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Riding carbon rims and having great preforming brakes or brake pads are mostly mutually exclusive. However after a month of testing Katie and I are really happy with our new carbon brake pad choice for this season.

We've always tried to find the very best components for Katie's job and have often stopped using components when they don't measure up to the extreme conditions of racing in Europe.

The new Zipp cork Tangente High Performance brake pad works fantastic in both wet and dry conditions without squealing or grabbing. There is a really good amount of highend brake power as well as modulation which is a tough ask for most pads. These are the pads we've elected to run this year, yes they are sponsored equipment and there is some biasses because we aren't paying for the pads however we're not afraid of buying other pads when it comes to superior performance which we've done in the past. I've been really impressed with the progression of technology from Zipp. Their rims on the 303 are so revolutionary it would be like dropping a Macbook Pro into 1995. They have revolutionized rim design with real world performance gains for cyclocross. The wider rims produce better handling and increased traction that can be felt out on course. When Zipp asked me to test the rims I was hesitant so I went out and smacked this sht out of them to end the test early. I tried slamming the wheels into concrete edges as hard as I could seated in the saddle to ensure they could handle the stresses of racing World Cup races. The end result was not one blemish on the rims or any signs of damage. Another little advantage for the gluing disadvantaged is these rims are naturally shaped for cyclocross tires which prevents the dreaded tire roll for those who have trouble in this department.
Zipp Tangente Cork brake pads and Zipp 303 Cyclocross wheels are KfC approved.

This is an obvious plug of one of our sponsors but if their brake pads and rims weren't truly revolutionary I wouldn't bother posting.

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Obviously your satisfied with the product after your testing, but why the initial hesitation?
We've seen and damaged Zipp rims in the past as have many others out there. We can't have rims failing on us during races in Europe because it's not like we can run down to the local store or have new ones shipped out in time for the next race. Gluing times in Belgium are much longer compared to Colorado due to the humidity and temperatures. I need dependable components that can handle travel and a huge amount of abuse. Racing conditions in Europe are a great deal more difficult than here in the US, we've been caught out a couple times when our race setup worked fine for US conditions but failed miserably for Europe.
Glad that you're happy with the new setup. Seems like things are starting to come together well for the season. Best of luck you and Katie.
Hey mark, what other pads did you test with the 303?
TRP, Zipp Carbon Carbon made by Koolstop, Swiss Stop and the pads we ran last season, 4ZA cork. The Zipp Tangente had noticeably more highend stopping power and very good modulation.
If you really want to give ZIpp a plug you should post this on Slowtwitch. ;)

Are you guys running Dugasts or Challenge this year?
Dugast. Katie is sponsored by Dugast this season. Look for a special little stamp on her tires.
Zipp Zipp Zipp Zipp plug plug plug...

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