Kool Stop MTB Mountain Bicycle Brake Shoes

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.

Kool Stop pads offer huge bang for the buck. Very easy to install, allowing you to dial in just the right amount of toe-in to avoid squeaking, and holy smokes...these can stop your bike on a dime. True story - being used to my old pads, right after installing these I hit the trail and pulled back too hard on my front brake. I flew over my handlebars...shoe cleats still clipped in. Epic crash (thank god for my helmet). If you have just installed these take time to get used to their stopping power...going VERY slowly when doing so. The beauty is that now - on terrain where I don't need a front break (e.g., rear tire won't lose traction) my rear break is almost all I ever need. Because of this, however, I wouldn't recommend these on the bikes of inexperienced riders or kids who are just getting used to handbrakes. But for experienced riders, I've used nothing better (I've been mountain biking for 30 years). Super bonus - the price is right. Materialistic bonus - the salmon/red color looks sharp.

The rear brake pads on my tandem ebike needed replacement. This electric bike is big and heavy, so good braking performance is essential to get it to stop. The Kool-Stop Cantilever pads were a perfect fit and work great.Quiet hard braking requires a small amount of toe-in. That means that the rear end of the pad is slightly further away from the wheel's rim than the front end of the pad. Perhaps about 1/16" (1.5mm) additional space when the brakes are at rest (not depressed).Keep in mind that these pads are specifically for bikes that have Cantilever brakes that require a smooth or ribbed post (without threads). The pad's post is slightly ribbed: 0.265 inch (6.75mm) diameter and 1.2 inch (30mm) long. If you need installation tips then head over to YouTube and watch some how-to videos.Pros: Stopping distance is good. Operation is quiet.Cons: None so far.

Running these on a 700c Bianchi bike. The back wheel has always squealed since I got it except with the black Kool Stop pads. These new MTB pads grip even better than the blacks but I am getting squeal again unless I toe in so much that the orange part barely touches. I'll have to play around with them more. I have high hopes since they do stop well. They dont have a lot of pad compared to other pads I have used but as long as they stop the bike I'll change them every year if needed.

So ive used these for a new months now, when i fitted them i had no problems when i used them to brake they made a horrible squeak and i hated it. It was so loud and people would look at me when i was slowing down.After sanding it down, toeing in the brakes and cleaning the rims and pads nothing worked, so i had to "toe-out" and that worked fine, very powerful brakes, for me these are almost on par with disk brakes

Replaced some poor performing pads on my Giant Halfway with these and they have TRANSFORMED the braking on the bike (as expected). Great product

I used to race what seems to be a lifetime ago so I know what stopping power can be with elite bike parts so I began to search for a new replacement brand and came across these Kool Stop pads. Threw them on and it was like bringing back turn on a dime trail riding once again. Extreme grip, no squeak with poor quality pads but yet very, very reasonable for cost. I grabbed a few pairs of these since discovering and always recommend to my fellow enthusiasts.One aspect that I appreciate is that the compound is very long lasting but yet soft to grip. Typically soft griping pads wear quickly but I've not found this to be true with Kool Stop pads.I threw up a couple pictures, one on a hardtail beater then another of one of my ProFlex bikes.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED👍👍👍 I hope you found this review helpful, I try hard to make reviews as such with facts. I'd appreciate if you clicked on the Helpful button just below 👍👍👍

Much better than the trash pads that were defaulted on my bicycle. I like the contoured shape that follows the wheel, the braking effect is an improvement (I replaced new brakes pads). As to only using them a handful of short trips since installing them I cannot declare their longevity. The only concern I had was to shipping and why when I ordered two sets of two and they arrived days apart.

Las compré porque tenía mucha confianza en la marca. A pesar de disponer una mayor superficie de frenado que otras pastillas de freno no terminan de tener una gran mordiente. Las pastillas que llevaba antes (muy normalitas) creo que funcionaban mejor.No frenan mal, pero esperaba algo más de kool stop y de una zapata tan larga.Quizás sea por el doble compuesto por lo que no me dan ese punto de mordiente esperado.