Originally Posted by rpenmanparker

Forgive my asking, but what exactly is a sparrow (in this context)?

On the wheels/pads question, you will not get a straight answer from Bontrager. This is not conspiracy theory BS or corporation hating. I worked for Big Oil for 30 years and know how corporate culture goes. I can tell you Trek is lawyered up on this question. They will refer you right back to the printed disclaimer. Swiss Stop knows what it is doing and their BP pads are the best I have ever used, especially developed for high performance braking and conservation of the rims as well. They are in use on carbon rims of all makes and models. I agree you should try to corner Bontrager on this if you can, but let's hear from others on the forum about it too. Bontrager carbon rims have to be within the normal range of heat and abrasion resistance suggesting that high performance after-market pads would be appropriate to use with them.