P2A registration opens up on Friday December 15. I’m still debating which distance I am going to do this year.
Which distances are everyone thinking of doing?
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I am planning to sign up for the 100 this year and not waiting until the last minute and relying on buying a plate from someone who can’t make it.
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The bigger question … install new brake pads before the event or wait until after?
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If it is like last year you might just want to buy a new bike after
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Many, I learned that that hard way last year. If I do it again, it’ll be on fresh, metallic pads! No brakes is no fun!
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Brakes are overrated.
I’ve being trying to persuade the kid that he doesn’t want to ride a tandem again as I’d like to race the 100, but I’m so far failing on that.
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After 2 times doing the Breve I am going to try the Classic this year 
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I just signed up for the Classic Wave 3!
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I’m signed up for the Cento. I’ve never done P2A before, and after seeing the photos from 2023, I’m questioning why my brain thought that looked fun 
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Last year’s weather was definitely something special. Last year was my first year.
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I signed up for the Cento!
I’m also signed up for the Cento along with my two boys. I’m not fast enough to hang with the front pack(s) which is a good thing since some of the racers are very sketchy. Riding over the yellow line into traffic, not calling out obstacles including (unmarked) big potholes and posts, and blocking other riders.
Last year in the front pack my son Lucas hit a huge pothole without any warning and lost both of his bottles early in the race. His race was over. And later one of the KWCA juniors was in the center in the pack in the front row and was screaming to the other racers to let him swerve as the pack entered a trail with a dividing metal bollard. He ended up having to dive sideways to avoid hitting it at >40km/h, took out another rider, and ended up in the ditch with a broken hand. He’s lucky it wasn’t much worse. He was out of racing for the rest of the summer.
I’m sure all of the fast racers are aware of this already, but it has really given me pause to sign up my sons this year. I don’t think it is a real problem outside of the elite pack in the cento but I’d like to make the organizers aware that they could do more to keep the race safe.
Just adding in case it helps anyone make a decision on the cento vs classic.
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Can we revisit the replacing brakes before or after debate? Is it worth it to replace brakes right before the race or is there anything else that can be done to prevent the brakes from going during the race? I want to avoid crashing into ditches this year lol
My experience (last year, which was wet and exceptionally gritty) – start with new pads!
I’m on cable disks, which don’t self adjust (hydros do). The pads still had life in them, so I figured I’d be fine for one ride! They were done by the 30 km mark – I actually went down on a short muddy downhill as I had zero braking. I manually had to adjust them several times to get any braking, and when I replaced them after the race, the fronts were at the backing plate.
A little reading after indicated the semi-metalic pads wear better, trading off some modulation for longevity. Most of the time, we run ‘organic’ pads, which are usually fine, but wear very quickly in wet/gritty conditions. The mountain bikers here probably know way, way more about this!
That said, last year was my first time and most veterans say it was unusually tough. So if it’s dryer, it may not be a big deal. I remember riding towards the end, moderating speed with terribly shifting and almost no braking and heard someone shout “I’ve gone one gear and no brakes!” So, my apparently lots of people had issues last year.
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I would check them before you ride. Last year was the worst I have seen P2A and they have taken out the mud field that caused last years problems. Disc brakes last a really long time, only time they seem to wear fast is in excessive muddy gritty conditions, not much you can do but rinse out the pads with clean water if they get really bad.
You could change pads to a more longer lasting version if you have organic pads, but then you are changing rotors and I really wouldn’t go through the hassle. I had a MTB race that made last year P2A look dry, I went through a set of pads in 7km and barley touched the brakes.
I think the biggest tip for newer riders to this kind of event is, if you have to dismount don’t push your bike in mud carry it. This protects the drive train, brakes and will ultimately be way faster.
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@bike_daniells was that Mansfield? That was definitely a mess. Although I think race at Sir Sam’s the year before was even worse. I had to rebuild brakes and bearings and multiple bikes after that one 
For P2A if the forecast is looking wet like last year I would seriously consider running metallic pads. All brake pads generally last for a long, long time when dry. However when it is wet and (very) muddy then the mud acts a lot like sandpaper and can wear out pads quickly. For example my son completely wore out a new set of metallic pads during a single CX race which was only an hour long. It was so muddy that the the brakes were always covered in mud and grinding away.
There are 3 common types of brake pads
- resin (sometimes called organic). These are the most common and found on almost all new bikes. Probably the best option for most riders. They work well even when cold, don’t usually squeak, and are relatively cheap. They have less stopping force then metallic when warm, but this isn’t usually a big issue. However they do not work particularly well when wet, and they wear really fast when wet & muddy
- sintered (sometimes called metallic). Made of metal. Opposite of resin. Great for downhill MTB where stopping power when hot is more critical. They also work better in the rain and survive much longer then sintered. But they are often very squeaky. They are also more abrasive and can wear out rotors more quickly. Some manufacturers specify that their rotors are for ‘resin only’ so you need to be a bit careful running metallic pads. My family usually runs metallic pads and haven’t had a problem with any rotors (but your MMV).
- semi-metallic. Pads that have metal blended in with the organic compound. The intention is to gain some of the strengths of sintered pads but without the squeaking.
For P2A if it is looking really, really wet and muddy we will definitely be swapping to metal pads, but that obviously requires having a set available. But even then I would expect that normal resin pads would be okay too, but I would just make sure they are relatively new so they have a lot of material left.
And as Rob suggested, try to carry the bike instead of pushing it through mud. Rinsing your pads after muddy sections can also help, but it means using up valuable water
It is also worth noting that Shimano has significantly improved the durability of their resin pads. The latest generation of brake pads from 2023 apparently last significantly longer (2x?) than the 2018 generation.
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@KevinGoertz I meant sir Sams.
And you learn something new everyday, I have too many old stock resin pads unfortunately.
Thanks all! Going to bring my bike to Ziggys for some TLC anyways so I’ll see what they say about the wear on my brakes
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I’m not sure who took/posted this pic from last year’s race…but i believe this was the farm field that destroyed many brake pads (and souls). I remember how quiet it was as we all trudged through there and every once in awhile you would hear a swear word or a groan. I remember wondering if this is what it was like marching through fields of Northern France in 1917.
All that being said, I will say my 35 year old steel bike with cantilever brakes and friction bar-end shifters worked like a charm with my full range of gearing available throughout the race, and I (ahem) still have the same brake pads on my bike that were used in the race last year (the cables needed a slight adjusting to tightent things up).
Hope this year is just as memorable! 
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