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Jagwire Pro Road Cartridge brake pads

7
£9.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Dependable all weather pads that add extra oomph to your braking
Weight: 
23g
Contact: 
www.todayscyclist.co.uk

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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Jagwire’s Pro Road Cartridge pads inspire confidence in all weathers and thanks to universal fit they’re sound replacements/upgrades for mid range callipers. However, soft or dual compounds better serve riders nudging 90Kg-especially those regularly riding in foul weather.

I fitted ours to three markedly different brands of callipers, installation and alignment couldn’t be simpler so long as you’re prepared to experiment with spacers. From the first handful of lever, they’ve delivered squeal free, stop on a sixpence braking to both minimalist road fixers and moderately laden commu-tourers/Audax mounts on both bone dry and waterlogged roads. This encourages faster, more spirited riding whether snaking through gaps and avoiding hazards in cross-town traffic or racing full pelt on winding rural roads.

Pronounced water channelling undoubtedly enhances wet-weather prowess. However, they’ve shown grit-harbouring tendencies, rapidly evolving into a very efficient grinding paste given twenty- five miles of greasy rural road. No worse than many competitor brands but be sure to regularly inspect, purging them of grit with a toothpick as required.

Pad longevity seems good and lighter riders-especially riding fixers and other svelte road irons should find they easily outlast softer compounds. However, come time for pensioning off, pad exchanges seem very straightforward using a 2mm Allen key and presents the opportunity to experiment with the other, condition specific blends.

Twenty quid for a complete set is pretty reasonable for a performance upgrade, well-honed brakes provide the potential to ride faster in a competitive context, safe in the knowledge you’ll scrub off speed at the crucial moments. In my experience pads are the key to sharpening more modest brakesets but in some cases the Jagwire pads might be difficult to justify given some nice calliper sets also give change from £20.

Verdict

Dependable all weather pads that add extra oomph to your braking

road.cc test report

Make and model: Jagwire Pro Road Cartridge brake pads

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

These all weather pads are intended for performance road use and are particularly good upgrades for modern mid-range dual pivot brakesets. However, being universal fit they work very well with older single pivot and centre pull brakes too.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Universal fit, all weather nylon compounds with water chanelling and simple Allen key toe-in.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10

23g pair

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Geneally very impressive with great modulation and feel in all weathers. However,water chanelling had a tendency to collect mud, silt and other abrasives so they require regular inspection and cleaning.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Easy installation and alignment combined with impressive stopping prowess.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing but water chanelling prone to collecting grit, silt and other abrasives.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 36  Height: 1m 81  Weight: 70 kilos

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

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2 comments

Avatar
cactuscat | 14 years ago
0 likes

less of you to slow down  1 on the plus side us big lads have got a mighty grip  4  4

Avatar
G-bitch | 14 years ago
0 likes

"However, soft or dual compounds better serve riders nudging 90Kg-especially those regularly riding in foul weather."

Humbling - that explains why nothing but koolstop salmon will do  3

Nobody ever said that losing weight would also improve braking performance, no more excuses.

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