20 Best Brake Pads For Carbon Rims (2023 Updated)

I bought these on the recommendation of a friend who previously ran them on ZIPP 404 Firecrest wheels (same ones I have just bought second hand). Not having had carbon braking surfaces before, I was quite nervous about how good or bad they would be.

Well, the first time I braked, I was quite pleasantly surprised that they were as good as the ones I that came with my Campag Record groupset on Fulcrum Racing 1 wheels with aluminium surfaces; if not better in some ways.

You soon get used to them being a tiny bit grabby on first application which is no bad thing – I suspect my old ones (for alu rims) had aged gradually and I had just not noticed. When applied hard for sharp or emergency braking, they can lock up the rear wheel easily but do make a very loud high pitched squeal! I think I scared off some cats and broke the shop windows when a pedestrian ran into the crossing without warning or looking.

They too will now require a hearing aid. I gather that is common on carbon rims. On long descents, they behave admirably and don’t smoke like the cork pads of old. I suspect they will wear out quickly as you can visibly see small bits coming off them after a 90Km ride with 1200m of climbing / descending at around 35-42mph.

I haven’t been caught out in the wet (yet!) to comment on wet performance. However, given 90% of my riding is in the dry, I can’t be more pleased with them, especially as they are approved by ZIPP for use on their wheelsets.

This is my second set of these pads. Previously, I had a bike with disc brakes and really didn’t want anything else, but I got a bargain with a secondhand bike and caliper brakes was the compromise. After reading lots of reviews, I decided on these and am not disappointed.

I ride whatever the weather and have never felt they have let me down. I’m 86kg and love fast downhills so I really do stress test them. I’ve had a few “interesting” incidents on descents but these pads handled them smoothly.

No judder, just nice smooth braking. They wear a bit faster than I’d like but if that’s the price of good braking, that’s fine by me. I have Shimano 105 brakes and they are a little tight to fit so I’d advise using a touch of rubber friendly lube along the groove and they slip in nicely.

Just keep the lube away from the braking surface, obviously :).

Expensive- but good for specialty Aluminum rims. These are recommended for many ultralight Aluminum race/performace wheels sets such as Campy Shamal OR DT Swiss PR1400 DiCut Oxic. They claim to have 1) better wet condition braking and 2) not scuff up your expensive wheels and 3) give better braking performance in wet or dry conditions than carbon rim brakes.

The compound is definitely softer than the Campagnolo Record ones that came off. We shall see if they are actually better. Other reports say they are, but wear fast- so buy two sets instead on one.

Campagnolo’s best carbon brake pads are labeled as “Campagnolo carbon rim specific only” but will work on other brands. If using on non Campy rims you have to brake gently a few times then check for excessive wear or damage (You will see excessive carbon build up on the trailing edge of the pads).

You may also hear a loud rubbing noise. Stop using immediately if these conditions occur.

With the purchase of the campagnolo bora ultra 35 wheels at the time I got a set of shoes (the same as these) that when I put them in the brake bridges that I carry (shimano ultegra) they fit perfectly! Well, these that I just bought do not fit, I have not read anywhere in the description that they were not compatible with ultegra brake calipers so I had to cut them and make another hole for the screw that holds them or otherwise I would not have been able to fit them.

Now, once they are on, they do their job well, they brake well. Next time I will have to read comments and questions before buying.

As default brake shoe was not good, we purchased. Although it is not a Kampa wheel, it works as well as it has received. I think this is the first type that works. The brake shoe is not reduced as much as it is, but it will be up to the rim.

Although it is expensive as a brake shoe for carbon wheels, I am satisfied that I can purchase it much cheaper than in Japan.

I first realised I needed new brake pads while descending Cairn Gorm, which was not the best time. Moving from the existing Shimano 105 pads to these Dura-Ace pads, I notice a more linear braking performance as I increase braking force, which helps significantly on descents.

When braking on flat roads, there isn’t too much of a difference, so it’s really at the higher speeds (descents) where the upgrade in quality becomes most useful.

A big improvement on what I had been using, grip quickly when applied and pull you up fairly well. A bit of squealing and they appear to wear fairly rapidly. I do a lot of hills and weigh 90kg so it’s to be expected.

I expect them to last around 1500km at current rate.

Easy to use and has good quality. I bought these to go with my carbon rims so far so good cant complain. Schimano products are always top notch. Will recommend for any one needing carbon brake pads.

