The best carbon wheels deserve the best all-around brake pad. According to Zipp Speed Weaponry, the new Zipp Tangente Platinum Pro Brake Pad ‘delivers smooth speed control, long wear life and reliable stopping power for use on carbon braking surfaces in all conditions, wet or dry.’
The Tangente Platinum Pad (US$40 for a two-pad kit) is designed for use on carbon rims and has not been approved for use on aluminium braking surfaces. It is available for SRAM, Shimano or Campagnolo 2011 brakes.
To create the new silver pad, the bike-brake experts at Zipp and SwissStop put their minds together to develop an all-purpose pad designed for carbon clincher and tubular rims. The result was a pad that retains consistent stopping power, even on rain-soaked roads.
And when it’s hot and dry, the Tangente Platinum Pad’s uniquely formulated compound better manages the extreme temperatures that can result from heavy braking on carbon. As Zipp points out, just like a champion cyclist, this pad is a versatile performer.
Zipp knows that for carbon wheel users there remain many faithful fans of cork and its smooth, consistent feel. That’s why Zipp is still offering its Tangente High Performance Cork Brake Pad. The company designed the Tangente Platinum to provide that same predictable ride during the many lighter brake touches required to navigate turns or group rides.
Roughly a dozen versions of the pad were tested before the right formulation was found to create the Tangente Platinum. That research included use by cycling pros.
In many instances, mechanics at top professional cycling teams switch out brake pads: one for rainy days, another for sunny days. Some riders even preferred one type of pad for the front brake and a second for the rear.
The Zipp-sponsored Saxo Bank-SunGard team used the Tangente Platinum Pad through much of the 2011 cycling season, with riders providing valuable feedback to Zipp engineers. By the 2011 Tour de France, the pad was a mainstay on many Saxo Bank-SunGard team bikes.
What’s more, according to Zipp, the durable pad has no abrasives that damage the rim, and the pad also does not discolour rims.
