Review of Brake Shoes Kool Stop Mountain Pad Dual Black/Sal

Brake Shoes Kool Stop Mountain Pad Dual Black/Sal
By: Kool Stop Average Rating: 5.0 Total Reviews: 11
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work well

On: 2009-12-27

I installed these pads about six months ago. they do not seem to have any sort of bionic special stopping power to me. they work about as well as any other set I have had. I am happy with them for working ever time I need them and think they will last at least a long at any other set of pads.

Great brake pads

On: 2009-11-26

Im not an expert, but Ive been impressed with these pads. My only past experience has been with cheaper no-name pads (usually whatever the local bike shop was selling at the time), but these are markedly better. My commuter bike (an older mountain bike) has crappy steel rims, so squeal has always been a problem, but these pads are noticeably quieter than the pads Ive used in the past. They still make a bit of noise, but nothing obnoxious. They grip excellently and it only takes a gentle pull with two fingers on my V-brakes to make a quick, controlled stop. Of course, the performance isnt very good when theyre wet, especially with my steel rims, but the channels seem to clear the water out pretty well and after a couple stops the performance improves noticeably.

I cant really comment on the life, but over the last few months Ive been using them, they seem to wear about like average pads. They definitely dont wear as fast as some of the soft-compound road pads that Kool Stop makes.

Overall, Ive been pleased with these pads. They are a bit more expensive than your basic pads, but if you really are after better performance, you cant go wrong.

I wont need disc brakes now!

On: 2009-10-04

My bike came with cheepo Tektro V-Brakes and the pads wore out in one month of wet riding. I got these pads for the front wheel, in dual compound, and have ridden all summer in wet grass, muddy trails, and rainy commutes and they work consistently, no matter what condition. Ive noticed much more braking power compared to the stock pads, and my tires usually run out of traction before my brakes start to fade. They also dont mar youre rims and tires with black stuff - none at all. No more brake grinding and rim wear either, just strong, smooth, clean braking all the time.

The only problems Ive had are; my fork/wheels are very low-end, so occasionally, under hard braking the brakes shutter a little, making the front end shake. Also have occasional brake squeal, neither of these problems affects braking at all.

These pads do change the handling on the bike, have occasionally been tricky to use when I was getting used to them. They have tremendous braking power in the wet, and during straight line braking, on wet streets; Ive locked up the front wheel and nearly crashed, but luckily was able to release the brakes and regain control, before I rode through a busy intersection. Ive also slid out the front end going diagonally down a slightly wet grass hill when I foolishly grabbed the brakes hard.

Bottom line these are an exceptional product, and if youre considering upgrading to disc brakes, for the added power, modulation and wet performance, do try these pads first, they will change youre mind.

Work great

On: 2009-07-06

These work great dry or wet and improved my braking greatly. When its time for a replacement I will get the same Kool Stops again. (salmon/black)

Good Pads!

On: 2008-08-02

Used these to replace the stock pads on a 50cm Surly Long Haul Trucker (with 26" wheels). BIG improvement. Before you replace the Oryx cantilevers that come on the LHT, try these...it just might be the ticket. These fit the radius of the 26" wheel perfectly.

The best brake shoe period.

On: 2008-07-10

This brake shoes are just amazing. If you think that your V-brakes need some work or you are thinking of upgrading try the Kool Stop you will not be disappointed. I do mountain biking and it made a great difference on downhills. They are not disc brakes but they are the closest you will get to them.

Great for my road bike, fits 700c rims perfectly

On: 2008-06-05

With the brake shoes that came on my road bike I couldnt lock up my rear wheel and going down hills I had to squeeze the brakes as hard as I could just to keep from going too fast.

With these Kool Stop pads I can lock up my rear wheel with one finger on flat, dry ground. Most of a bicycles braking power comes from the front wheel and one finger can bring me to an emergency stop.

These dramatically reduce the distance needed to stop.

Another benefit of using these is that I didnt need to buy new brakes, just the shoes.

These shoes are recommended on Sheldon Browns website.

koolstop

On: 2008-02-08

I hated these pads at first, but after I played with them for a while they seem to work okay.... I grow tired of v-brakes and am thinking of putting some discs on my trek 4300

Curvature seems excessive for 700 cm rim

On: 2007-12-13

I never had to change a pad on my old ten speed despite a quarter century of use. I was surprised that I had to replace pads on my new road bike after a couple years. These pads seem to have a consistently predictable moderate amount of grab, and make me feel I have things under control when Im going down a steep hill. The amount of grab is very similar to an old ten speed, so I expect they probably will substantially outlast most modern pads. Unfortunately, their curvature is not really a good match for a 700 cm wheel, so I have to disagree with Sheldon Browns bike shop when it suggests that these are not mountain bike specific. On a 700 cm wheel, the center sits high and the tips sit low. The bike shop may be right that this is the worlds best brake pad, but at some point I may be switching over to Kool Stops shimano compatible holders and pads just to be rid of the curvature mismatch.

Kool Stop brakes

On: 2007-08-04

Last much longer than factory brake pads. Very good stopping power. A little noisy when cold of wet but still stop very well even if wet.

Great Brake Shoes

On: 2006-10-11

Wow, I just put on my new Kool Stop brake shoes and they work great! They are quiet and do not take as much force to stop. A real improvement over the OEM Trek shoes that came on the bike.

Biking for fun in Pella