That's the sound I was hearing all day yesterday as I was out for my first ride with my new American Classic Carbon wheels and Zero Gravity brakes. People could hear me coming for miles. No need for a bell on that bike to let people know I was coming. I was using the stock Zero Gravity pads.

This is my thrid set of carbon wheels. Nimble Flys and Bontrager Carbon before these. Neither of those sets ever made the screeech!

Thats just your wheels way of saying I love you!

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MAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT! HUH!

I guess you are woundering what brakepads you need to get...

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When I had my ZG brakes installed, using the supplied pads, I also experienced noisy braking. I run Zipp 303's with Tufos on a Ghisallo frame. However, after a bit of pad adjustment by my mechanic, the noise disappeared. Braking quality is very good although the pads wear quickly. I've always used Zipp pads on my other bikes and I'm going to try them with the ZG's when the current pads wear out.
In any event my experience with the ZG brake/pad sytem is very positive.

Many professional racer's use cork brake pads when using Carbon rims - I think it might be because Cork dissipates heat better than a rubber compound.

What would a brake pad be like if it was made from Silicium (The same material as Michelin Pro Race)?

A pad like that would screech-but in french.

Regarding the screech problem with my supplied brake pads, I'd like to pass on some information I got from Randy at Koolstop today; he explains that the carbon compound will pick up some resin off NEW carbon rims and load up the face of the pad. This, in his opinion is what causes the the majority of the crime.

I would also like to point out, there is oil used in the assembly of the set. We do our best to keep it off the pads but it would be a good idea to rub down the pad faces and rim surfaces with alchohol. Also, it is recommended by Koolstop to sand the "skin" off the pad face. Do the sanding after the alchohol rub down.

One final note, Randy says the salmon (orange) compound is the best for carbon rims in terms of stopping power and no screech regardless of preparation. However,This comes at the price of rapid wear. I will be offering the salmon as an option soon.

Best regards,
Ted Ciamillo
Zero Gravity

Rapid wear of pad or rim?

My mechanic also suggested the salmon ones...

Just use Corima cork pads....they are by far the best. I use them with my Cane Creek ti. brakes on my AC carbon rims. I have 1000 miles on my pads and they show very little wear. Also, they have never made a noise and are great in the wet!!!

I also use the Corimas, and am happy with them... They are cheap also...

I was a little disappointed at first with the stopping power compared to normal rims (these were my first carbon rims). But when I had to stop the bike during a high speed descent when the 2 guys in front of me slammed into a van, I managed to stop the bike in time. But it was close though...

I have gone with Corima as well. They do require more lever force to get the same stopping power, so they are not the best for playing in traffic, but the upside is they are very progressive and predictable and don't change behavior as they heat up with heavy braking. Plus half the cost of Zipp pads, last longer, and no screeching.