Do I really need to change my standard brake pads for carbon specific pads for use on carbon rims? In my experience, besides for the carbon rims causing the standard pad to wear at a faster rate than when used with aluminum, I have not run into any other problems. Are there other reasons for me to consider?
One important reason is simply to change pads from the normal ones you use with aluminum rims. The normal pads will end up with little bits of metal from the rim embedded in them, and if you then use those pads with carbon rims, you are essentially scraping little shards of aluminum on your carbon rims.
I’ve been the in same boat as you and have gone back and forth on the choice. It also depends on which carbon rims you have…
Zipp rims brake pretty well with standard pads although they eat up your pads REALLY REALLY fast. I’ve heard that sometimes the melting pad can deposit pad crap on your braking surface making it grabbier.
Many carbon brake pads have a lower friction coefficient and are less grabby than standard pads making braking on carbon wheels a LOT smoother and safer.
They also save you rims from abuse which becomes important with various wheels that don’t have a special material for the braking track. If you’re braking on straight epoxy I’d go with a cork pad. This applies to wheels like the HED Stingers, Corima’s etc.
My Zipps are pretty old, super grabby, and I’ve never found metal bits in my pads so I just use Carbon pads all the time, training wheels or race wheels. When I get a new pair of wheels I’ll probably start to switch back and forth.
What about the Blackwell Research wheels? they advertise that the brake track has Basalt in it, but I have no idea what that means. To cork or not to cork?
no idea… cork is generally the smoothest on ALL carbon wheels, it just doesn’t give quite as much braking power as say Zipp carbon or Koolstop black pads
the Blackwell Disks are made by Zipp, just nondimpled 2004ish version disks
I was wondering more about the 100’s
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well the best a special sort of cork ,as i know not all cork is the same.
altough i sell only cork pads for my own wheels and they last more the 2 whole tour the france race´s
another option is make brake pads out of kevlar
the reason why pads are eaten so fast on carbon rims is that all other cork pads and other pads cannot stand the heat produced when braking
out pads where tested up to 350 degree´s
this is the reason why they wear fast ,