Brake pads are the most important part of the bike, determining how safely you can ride downhill. The key element to their optimum performance is to keep the temperature of the brake pads and rotor as low as possible (ideally below 400°C), especially on longer descents. The hotter the pads get, the faster they fade, meaning they lose the ability to brake reliably when needed. Overheated pads lose braking consistency and behave differently each time the brake lever is squeezed, greatly reducing braking confidence and effectively making you ride much slower. For this reason, Shimano has introduced cooling fins on brake pads to reduce their operating temperature. The ideal brake pad has the same predictable stopping power, initial brake bite and perfect modulation during a long descent. After three years of development, Absolut Black believe they have achieved just that with their GRAPHENpads®. The results of machine testing and thermal imaging show that they have been able to reduce brake pad and rotor temperature by up to 35 percent compared to competitors and completely eliminate brake fade.

The key elements of GRPAHENpads®

• First pads on the market to incorporate specially modified graphene in their friction compound, which significantly improves braking performance, durability and heat transfer to the backing plate
• Thanks to the "backplates" (retaining plates) being fully covered with a heat-dissipating graphene coating, much greater heat transfer from the friction material to the cooling fins has been achieved, while at the same time increasing heat radiation (IR spectrum) by over 20% (which is very important).

• To date, GRAPHENpads® are the only brake pads on the market that completely dispense with toxic copper (copper brake dust is proven to be toxic to aquatic life, so the new California regulation bans the use of copper from 2025).
• They are made in the EU, unlike most other pads on the market, which come from a single Taiwanese factory.
First pads on the market with patented angled radiator fins for superior airflow and cooling. Angled cutting offers three main advantages: First, an increased overall radiator surface area by 40 percent compared to standard cutting methods. Secondly, a significantly greater airflow compared to conventional radiators, which increases convective heat dissipation. And thirdly, most importantly, the 45-degree angle cut means that all surfaces radiate heat away from the brake pad. Thermal radiation (IR spectrum) is highest perpendicular to the surface, so with a standard radiator, each rib radiates its heat to a neighboring rib, keeping more heat in the element. Our pads radiate all the heat away from the back plate.

How the GRAPHENpad feels

• Full control over your braking through predictability and performance
• Better modulation and faster stopping
• Improved confidence when descending
• No brake fading
• More consistent and reliable braking feel, corner after corner, even on the most demanding descents
• They are also very quiet on long descents
• The hands tire less quickly

Why most pads have a similar average performance

The vast majority of popular organic brake pads on the market are made by just one Taiwanese company. Interestingly, they do not develop brake compounds themselves, but source such formulas from elsewhere. Anyone can select their brake compound from a small catalog, then choose a color for the backing surface and they have created their own brand of brake pads. GRAPHENpad's friction compound, on the other hand, was developed with the help of a renowned European brake pad specialist with decades of experience and unique equipment that enables precise performance testing.

Graphene is still a very new material, especially in friction brake compounds. Due to its unique properties and years of testing, we were able to develop a friction material like no other. In the automotive industry, where every major car manufacturer has already filed several patent applications for friction compounds containing graphene, it is clear to see that this is the future of brake pads. New regulations from 2025 will ban the use of copper powder in brake pads. Graphene is not only an excellent replacement for copper, but also a major upgrade in performance conditions.
absoluteBLACK is the first company in the bicycle industry to offer graphene in the friction compound.

The new brake pads can be pre-ordered, with the first delivery scheduled for early October.

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