Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond to my odd little inquiry both on and off list. For anyone not clear about the subject, here is a photo of a pair of old Universal pads from a model 61 caliper which shows one of the most extreme examples of this type of brake pad compound. The old Universal pads in particular had always sparked my curiosity. These seem to be the most obvious example of a very coarse fiber additive which was tossed into one manufacturers secret formula.
http://www.flickr.com/
Having heard tales of some early pads virtually turning to mush after melting from the heat generated during long steep alpine descents in the Giro or TDF, it makes sense that more than simple rubber alone would be used on ANY pads. With more modern compounds it is simply not noticed. So, I never pondered the long effort and considerable research which was devoted to developing some of the superior pads - such as the venerable Scott-Mathausers... which I always loved.
My thanks to Jim Merz for sharing his inside story regarding those old gems! Fascinating!
Cheers!
BOB HANSON, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, USA
**************AOL Search: Your one stop for directions, recipes and all other Holiday needs. Search Now. (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1212792382x1200798498/aol?redir=http://searchblog.aol.com/2008/11/04/happy-holidays-from -aol-search/?ncid=emlcntussear00000001)