Rim brakes for Cyclo Cross carbon wheels

dfawatts

I've just picked up some 2nd hand carbon tub wheels with carbon rims. Therefore I need some new brake blocks for my cantilevers. Any suggestions on what works and also where I can easily get them. My cantilever brakes uses the type of blocks that can be toed in, not the older style mountain bike blocks. Therefore, a cartridge replacement could be used.

I've had a look at these http://www.cyclocrossworld.com/swissstop-rxplus-yellow-king-brake-pads which seem to fit the bill but I can't find them in any UK online retailer.

phy2sll2

Not sure I'd bother with carbon specific pads. My understanding is that they're designed to avoid heat build up over longer periods of braking, which shouldn't really be happening in a cross race.

Also, you're going to be grinding mud and sand into the rims so choice of brake pad isn't going to make very much difference to the end result!

dfawatts

Thanks for that. I'll give it a go as you suggest. What could possibly go wrong?

trickydisco

dfawatts wrote:

I've just picked up some 2nd hand carbon tub wheels with carbon rims. Therefore I need some new brake blocks for my cantilevers. Any suggestions on what works and also where I can easily get them. My cantilever brakes uses the type of blocks that can be toed in, not the older style mountain bike blocks. Therefore, a cartridge replacement could be used.

I've had a look at these http://www.cyclocrossworld.com/swissstop-rxplus-yellow-king-brake-pads which seem to fit the bill but I can't find them in any UK online retailer.

I use those yellow swissstop on my carbon rims for cross and really rate them.

FransJacques

phy2sll2 wrote:

Not sure I'd bother with carbon specific pads. My understanding is that they're designed to avoid heat build up over longer periods of braking, which shouldn't really be happening in a cross race.

Also, you're going to be grinding mud and sand into the rims so choice of brake pad isn't going to make very much difference to the end result!

DO NOT listen to this guy, take it from someone with 2 different sets of carbon wheels - buy the Swiss Stop Yellows.

Done.

No offense Phy2 but you gave some terrible advice. Better to STFU than mis-inform someone about something as important as braking. Running regular pads on carbon rims, esp ones which don't have the latest generation brake-track treatment, is downright dangerous. I once raced my Zipp FCs in wet conditions and forgot to change the front pads from the regular pads - braking was next to nil. I was more tense than a Glastonbury camp site (I guess that joke is better verbally than written)

dfawatts

I've got the swisstops on order and hoping they arrive in time for this weekends' racing. Thanks all for your advice.

phy2sll2

FransJacques wrote:

DO NOT listen to this guy, take it from someone with 2 different sets of carbon wheels - buy the Swiss Stop Yellows.

Done.

No offense Phy2 but you gave some terrible advice. Better to STFU than mis-inform someone about something as important as braking. Running regular pads on carbon rims, esp ones which don't have the latest generation brake-track treatment, is downright dangerous. I once raced my Zipp FCs in wet conditions and forgot to change the front pads from the regular pads - braking was next to nil. I was more tense than a Glastonbury camp site (I guess that joke is better verbally than written)

Lol, fair enough. Sure it wasn't because the pads were full of shavings from your (I assume) alloy rims though, rather than the pad material itself?

I'll give it a go tomorrow to see for myself.

sps137

I've done the last couple of races with standard pads on a front carbon rim (tektro mini v brakes on old planet x carbon tubular) - one dry race and one mud fest. I found the braking fine (or at least comparable to normal/cantis on alloy rims) - no issues with overheating pads.

phy2sll2

I tried standard pads (clarks?) on my chinese crabonz at the weekend. Braking was hilariously bad, had to do a wheelswap on my warm-up lap.

Swissstops on order!