Campy brake pads on Zipp wheels

[Dietmar]

I just looked at the wheel manual for my new Zipp 404s, and they have a warning in big bold print saying "Do not use Campagnolo pads, or any pad purporting to be for ceramic rims. Most ceramic pads contain abrasives which can lead to excessively high brake temperatures and possible rim damage"

And below they go on to say:

"We recommend using Zipp Carbon/Carbon brake pads with any aluminum braking surface, including our own clincher wheels. Standard brake pads will work, but might cause premature wear to the braking surface due to the use of abrasives such as aluminum oxide in the pads. As discussed with our tubular rims, we do not recommend using Campagnolo pads. Good options include Dura-Ace and Kool-Stop black."

Notice that this applies to their aluminum braking surfaces as well, not just the carbon ones. Anybody knows what this is about? Are the Campy pads too harsh on rims in general?

 

[Dietmar]

Notice that this applies to their aluminum braking surfaces as well, not just the carbon ones. Anybody knows what this is about? Are the Campy pads too harsh on rims in general?

O.k., did some more research an this, and my take is that the Campy pads really are, shall we say, suboptimal, at least for somebody like me who is not interested in replacing his rims once a year.

I went ahead and replaced my original Campy pads with SwissStop BHP RacePro. Result: Much better braking (better modulation and deceleration), and less rim wear. Take it for what it's worth; YMMV, as they say...