Using Cabon Pads on Alu Rims

harringtonp · 21-05-2017 10:38PM #1

Was reading up on this and the biggest negative seems to be Aluminium shards getting stuck in the pads and scratching the carbon braking surface when you next put the wheels back on.

Is there an element of wives tales to this ? If pads were given a quick rub after Alu use would this not diminish this risk ? And if shards are present would they be visible ?

Does anybody here regularly swap alu/carbon wheels and keep the carbon pads ?

easygoing39 · 21-05-2017 10:50PM

I always change my pads to match my rims.

Cee-Jay-Cee · 21-05-2017 10:56PM

It would be simpler to swap pads when you need to rather than to have to be inspecting and removing shards of aluminium from them with tweezers or whatever after or before every ride.

I spent just shy of a grand on my carbon wheels and I certainly aren't going to risk destroying the braking surface on them by using pads that were used on alloy wheels.

I kept my alloy wheels for a few months but then sold them because the reality was that I never used them as I had two other bikes for wet weather and I knew the chances of me ever using them again was slim to none.

harringtonp · 21-05-2017 11:09PM

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

I kept my alloy wheels for a few months but then sold them because the reality was that I never used them as I had two other bikes for wet weather and I knew the chances of me ever using them again was slim to none.

Can see where you are coming from. I'm looking at situations where I rock up at a race, it turns out to be quite wet or windy and I want to switch to shallow ALUs. Switched over to new carbons yesterday evening and the whole replacement/adjustment process (from 19mm rim ALU to 25mm Carbon) took a fair bit longer than expected.

When guys here swap do they swap just the pads or the blocks ?

Cee-Jay-Cee · 21-05-2017 11:15PM

Like I said I don't change my wheels but from experience it's much simpler and faster to change the pads only.

If you apply a little grease to the back of the pad they slide in/out very easily.

The problem you may run into is the possibility of having to align the pads again when changing wheels.

My carbon wheels are 40mm (so not overly deep) and I have been out in some fairly windy weather and had no issues and braking in the wet is on a par with previous alloy wheels so there really is no situation where I couldn't use but if it's wet I always take my other bike as it's got full guards and lights and more suited for wet weather.

theautophile · 22-05-2017 03:04PM

The only time you should consider using carbon pads on alloy rims is if you have to take an alloy wheel from neutral service in a race situation. The shards issue is not an 'old wives tale', I've personally seen carbon brake tracks shredded by people switching between the two. The main problem is not all shards are visible and can hide quite well, so even sanding the pads after switching is no guarantee that you've gotten rid of the shards.
That said, I've also seen carbon brake tracks shredded by riders who do not inspect their pads for stones and larger pieces of grit that get lodged in the pad grooves - inspect carbon pads prior to every ride if you're intent on making them last!:)

dragratchet · 22-05-2017 03:58PM

im on the verge of buying a full carbon wheelset and i have been thinking a bit about this. would it not be quicker and less messy to have two sets of 4 brake shoes and swap them along with the wheels for training / racing. saves a bit of time unscrewing that tiny screw (which can easily be stripped) and swapping around often filthy pads

cython · 22-05-2017 04:20PM

dragratchet wrote: »

im on the verge of buying a full carbon wheelset and i have been thinking a bit about this. would it not be quicker and less messy to have two sets of 4 brake shoes and swap them along with the wheels for training / racing. saves a bit of time unscrewing that tiny screw (which can easily be stripped) and swapping around often filthy pads

Not necessarily, as if you are just replacing the pads in the shoes, then you have a chance (and it is a chance, not guaranteed!) that the wheels and brake pads will be aligned still after the swap and require no adjustment, or at the most will just require adjustment of the barrel adjuster to take up some slack.

However if you are to swap shoes and all, you are guaranteed to have to deal with lining up the shoes again, toe in, etc. which is more hassle most of the time.

el tel · 22-05-2017 04:27PM

The obvious solution is two identical bikes, but one with brakes configured for carbon braking surfaces and the other for aluminum braking surfaces.
The added expense of a support car and driver would probably be prohibitive, as would the time cost of stopping mid-race to change bikes, and then working your way back up to the peleton or breakaway. If you are already in a pro team set up then disregard these drawbacks)

Alek · 22-05-2017 04:28PM

A new bike so.

Crocked · 22-05-2017 04:35PM

dragratchet wrote: »

im on the verge of buying a full carbon wheelset and i have been thinking a bit about this. would it not be quicker and less messy to have two sets of 4 brake shoes and swap them along with the wheels for training / racing. saves a bit of time unscrewing that tiny screw (which can easily be stripped) and swapping around often filthy pads

This is what I do. The newer wheels are wider, so leaving the shoes in and just switching pads would still mean having to adjust the alignment/cable tension anyway.

First time I did it was a bit slow as I figured out all the idiosyncrasies, but it takes maybe 5 mins now even allowing for toeing in etc.

I have to leave the quick release open on one set and closed on the other but it works well and not as much hassle as I thought it'd be.

el tel · 22-05-2017 04:42PM

I've been away from the cycling scene for a good few years but since my return last week I have discovered that "brake modulation" and other such erstwhile insurmountable issues of disk brakes have apparently been solved, and that disk brakes are now de rigeur.
I think that is the solution to your quandary: get with the times and and get yourself a disk brake bike and multiple wheelsets.

Using Cabon Pads on Alu Rims

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