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.