How do organic and sintered pads differ?

The general opinion is that sintered (metallic) and organic pads differ significantly in normal use. Despite these differences, the compounds can nevertheless be very similar.

During the production process of organic brake pads, various components and fillers (including metals) and a base compound of synthetic resin are combined in a mixing and pressing process based on hydrocarbon compounds (organic chemistry). Since this process can sometimes contain up to 60% metal as a filler, they are often also referred to as semi-organic. Accordingly, organic coatings also contain metallic components and vice-versa, so the differences between the two pad types are often less than expected, and both can achieve similar properties.

Another fact to consider is that organic pads can only be compared with one another to a limited extent. They’re composed of many different organic and metallic components. A wide range of properties can be achieved depending on how these components are combined. There’s no standardized definition for the use of the terms organic, semi-organic and metallic, and this makes comparison between manufacturers difficult. MAGURA classifies the different types of pads as follows:

Which materials are used for MAGURA brake pads?

MAGURA uses an organic pad compound with a metal content of up to 30% for all its bicycle brake pads.

Why does MAGURA only use organic brake pads?

MAGURA is convinced that it can achieve the best pad properties by combining a wide variety of organic and metallic elements. The high organic content also isolates the pad’s heat from the calliper more efficiently. This ensures more consistent performance and protects the components of the calliper.
All current MAGURA disc brakes are optimized for organic brake pad compounds with a metal content of up to 30%.

Which pads is MAGURA offering?

Click here for an overview of our pads. Or shop them online at Magura USA | Shopping for Magura or via our dealersearch.