Carbon brake pad wear

[Tricky1]

Need some advice with brake pad selection. Running Zipp Firecrest CC wheels/Campy SR calipers. So far the corks have been the most durable and have outlasted the others, they feel vauge and wooden, but stop ok and wear good. The pads do not retain in the brake holders well, very loose and back out easily. Currently using the Tangente platinum pro evo pads,which replaced the Swiss Stop Black Prince pads. Both perform decently, but squeal easily and wear at an alarming rate (maybe 200+ miles on the Tangente's and already down 50% on pad life). Immediately, pad shavings could be seen coming off (proper pad tow was in order as well). I ride So.Cal. terrain in the dry only, no long sustained braking periods/descents. I'm not real light which may factor in? Any advice/experience welcome!

[Geoff]

Well, I think it depends upon the pads and holders. I prefer Corima cork pads in a Corima two-piece holder. I'm not sure if they are still available, but they 'sandwich' the pad between two alloy 'clamshells'. The added benefit is that they are probably quite the heat-sink.

Modern levers and calipers seem to produce lots of stopping power. I find the cork pads better for modulation than the synthetic pads, which is what I really care about with a grabby carbon rim, so I am surprised to hear that you find the cork pads 'wooden'. They do feel a lot more 'solid' than the synthetic pads when they connect, perhaps that is the sensation you are feeling at the lever.

[eric]

Geoff, what rims is that with? It makes a difference.

I'd use the pads that the rim maker recommends. They'll work the best and wear the rims the least. Newer carbon rim pads are designed to put less heat into the rim and may do that by wearing faster. It's the price you pay for using carbon rims. So replace your pads more or learn to brake less.

It seems a little silly to buy $3000 wheels and then complain about having to replace $40 brake pads. If that bothers you, aluminium rims won't have that drawback.

[Tricky1]

Thanks for the tip Geoff. I've used Zipp's cork pads which wore quite well, and I can live with the feel, but the bigger issue became the poor pad/retainer interface. I'll check into the Corima corks..

[sugarkane]

It's really par for the course these days
I shredded a pair of enve pads in 6 rides in California recently.
Long fast tech descents on roads I've never seen before.. The wear will decrease if you brake less. At the end of the day, on carbon wheels the last factor I'd be looking at is pad life.. Power, feel and wet weather performance is a much more pressing issue.

[Tricky1]

It's really par for the course these days
I shredded a pair of enve pads in 6 rides in California recently.
Long fast tech descents on roads I've never seen before.. The wear will decrease if you brake less. At the end of the day, on carbon wheels the last factor I'd be looking at is pad life.. Power, feel and wet weather performance is a much more pressing issue.

Starting to see the big picture, at least I'm not alone. Appreciate the help.

[Causidicus]

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[Tricky1]

The corks will probably go back on, but they're still fresh and pliable. I'll keep your tip in mind though, thanks.

[Geoff]

@eric, I run cork pads on everything (LW's, ADA's, Hed, Zipp, Campagnolo, Shimano, etc.). Due to the soft nature of the pads, cork is the only pad that cannot harm any rim.

Cork pads are quite durable. They last quite a bit longer than any of the synthetic pads I've used. When they get hot, they do craze-over, but that is cosmetic only and they still stop the same. I used to clean them off, but my friends (then at HTC) advised it didn't matter, so I stopped. No ill-effects.

I have been also been using a blue Shimano compound for 3 or 4 years. I hope that those become commercially-available, as they are a good option and perform well (better) in the wet.

With respect to the most secure cork pad holders, this is the Corima set-up I run: http://www.bikerecyclery.com/corima-abs ... osite-cork