I recommend these replacement pads if you are in the position to take your time and learn how these pads work and learn to replace the pads instead of changing the entire brake shoe assembly. The pads are easy to replace and their cost is a whole lot less than the brake shoe assembly.

I ordered 2 sets of brake pads and received 3 left pads and 1 right pad – taped to the bottle of chain cleaner that I also ordered, not in the original packaging. The packaging matters because I hang the box on my tool board until I need to replace the brakes.

They’re beautiful! They look much nicer than the Magura Storm HC’s that they replaced. It’s the dead of winter, so not much riding has been going on. They’re mounted, aligned, and I’ve bedded the pads to the HS2.

After about 35 +/- braking runs, the pads are bedded nicely and the rotors have a nice color change to the braking surface. Power is fantastic, modulation is great, no warping, and time will tell how long they last.

I assume a long time. We’ll also see how much better these handle high heat, as I did warp the Storm HC’s on some really gnarly descents. Magura MT5 HC Brakes MTX Red Label Race Pads SRAM HS2 200mm rotors front/rear Magura QM40 adapter for the rear.

I suggest avoiding buying these rotors. I had a pair of Centerline rotors on my YT Capra. I have SRAM Code RSC brakes. Centerline are not good rotors, but at least they work a little bit. The SRAM HS2 rotor has cooked up after the first descent.

I am talking about the rear rotor. This issue never happened to me on the Centerline rotors. Centerline are made of better quality steel. I sent the rotor back to SRAM through bike-components and SRAM did not replace the rotor.

They said the problem was due to overheating. It was the reason why I sent these rotors to them. Completely disappointed by these rotors and SRAM. In any case, bike-components provided a very good service, as usual.

Thank you guys!.

The new disc does have a slightly noticeable firmer feel at the lever, with more bite, over the old centreline discs, and still retains great modulation (so not grabby or on/off). An improvement for sure over centreline discs! I also upped from 180-200 and once bedded in (essential process) I was able to endo even while sat down without moving my weight, whereas with centreline (180) I had to throw weight forward.

So definitely much more power, and better feel – more inital bit/firmness but great modulation. How Guide brakes should have been from the off. Proper bedding in is essential though.

Disc brakes are becoming all the rage for road bikes these days. But for those of us still riding road bikes with caliper rim brakes and alloy rims, these KoolStop Salmon brake pads are the best. (Please note that these pads are NOT intended for wheelsets that use all-carbon rims!! Only use pads recommended by your carbon wheel’s manufacturer.

Do not use these if you have all-carbon wheels!) These are the grippiest pads I have ever used on road bike caliper brakes and works well in wet conditions, and because the compound in these Salmon pads are softer than usual, they don’t cause excessive wear to your wheel’s rim brake track.

The tradeoff with the softer compound is that these Salmon pads do wear out faster than most other rim brake pads, but these Salmon pads are not expensive, so replacing them once a year won’t break your bank and keep your caliper brakes’ performance good.

Highly recommend!.

If you need brake pads to work no matter what, these are the ones. They LOCK and hold with no slip. Whether you have mags, chrome, painted, or unfinished rims, these pads will grip. Mags WILL require some break in time because of the rough texture of the mag wheel surface.

Just clean your pads with alcohol before installing to remove the mold releasing agent from the pads and you’re ready to go. Beware though, if you use these pads for cruising your bike WILL squeal when braking.

These brakes have serious holding power for freestyle tricks and trials riding when brake slip can mean the difference between pulling off the trick and kissing concrete. After trying literally every brake on the market that people claim to be the be all end all of brakes, I’ve found the Kool Stop Supra II Clear pads to be the most Radical brakes ever made.

It helps improving braking power by 30%, stopping the wheels faster than OEM Shimano or cheap Chinese pads. It seems lasting longer but that is another subject. Swap out all my rim brakes to Kool stop salmon pads.

Happy:). ( recommended by people who tour the world many many countries crossing far away with Kool stop pads).

I bought these brake blocks as I had upgraded my wheels and wanted to start with fresh blocks. The old blocks I had were extremely hard compound and although they lasted forever, they barely stopped the bike…if it was wet you could forget about stopping altogether.

These are night and day…my local route includes a very steep downhill with a give way at the bottom meaning you need to brake from 40mph to 0 really quickly. I can now brake more than half the distance from the end of the road compared to before.

