once in what is likely about 5,000+ miles, I think maybe at about 3,000 miles, but tougher service than an all-road bike.
I haven't yet replaced a rotor. You can measure thickness and follow the guidelines for the minimum.

[benb]

Those use DB-310 pads which are Resin.

Not surprising to me if you climb a lot and tend to use the brakes quite a bit.

If they have a sintered or semi-metallic or ceramic option it would probably provide much longer life.

[Likes2ridefar]

It is mostly condition based. If ridden in wet and gritty conditions then the pads will wear much quicker especially when descending or riding fast with lots of braking.

My hope rx4 brakes with both organic and metallic pads, in dry but dusty conditions, last much longer than you are experiencing riding hilly routes with lots of braking.

[Jaybee]

I've had Shimano L04C Metallic pads last 2500 miles, and I've also burnt virtually new ones down in a single muddy 70 mile event. It's entirely condition-based.

[Jdm]

Rotors are replaced when they reach the minim thickness indicated on the rotor.

50 percent pad gone doesn’t mean replace soon to me.

[makoti]

I posted before checking out pricing on pads, and at ~$35 a set, not as bad as I feared.
As I said, I probably brake harder than I need to sometimes, but my riding is almost all dry. Will be dusty and dirty, but at least not a muddy mess.
The idea of changing them every year or two isn't as bad as I thought, given the price, but it's good to know that this isn't really an abnormal amount of wear for the pads.

[Alistair]

Originally Posted by makoti

I posted before checking out pricing on pads, and at ~$35 a set, not as bad as I feared.
As I said, I probably brake harder than I need to sometimes, but my riding is almost all dry. Will be dusty and dirty, but at least not a muddy mess.
The idea of changing them every year or two isn't as bad as I thought, given the price, but it's good to know that this isn't really an abnormal amount of wear for the pads.

Somebody mentioned it above, but if there’s a metallic pad available for your brake system, it might be worth changing. They can be a bit noisier but not always, and they usually hold up better to wet grit and mud, so make a good choice for off-pavement bikes.

[herb5998]

The DB-310 pads have a wear indicator which appears when pad thickness is 1.5mm, replace then and you'll be fine.