Kool Stop Pads - All Cartridge V Brakes

...The real secret of the Kool Stop's superior braking power is the salmon compound. Originally it was developed by Scott-Mathauser, and was recognised as the finest brake pads available, both for it's superior stopping power and durable compound. Kool Stop was under contract to Scott-Mathauser to manufacture their pads.Kool Stop obtained the rights to manufacture the salmon pads when Scott-Mathauser went out of business. The secret of the pads is that ...
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'''Features of the Kool Stop Pads'''

Along with the salmon compound, the pads also feature Kool Stops patented plough tip. On the leading edge of the pad (i.e. the part that contacts the rim first), the pad has a raised edge. Its job is to act like a squeegee, cleaning muck of rim surface, allowing the brake pad behind to grip onto a clean rim. This feature also helps reduce rim wear by cleaning off grit and other abrasive ... more

This review is for the dual compound cartridge pads. They are black/salmon in colour.

A bit of History

The real secret of the Kool Stop's superior braking power is the salmon compound. Originally it was developed by Scott-Mathauser, and was recognised as the finest brake pads available, both for it's superior stopping power and durable compound. Kool Stop was under contract to Scott-Mathauser to manufacture their pads.Kool Stop obtained the rights to manufacture the salmon pads when Scott-Mathauser went out of business. The secret of the pads is that they contain iron oxide (i.e. rust), and work on the same principle as sintering does for disc brake pads. They dramatically improve wet weather braking performance as well as wear.

Features of the Kool Stop Pads

Along with the salmon compound, the pads also feature Kool Stops patented plough tip. On the leading edge of the pad (i.e. the part that contacts the rim first), the pad has a raised edge. Its job is to act like a squeegee, cleaning muck of rim surface, allowing the brake pad behind to grip onto a clean rim. This feature also helps reduce rim wear by cleaning off grit and other abrasive particles. To further improve wet weather performance the pad has 2 triangular cutaway sections which work in a similar fashion to the grooves in tyre tread which force water to the outside of the tyre allowing the rubber to grip the road surface.

How do they Perform?

In the dry, you won't notice much difference between a Kool Stop pad and a good quality pad of another manufacturer. I certainly can't.

However where you will notice the difference is in the wet. Their performance is excellent in the wet, and while there is a drop off in performance, it is nowhere near as much as with other brands that I have tried.

In mud these pads really do come into their own. They are the only v-brake pad that I have tried that provide any braking at all when covered in mud. Mud is extremely abrasive, and every time you apply the brakes you are applying a grinding paste to your delicate aluminium rims. Before I changed over to the Kool Stops, my Avid Rim Wranglers lasted as little as 2 months, and also managed to wear my rear rim past the wear markers in under 9 months. With the Kool Stops, not only is the braking vastly improved, but my rims show significantly less wear.

The other small advantage you get is the cartridge pads are a bit easier than the blocks to replace - pull out circlip, press out old pad, push in new pad, replace circlip, and then adjust pad and cable. They're also a bit cheaper than buying the Kool Stop brake blocks.

The Downsides?

The only real downside is cost. You pay around £7.50 as opposed to £3-4 for the cheaper brands.

Overall

Barring discs brakes, these pads are the best brake upgrade to your bike for wet and muddy rides. 

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