Although I don’t think these will last as long due to softer compound, they are so much more effective and also do less damage to rims. Definitely worth the money and I will purchase again when this pair are worn out.

That was before I got these brake blocks. I was having serious problems getting blocks to grip my alloy rims. These are the 3rd ones I tried. The most expensive but they actually work. If your bakes are rubbish you could do worse than splash 20 on a pair of these for the front.

If your bike is fine with the cheaper ones then lucky you, buy the cheaper ones. In use they are easy on the hands giving a progressive feel which helps you not skid. You can bake harder and retain control.

Now I need another pair for the back.

Purchased based on reviews. I agree that these might be a little more expensive than those from a certain japanese brand (less so at the moment with them being on offer) but I’ve found the stopping power to be so much better.

I’ll admit to being old and slow but being able to confidently brake just that little bit later has improved my average speed already.

These are my go-to brake pads for all of our rim brake bikes. These are for use on alloy rims — not on carbon. I’ve used these pads (and associated holders — sold separately) on both Shimano and non-Shimano brakes and they’ve always performed well and had long service life, too.

Shimano 105 calipers? Ultegra calipers? TRP cantilever brakes? Works for all (assuming you have the correct holder/brake shoe).

Bought to restock my consumables stash. Identical model fitted a few days ago. Easy to fit, have done about 260 miles on them (mainly dry) with no drama. At £10 for 2 pairs, something of a bargain.

These pads rock!!! I ride a fully rigid Bontrager Race Lite. No disc brakes are needed since they add too much weight to my already light 23lb MTB. I see many full suspension bikes on trails, they are too heavy and not much faster downhill.

A light bike with V brakes is superior overall to the full suspension MTB. Full suspension is only needed to be competitive in MTB races. Marketing has convinced many that ” you gotta have full suspension”.

Not true, because if you truly know how to ride off road you will compensate for the mechanical suspension to your physical suspension. I am able to pass the majority of downhill bound full suspension bikes.

It’s not the bike as much as it is the rider. Old School rules!.

I always use these pads for my ZIPP wheels and I have never experienced any squealing, or other annoying sounds when braking. Actually don’t hear anything when braking, these pads are silent.

These pads work very well. I can come to a stop on my zipps just as quick as an aluminum wheel. I’m impressed. I do however want to point out that I don’t think these pads last long. I went on one ride and already see some pad wear.

I don’t think I really used my brakes that much either, but safely comes first and these pads work great for that.

Great breaking with Zipp 302s- much better than standard pads on the aluminum tracks of my winter wheels. But Zipp need to work out how to make them less expensive. Feel a bit held hostage given the warranty for the wheels are only valid if these pads are used.

I do like the replaceable pad patents, but i favour the ones that have a larger contact area on the rims as these have a smaller/shorter surface area. Good value i suppose as this would buy me only one pair at my local bike shop.

My Ultegra 6800 front rim just got a small fracture and it needs to be replaced. I wonder if this would have held up longer had i used another type of pad, but ofcourse inevitably (in case you didn`t know) all brake pads will eventually “eat up” the side of your rims/wheels and cause the rim to crack/rupture.

Not always easy to spot unless the pads contact the wheel exactly where the damage is done. I think my V brake system is called Avid 4 and is mounted on my Trek ion CX 28 inch cyclocross which is a fine ride for sure.

Much better than rolling around on a 26 inch wheel like most bikes are.

I have a 2004 LeMond Arrivee with Ultegra component group. I just turned 10,000 miles so I figured new brake pads were in order. I was able to knock the old ones out with few taps of a plastic mallet, strafe taking out the set screws, of course.

The new ones slid in easy as pie. New set screws were included in the package which I secured with a small amount of blue lock tite. Readjustment of the cables was necessary, since my old pads were quite worn.

I took the bike on a 61 mile ride shortly after and the brakes were just great. Smooth stopping with no noises. Totally positive experience.

The platinum pro evo brake pads are excellent in almost every terrain compared to other brake pads I have used. The only complaint I have is. during prolong downhill, it overheats and squeak a little but still considered and normal to me.

I have had compared notes to others fellow riders and theirs are even worse. Anyway, I will continue to use these pads in the future.

Use for carbon rims on a single speed bike. Stopping power is great, very little heat generated. These wear very quickly. I ride 4 days a week for only 10 miles each day. Had these pads less than a month and they are almost worn out.

