Kool Stop MTB Mountain Bicycle Brake Shoes

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. I've 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 don't mar you're 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 I've 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; I've 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. I've 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 you're considering upgrading to disc brakes, for the added power, modulation and wet performance, do try these pads first, they will change you're mind.

These pads are amazing. I've got only a pair of them (only have rear brakes) on an old 26" mountain bike, which I did my best to clean the rim, but it's admittedly not very true any longer, and parts of the surface are anything but flat or smooth (aluminum is kind of gouged in spots). Despite all that, I've got fantastic stopping power. If the bike still had front brakes and I put these pads on, there's probably a decent chance I might end up going over the bars.I'm not a power rider or anything like that, but I'm not a small guy, and I like getting anything on wheels up to top speed when possible. Brakes are very important to me (not sure why they wouldn't be to any rider with just a smidge of sense), and I really thought I was going to have to toss this bike to get something newer with good brakes (e.g. even just basic disk brakes).Even if these pads only last me 6 months, I'll still replace them with the same thing. I've been slowly replacing all the worn out or sub-par stuff on this old bike, and these pads are just about the last thing that it needed. I'm a cheapskate who doesn't want to buy another bike any sooner than necessary, and also like that almost no one will steal the old thing I have, either! It's also cool that you can still get a quality product like this for old cantilever-style brakes. With a lot of modern products (not just or necessarily bikes), it seems like once the new thing is released, you'll eventually have a harder time maintaining the old one....It actually gives me some faith to pick up another older bike with cantilever-style brakes - I know I'll have good stopping power at a minimum!I just can't emphasize how great these pads are. I guess I also should include that the cables and all other hardware are all original too (e.g. 20+ yrs old), and the pads still do a great job. Typically, you have to replace all related assemblies to get something in top-notch working condition, but this is a clear exception.

I've been using these Kool-Stop MTN pads for a while now. They are simply the best rim-brake pads I have ever used. If you can fit these pads on your bike then go with them!The stopping performance is tremendous. The extra contact surface and the red compound really work wonders. My trek soho city bike stops as good (if not better) than my disc brake equipped gravel bike, just by changing the pads!!! Another plus is that they are pretty good in the wet too. Not as good as disc brakes (duh), but they seem to squeegee water/grime away from the rim better than other pads I've tried.A few tips:1.) Make sure you take time to set them up properly (i.e., toe-in). They can be very noisy (especially after wet weather) if you do not have any toe-in dialed in.2.) When you are installing these, make sure you go through and clean the contact patch of your rim THOROUGHLY. I like to use simple green and a microfiber cloth.3.) If you clean your rims well and still see black streaks on the rim surface, take a nail file and rub the surface of your rim thoroughly. This will get rid of the streaks and give you a nice clean braking surface.4.) If you ride a lot in wet or nasty weather, make sure you wipe the surface of the pads off after every ride. They do a good job of removing grit and grime from the rim, but the downside is that the pads will become gunked up themselves.

I used these brakes for a few weeks before they started squealing constantly and I was not able to stop it, no matter how much I clean them or my rims. I had to replace them. I don't recommend them.