Carbon Brake pads..

[Simon Llewellyn]

Hey does anyone know anything about carbon brake pads? Do they work on Alloy? Wear out quicker when used with alloy?

[weiyun]

The suggestion is not to do it. A bit of alu shard embedded in your pad would chew up your CF rim in no time.

[Simon Llewellyn]

SO if you wanted a wheel swap it would have to be CF?

[weiyun]

SO if you wanted a wheel swap it would have to be CF?

Ah, I see where you are coming from. No, going to alu wheels is ok, although you'll loose some braking efficiency when used on alu rims. AFAIK, there are also variations b/n brands in how well they can handle alu brake surface. Zipp, Swiss Stop, Kool Stop brands come to mind.

[T-Bone]

Basically what Weiyun said is right. The pads will probably wear a bit quicker, and make sure you clean them (remove any alloy shards that may get in there) before going back to the carbon wheels for the next ride.

From what i've read the swiss stop carbon pads are pretty good, though different carbon wheels work better with different pads. Corima cork are best for some rims. I'll do a search and let you know.

[mikesbytes]

You could always change the pads at the same time, if you take the wheel out, you can slide the pads out of the shoes while they are still in place and therefor don't have to spend time realigning them, so it will only take a couple of minutes.

[T-Bone]

You could always change the pads at the same time, if you take the wheel out, you can slide the pads out of the shoes while they are still in place and therefor don't have to spend time realigning them, so it will only take a couple of minutes.

No time for that during a race if you get a puncture. I assume that's the situation Simon is asking about. Otherwise, you should have 2 sets of pads as you say.

[Simon Llewellyn]

Ah, I see where you are coming from

I was actually thinking more about racing at Heffron & using a different wheel on an opens weekend if I puncture on the Saturday than swapping a wheel in a race, but I guess in a way they're all similar issues.

There's a few options, like changing the brake pad holders before the race, that only takes about 5 mins tops & is fairly easy to do. I could acquire some cheap or secondhand low profile carbon rims for spares/training wheels or I could just not race if if have to.

From what i've read the swiss stop carbon pads are pretty good, though different carbon wheels work better with different pads. Corima cork are best for some rims. I'll do a search and let you know.

I've got shimano brake pads that came with the wheels. I don’t need new brake pads yet. Probably not for a while either.

You could always change the pads at the same time, if you take the wheel out, you can slide the pads out of the shoes while they are still in place and therefor don't have to spend time realigning them, so it will only take a couple of minutes.

The pads were really tight to get. I’m not even sure if they are going to come out again, let alone at the side of the road.

[T-Bone]

If the pads are tight, then a second set of holders is the best option. Just put them in the wheelbag with the wheels.

I'd only use the carbon pads on alloy rims after puncturing during a race, otherwise there's plenty of time between races to change the pads.

[Kieran]

What others have said is correct- the proper carbon pads stop nicer, and there is some risk of alloy getting in the pads.

However, I have just been using plain shimano pads on a variety of Zipp carbon rims. The braking power is not great, but acceptable.

In an emergency as in a race, just put the other wheel in. Just check the pads every now and then for alloy shards. The breaking surface is alot tougher than you think.

[geoffs]

From what I've read, the Swiss Stop yellow pads are the best and work equally well on carbon or aluminium. Marian has them on her road bike and they seem to be wearing ok.

Cheers
Geoff