Can regular brake pads be used on ceramic rims?

[ferrus]

I’m building up my Slingshot at last and will be using some Crossmax’s until I get some more suitable wheels built.
Brakes are modified Boulder (like Onza) so need unthreaded posts. I thought I had a few spare ceramic pads but it turns out they’re all the threaded type. I’ve a load of standard ones though, so other than rapid wear on the ceramic are there any other issues to using them? Are they likely to mess up the brake surface?

 

[ishaw]

I don't think so. I've run standard on ceramics many times (mavics too). No issues, less noise when braking is a bonus.

 

[ferrus]

Oh fab that is good news, thanks. The unthreaded ceramic pads are getting really hard to find.

 

[scant]

I tried a set of the red ritchey pads on ceramic rims once. The braking modulation was superb, but the pads wore out in 1 ride.

 

[ferrus]

OK, I might give it a go with just some unbranded cheapo's then and see how it goes. Cheers for the reply.

 

[sunympholepsy]

My experience has been mixed. Decent soft compound brake pads wore out in no time, but cheapies (both standard and ceramic), and rock hard NOS pads ruined the ceramic coating at first contact with the rim…
Dedicated ceramic pads are totally reasonable in my opinion. You can still buy KoolStop Eagle (green for ceramic rims) etc. for about £15 a pair. They last forever, dont damage the coating, and offer superior performance, which for me is one of the reasons for using ceramic rims (and dedicated pads) in first place.

 

[ferrus]

Thanks @sunympholepsy. In that case I'll do the right thing and buy the Kool Stops. SJS Cycles are the only place I can find them @ about 20 quid and they only have a couple of sets left.
I've used the cartridge Slimline versions on some Motolites and they do work well; the Eagles should last a bit longer too.

 

[ferrus]

You mentioned how rock hard NOS pads ruined the coating. I managed to snap two new XTR ceramic pads today trying to slide them into the cartridge. They were hard as plastic and really brittle. Would you avoid using them with ceramic rims then?

 

[dubbledude]

You can totally use the regular pads on your ceramic rims, but they’ll wear the rim surface faster than the proper ceramic pads. You might notice more brake dust and a bit more noise too. Just keep an eye on your rims and swap in the right pads when you can.

 

[sunympholepsy]

You mentioned how rock hard NOS pads ruined the coating. I managed to snap two new XTR ceramic pads today trying to slide them into the cartridge. They were hard as plastic and really brittle. Would you avoid using them with ceramic rims then?

I would avoid them as I am slightly traumatised after damaging a NOS 217 rim with NOS Suntour pads. Although, Shimano ceramic inserts are generally quite hard compound, to be fair. I have a set here and just checked. I use these on heavy duty Exal ceramic rims and they work just fine.