Going back to Enve pads. PROS: Stopping Power CONS: Wears Very Quickly.

I pick up a few sets on clearance at REI this week (Aug 2022). They were under thee bucks. I live in PHX and you are probably wondering why I bought them. I read that they are a softer compound than the black and offer great stopping power wet or dry.

After installing, they are much better than the old tekro brake pads that they replaced. I normally use the salmon (aka Scott Mathauser) compound that you can find in Yokozuna or Kool Stop brake shoes.

I am interested to see if they are just as good. Time will tell. You will be happy with these especially as the price of brake shoes seem to be the only thing bucking the trend of inflation. Also the red looks great against black rims too.

I been spoiled on my mountain and hybrid bikes all having disc brakes, so when I made the switch to a road bike I was a bit concerned on the quality of braking. I saw reviews and studies on Jagwire brakes and decided to try them out.

I was recently caught in a downpour and I can say these brake pads would still do their job. I did not feel worried about my breaking as much as I was on visibility. I have recommended these a friend and he too felt the improvement over the stock brakes on our Treks.

I ordered these brake blocks for their price. They shipped quickly. They came in a plastic bag with no set screws, but thats fine because the old ones work fine. The blocks are new, fit perfectly, and will serve me well.

Highly recommended. I will buy again.

TranslateShow in original languageCorima è una garanzia. Sono tanti anni che li utilizzo e sul bagnato non mi hanno mai tradito. TOP.!!!

TranslateShow in original languagePer ruote in carbonio sono i migliori non fischiano e permettono di modulare la frenata efficacemente.

TranslateShow in original languageGià usato in precedenza,ftenata potente e grande durata.

i use with my mavic comete disc wheel and these are very sharp and efficient they are especially made for mavic’s carbon composite and do not leave a strange yellow residue and can withstand large amounts of heat.

You won’t be disappointed these are different to cork so if you don’t want to pull the lever with large amounts of force as you will slow down incredibly quickly.

These pads look good but you would expect them to work like a dream with Mavic carbon wheels. sadly they do not and I have little confidence going down hill with them. on the plus note they sound ridiculously cool when braking.

Good pads, better performance than yellow Mavic pads, but I have found them a bit grabby when braking, by this I mean the braking is not linear, it retards in pulses which can result in locking a wheel accidentally, however they definitely have more braking power than yellow pads.

If youd like to ride your bike without wondering if you have the right brake pads or the best brake pads or wondering why they shriek or squeal, its pretty simple. Buy ENVE brake pads. You wont have to think about braking.

They preform well but for the brand and premium price, probably there are better value elsewhere.

Horribly expensive brake pads made by Swissstop for Enve rims… Braking power on dry is good, not sure they’ll last long but it’s the price to pay to save the braking surface ^^

These are the only no scheaching squealing carbon wheel brake pads I’ve found . Ty ENVE

If you are running carbon wheels with rim brakes, these are well worth the investment. I went through a few other brake pads including swissstop flash pros and kool stop carbon before i purchased these and I can assure you that these offer superior braking power, modulation and to top it off they last.

I’ve put 1k+ miles on these and where the other pads suffered brake fade and the squeaks easily but these hold up to the heat generated.

Replaced a set of Shimano carbon specific brake pads which had uneven braking performance as the wheel rotated. These pads are even throughout the entire rotation, have a larger surface area in contact with the wheel providing more braking performance, and are also quieter.

I’ll be ordering these again when my current set are done. Just a shame they are so expensive!.

Like stopping on alloy wheels. Positive feel . Works well with my Reynolds Assault wheelset. I am actually impress by stopping power.

A fitting match to my Reynolds carbon wheelset. I originally wanted black pads but figured it would be a nice contrast. I did notice that these pads are not as thick as non carbon brake pads. Slight weight savings I guess? As long as they perform and function the way they should.

I must admit I was a little hesitant to buy due to low price, but glad I took the risk. Half the price of Swisstop pads with all the same benefits. Much quieter than my previous Kool Stop pads. I defintely would purchase again and I ordered 2 more sets for when these wear out.

Haven’t noticed that they wear any quicker than other carbon rim pads. If wear is an issue then maybe stay with aluminum wheels for training. Definitely will recommend to all my carbon wheel buddies.

PROS: Great Value, Whisper quiet, Great stopping power BEST USES: Racing, Hard Trainng Rides.