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I'm running disc brakes on my cyclocross bike with semi-metallic brake pads. I find that I'm constantly having to keep my rotors cleaned off to ensure optimal performance. I'm used to my mountain bike which uses sintered metal pads, and still works well in muddy / dirty conditions without needing excess maintenance.

I considered buying new brake pads and swapping them out. However, If I do that, will the new metallic pads work well with the rotor that has been bed-in using the semi-metallic (part resin) pad? Do I need to get new rotors or do anything to bed in the rotors again with new pads? Would it be any different swapping from sintered to resin based pads?

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    Apart from the usual brake-in procedure (a couple of hard stops from relatively high speeds), there shouldn't be a problem. Clean your rotors before installing the new pads though.
    – arne
    Nov 15, 2013 at 8:25
  • Disc brake pad and rotor compatibility Maybe we can merge the two questions somehow
    – Vorac
    Nov 5, 2014 at 8:23

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Yes you can do this, and no, you don't need new rotors.

I had the same issue with my CX bike in that it didn't brake as weel as my MTBs, so I swapped to metallic pads. They do work better, but IMHO, the biggest difference is whether you are using hydraulic or cable disc brakes. Cable are simply not as good as hydraulic.

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