Whether you think about them all the time or never at all – mountain bike brakes are what keep you alive on those gnarly descents. And while the whole braking system matters, I’m not going to talk about rotor sizes, 2-piston vs. 4-piston, or lever angle; I’m talking about the humble brake pad.

I had long considered brake pad choice a foregone decision – resin (organic) pads are king and metal pads (sintered) are for Huffy! But that’s not very well informed. You should choose brake pads based on how you like your brakes to feel when you slow down.

This is less about saying farewell to Estes Park than it is about a ride I’ve been eyeing for over five years. Not only did I have the wrong bike when I was here in September, 2015, but I learned that this route existed the day after I finished an out-and-back run of Trail Ridge Road on my old Giant roady. TRR is the downhill paved segment of today’s route.