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Hello fellow CXers.... this is my first post on here!

So i got myself a set of carbon wheels with carbon brake surface for the season this year... and a peculiar thing dawned on me today. What happens to a carbon brake surface when racing in muddy conditions? So for those of you who has experience racing on carbon wheels- is the rim wear a legitimate concern? I know what mud and dirt can do to disc brake pads- i've burned through a set of pads in an hour in some muddy mountain bike races, so i can imagine that it has significant effect on rim and brake pads.

Are certain brake pads better then others? And i guess while we are on the subject- what is your favorite brake pad for carbon rims (in terms of braking power)? So far i have an option of choosing between the carbon specific pads that came with my TRP brakes and cork pads that came with my wheels.

thanks for your help,
-a

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CX will just about to destroy everything you will ride. We race on dirt, so even on non-muddy days things will get a little "worn". two years on some Easton EC90's & the braking surface is just fine! Good Luck!
Thanks, Ed. Thus far i have indeed heard that SwissStop are the best carbon brake pads... for road use at least.

I agree that cross indeed destroys equipment... but you rode your EC90s for 2 years and the braking surface is fine? The i guess i got nothing to worry about.
It's unlikely your rims will wear out. When Katie and I are in Belgium we train and race in sand and mud almost everyday (daily bike washing is required) your pads will wear out faster than your rims. There's not a lot of sustained braking in cyclocross like MTB racing so the heat buildup and braking duration is shorter.
After many years racing on carbon rims we've recently finished testing the best brake pad I've used. The new Zipp cork pad works extremely well with greater modulation plus they will work well on rubber contaminated braking tracks.

If for some reason you manage to wear out your braking track on your carbon wheels you will want to look at investing into a higher quality wheel.

The TRP pads are ok as are the SwissStop however over the years I always return to cork pads for greater modulation and better braking in very muddy/sandy conditions.

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