Great Value
Size: Cantilever
Color: Dual Compound
I needed new pads for an older bike that used this style ... these stop as good as the originals did when new, and were easy to install. For whatever reason, these are getting harder to find as disc brakes get more popular, I guess. But they work good and are a great price.
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2023 by Richard Wagoner
Good stopping power no squeal
Size: Cantilever
Color: Dual Compound
Haven't tried them wet on our tandem but they work great dry. Quiet too.
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2023 by D Ewing
I will use nothing but Eagle Claws.
Size: Cantilever
Color: Dual Compound
Wear nicely, no surprises. I use nothing else.
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2023 by Jessica Iddens
Good pads but...
I've got a pair of these Kool-Stops (Dual compound) on my MTB but they are not any better than the standard all-black "sticky fingers" pads by Avenir. If anything, I think the Avenir's are better as they stop just as well in wet or dry (if not better) and seem to be wearing better than the Kool-stops
. An interesting thing about the Avenir Sticky fingers is that they mount exactly backwards from these Kool-Stops in that the bigger side of the pad goes on the trailing edge of the mounting post rather than the other way around like on the Kool-Stops. Since my old Ross Cantilever-braked Mt. Hood was made before the days of these non-symmetrical pads the Kool-Stops won't fit up front in the correct orientation and the Sticky-Fingers won't fit in back without interfering with the wheelstays when I try and pull the wheels out and not openening up all the way. The only way around this is to run the pads backwards from the way they are labled. The Sticky-fingers don't seem to make a difference frontwards or backawards, but the Kool-stops have a huge loss in performance when run backwards. I could get away with running the Avenir's front and back but I've just been running the Kool-Stops in back and the Sticky-Fingers up front. This is something to think about if you have an older MTB and don't have as much clearance between the Cantis and the wheelstays or forks. These Kool-Stops are OK brakes but not worth the price when the Avenir Sticky-Fingers are just as good, reversible, and much cheaper. Maybe when people discover this the price of them will go up to match their performance and the price of the Kool-Stops.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2011 by Raleighphile
Night and day. The $9 upgrade that saved me $400 on disc brakes.
Size: Threaded
Color: Salmon
I've been nearly rear-ending cars. I've gone down hills on which I can't get the bike to stop picking up speed with both brake levers squeezed down against the handlebar (and the brakes adjusted as close to the rim as they can be without rubbing). The local bike law says the brakes must be capable of
skidding one tire on dry pavement. Ha!. Just from that, I knew the factory V-brakes on my Specialized Rockhopper were never good. Well, the frame and fork have disc mounts (but the hubs don't), and I was weighing the options of spending $400 on new wheels and new disc brake parts or selling the bike and buying a disc-equipped bike. The brakes were that bad. I put these on yesterday. Yes. Now I can skid to a stop and slide it sideways if I want to. I don't want to, but if I did, I could do it with one finger on the lever. Likewise, I could launch myself over the handlebars with the front brake if I wanted to. Don't know exactly why I'd want to do that, but it's nice to know the capability is there. Simply awesome. I guess people who know wouldn't be as surprised as I was how much of a difference good brake pads can make.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2015 by Roast Pork
Best replacement shoe for old school cantis I have found in 20 years.
Back before the days of disks and even linear pull brakes, cantilever brakes were the norm on mountain bikes. I first started using Eagle Claw shoes in the 90's; the plain black compound then. They were and are great. Easy to install, as canti shoes go, and the fin on the back plays a dual role of sw
eeping wet stuff off the rim and setting the toe-in for the contact surface. On he recommendation of my LBS, I tried the dual compound with black and salmon this time. The installation was as easy as ever, and they stop great. I have not used them yet in any wet and muddy conditions, so I am not sure how much the salmon compound will make a difference the next time I get caught on a muddy ride. I have to add that i was on the verge of upgrading to linear pull brakes on this bike, but I decided to clean the rims and throw on new KS shoes instead, and I am happy. This bike is more for trail riding and touring; and the cantilevers give ample stopping power. For hard-core mountain riding, I would go linear pull; probably with Kool Stop shoes on those brakes.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2014 by M. Keisling
It’s nice to know you can stop
Size: Cantilever
Color: Dual Compound
These replaced my fossilized rubber brakes on my 50 year old ten speed. The rear ones went on great, but due to the extra length of these pads I needed to move the front caliber further from the fork. After some washers to move the front brakes, I’m confident I will stop reasonably quick
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2022 by Big Dollar Steve
Kool Stop sums it up.
Size: Cantilever
Color: Dual Compound
I have used Kool Stop brake pads for years and I have always had great performance with them. The duel color is a plus for wet and dry conditions and I would purchase these again and again as I just purchased two sets for two different bikes with cantilever brakes.
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2022 by Goodwrench84