Kool Stop Shimano Road Pad Inserts

Advantages: Excellent performance in wet/muddy conditions, rim friendly, good wear rates
Disadvantages: Pricier than the competition

...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... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: cheaper than contemporaries
Disadvantages: difficult hoses

...shimano, in using a new 4 pot system have moved into the league usually dominated by Hope. the 4 pot system gives greater power than two pot systems and doesnt overheat easily. the shimano is better than the hopes because it uses two cylinders to drive the pads rather than the one cylinder that the hope uses to drive all 4 pads. the shimanos are also a lot cheaper than other systems with comparible performance, although they need expensive hubs, making them more expensive than the hope open 2s. the braided hoses are bombproof but need to be precut and the levers give superb modulation and good feel.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Excellent bike with well Specified Equipment
Disadvantages: No fun riding in the rain.

...: Shimano Gears Rear: Shimano Alivio Handlebars: Tioga Riser Headset: Ahead Hub Front / Rear: Alloy QR front and rear Rims: Alloy Saddle: Selle Bassano Seat Clamp: Alloy Seat Pillar / Bolt: Suspension Stem: Alloy Tyres: Road and Trail Model Number: 3981 When checking for the best prices try the web sites which is where I purchased mine from. One site has delivery included. I have not tried all the bikes out there around this price range but I am 100% happy with this one. I paid £267.99 if you can beat this you would do well. Last point only one thing required for this bike : Padded shorts a must for long distances. Happy cycling.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful