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Brake pad recommendations?

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Cycling Equipment
Published
20 February 2007
Last activity
28 February 2007
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Scott
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  1. Lou Holtman said:
    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    Like Jim I think the Campagnolo pads are better than the Koolstops
    Salmon so you can beat me too.

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    Reason?

    Quoted message said:

    They stop better in the rain, and they hardly pick up any grit. I
    paid no attention to the embedded grit problem until I saw a friend
    check his Shimano pads after every wet ride on a holiday some years
    ago. 'Holy [censored]' I thought when I saw his pads and I checked mine
    (Campy). No grit. After that I check my pads more regulary and I can
    say that the Campy pads have almost never any grit embedded in
    them. After reading good things about the Kool Stop Salmons I tried
    them once. I was not impressed and they embed grit more easy than
    the Campy pads I was used to. Probably they are better than the
    Shimano pads I saw.

    I don't know why you bother to look, I can hear the metal being ground
    away as riders with grit picker-uppers descend. It's that painful
    scraping sound.

    Quoted message said:

    Beside of all this Koolstop Salmon pads look ugly and it is a sissy
    color ;-)

    Well! That settles it for me.

    Jobst Brandt

  2. <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Lou Holtman said:
    Quoted message said:

    > Like Jim I think the Campagnolo pads are better than the Koolstops
    > Salmon so you can beat me too.

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    Reason?

    Quoted message said:

    They stop better in the rain, and they hardly pick up any grit. I
    paid no attention to the embedded grit problem until I saw a friend
    check his Shimano pads after every wet ride on a holiday some years
    ago. 'Holy [censored]' I thought when I saw his pads and I checked mine
    (Campy). No grit. After that I check my pads more regulary and I can
    say that the Campy pads have almost never any grit embedded in
    them. After reading good things about the Kool Stop Salmons I tried
    them once. I was not impressed and they embed grit more easy than
    the Campy pads I was used to. Probably they are better than the
    Shimano pads I saw.

    I don't know why you bother to look, I can hear the metal being ground
    away as riders with grit picker-uppers descend. It's that painful
    scraping sound.

    Out of curiosity.

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    Beside of all this Koolstop Salmon pads look ugly and it is a sissy
    color ;-)

    Well! That settles it for me.

    It's a joke Jobst.

    Lou

  3. Lou Holtman said:

    <[email hidden]> wrote in message

    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    Lou Holtman writes:

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    >> Like Jim I think the Campagnolo pads are better than the Koolstops
    >> Salmon so you can beat me too.

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    > Reason?

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    They stop better in the rain, and they hardly pick up any grit. I
    paid no attention to the embedded grit problem until I saw a friend
    check his Shimano pads after every wet ride on a holiday some years
    ago. 'Holy [censored]' I thought when I saw his pads and I checked mine
    (Campy). No grit. After that I check my pads more regulary and I can
    say that the Campy pads have almost never any grit embedded in
    them. After reading good things about the Kool Stop Salmons I tried
    them once. I was not impressed and they embed grit more easy than
    the Campy pads I was used to. Probably they are better than the
    Shimano pads I saw.

    Quoted message said:

    I don't know why you bother to look, I can hear the metal being ground
    away as riders with grit picker-uppers descend. It's that painful
    scraping sound.

    Out of curiosity.

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    Beside of all this Koolstop Salmon pads look ugly and it is a sissy
    color ;-)

    Quoted message said:

    Well! That settles it for me.

    It's a joke Jobst.

    No joking around on RBT, Lou. This is *very* serious business! ;-)

  4. Ryan Cousineau said:

    In article <[email hidden]>,

    jim beam said:
    Joel Mayes said:

    On 2007-02-20, Scott <[email hidden]> wrote:
    > Hi,
    > Just got a new Specialized Allez road bike. The stock brake pads are
    > pretty bad and I would like to replace them. I'm looking for
    > recommendations as to brands / models people like.
    >
    > Thanks,
    > Scott
    koolstop

    nothing is as good.


    avoid the salmons. they work fine in the dry, but when it's really wet,
    prayer will be your best way of stopping in emergency, because
    koolstop's won't do it for you. campy have the best brake pads. the
    new shimano's are ok, but they still embed grit in the wet. [but grit
    is academic when you need to stop but can't.]

    Jim, your theory does not reflect my experience as a year-round commuter
    in Vancouver. Kool Stop salmons are the only pad I run, and I'm pretty
    picky about braking performance.

    -RjC.


    whatever works for you. i ran salmons a couple of years ago. in the
    dry season they were fine. then we had a chronic monsoon here in the
    bay area. torrential rain. and my experience was that salmons just
    wouldn't grip when the rim was fully wet. it was just like riding an
    old steel rimmed bike in the rain. and they embedded grit - photo
    evidence of which i've posted here before. not a great combination. i
    reverted to campy pads for the rest of that season and enjoyed great
    braking, including torrential rain, and didn't grit.

    bottom line, no grit is a "nice to have" benefit. ability to stop in
    all weather however is essential. i therefore assign priority to the
    latter, and if it's with pads that /also/ have the no-grit benefit, then
    that's better.

  5. Lou Holtman said:


    It's a joke Jobst.

    It's a joke, Lou.

  6. Hank Wirtz said:
    Lou Holtman said:

    It's a joke Jobst.

    It's a joke, Lou.

    It was a joke Hank. Enough joking, let's get serious again.

    Lou
    --
    Posted by news://news.nb.nu (http://www.nb.nu)

  7. jobst.brandt said:

    Braking lightly while riding through a mud
    puddle is the easiest way to clean a rim, while Bon Ami cleanser on a
    moistened rim does as well. If it is a steep descent, some hard
    braking will clean things also, but it must be steep to brake hard
    without stopping.

    Fine (#0000) steel or bronze wool is great for cleaning rims. Go around
    your rim with it while washing your bike with soap and water. Scotchbrite
    works too but not as effectively.

    Matt O.

  8. Ryan Cousineau said:

    In article <[email hidden]>,
    jim beam <[email hidden]> wrote:

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    avoid the salmons. they work fine in the dry, but when it's really wet,
    prayer will be your best way of stopping in emergency, because
    koolstop's won't do it for you. campy have the best brake pads. the
    new shimano's are ok, but they still embed grit in the wet. [but grit
    is academic when you need to stop but can't.]

    Quoted message said:

    Jim, your theory does not reflect my experience as a year-round commuter
    in Vancouver. Kool Stop salmons are the only pad I run, and I'm pretty
    picky about braking performance.

    Me too. We get rained on more often than not, and with multi thousand
    foot descents everywhere, with 10%-plus grades and hairpins, I need to be
    able to trust my brakes. The Koolstop salmons work better than anything
    I've tried, wet or dry.

    I hear Campy pads are excellent too though.

    I have black Koolstops on my other bike. While they're the next best
    thing, they're definitely not as good as the salmon. Modulation isn't as
    good, and they're dirty.

    The only problem with Koolstop salmon is they're almost never available at
    the LBS -- and LBSes wonder why they're losing business to mail order.

    Matt O.

  9. Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]> wrote in
    news:[email hidden]:

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:


    avoid the salmons. they work fine in the dry, but when it's really
    wet, prayer will be your best way of stopping in emergency, because
    koolstop's won't do it for you. campy have the best brake pads. the
    new shimano's are ok, but they still embed grit in the wet. [but
    grit is academic when you need to stop but can't.]

    Jim, your theory does not reflect my experience as a year-round
    commuter in Vancouver. Kool Stop salmons are the only pad I run, and
    I'm pretty picky about braking performance.

    -RjC.

    I commute in the same city and I agree with Jim (horrors). In the wet
    Kool Stop salmons are scary.

  10. In article <[email hidden]>,

    jim beam said:

    whatever works for you. i ran salmons a couple of years ago. in the
    dry season they were fine. then we had a chronic monsoon here in the
    bay area. torrential rain. and my experience was that salmons just
    wouldn't grip when the rim was fully wet. it was just like riding an
    old steel rimmed bike in the rain. and they embedded grit - photo
    evidence of which i've posted here before. not a great combination. i
    reverted to campy pads for the rest of that season and enjoyed great
    braking, including torrential rain, and didn't grit.

    bottom line, no grit is a "nice to have" benefit. ability to stop in
    all weather however is essential. i therefore assign priority to the
    latter, and if it's with pads that /also/ have the no-grit benefit, then
    that's better.

    It puzzles me as the salmon Cool Stop is marketed as a all weather pad
    material.
    --

  11. Artoi said:

    In article <[email hidden]>,

    jim beam said:

    whatever works for you. i ran salmons a couple of years ago. in the
    dry season they were fine. then we had a chronic monsoon here in the
    bay area. torrential rain. and my experience was that salmons just
    wouldn't grip when the rim was fully wet. it was just like riding an
    old steel rimmed bike in the rain. and they embedded grit - photo
    evidence of which i've posted here before. not a great combination. i
    reverted to campy pads for the rest of that season and enjoyed great
    braking, including torrential rain, and didn't grit.

    bottom line, no grit is a "nice to have" benefit. ability to stop in
    all weather however is essential. i therefore assign priority to the
    latter, and if it's with pads that /also/ have the no-grit benefit, then
    that's better.

    It puzzles me as the salmon Cool Stop is marketed as a all weather pad
    material.
    --

    what do they say the actual properties of "all weather pad material" are
    supposed to be?

  12. Matt O'Toole said:
    Quoted message said:

    Braking lightly while riding through a mud puddle is the easiest
    way to clean a rim, while Bon Ami cleanser on a moistened rim does
    as well. If it is a steep descent, some hard braking will clean
    things also, but it must be steep to brake hard without stopping.

    Quoted message said:

    Fine (#0000) steel or bronze wool is great for cleaning rims. Go
    around your rim with it while washing your bike with soap and water.
    Scotchbrite works too but not as effectively.

    That may be so, but I was talking about getting rid of brake squeal.
    A well cleaned rim can squeal as well as another.

    Jobst Brandt

  13. Lou Holtman said:
    Hank Wirtz said:
    Scott said:

    Hi,
    Just got a new Specialized Allez road bike. The stock brake pads are
    pretty bad and I would like to replace them. I'm looking for
    recommendations as to brands / models people like.

    Quoted message said:

    On this list, you'll see a thousand threads asking this question, and
    you'll always hear a hundred people respond in unison, "Kool-Stop
    Salmon."

    Quoted message said:

    Then Jim Beam will disagree.

    Like Jim I think the Campagnolo pads are better than the Koolstops
    Salmon so you can beat me too.

    Lou
    --
    Posted by news://news.nb.nu (http://www.nb.nu)

    If it weren't for the price my vote would go for Campy. But the price
    difference more than makes up for the quality so I buy Koolspop.

  14. Mike Latondresse said:

    Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]> wrote innews:[email hidden]:

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    avoid the salmons. they work fine in the dry, but when it's really
    wet, prayer will be your best way of stopping in emergency, because
    koolstop's won't do it for you. campy have the best brake pads. the
    new shimano's are ok, but they still embed grit in the wet. [but
    grit is academic when you need to stop but can't.]

    Quoted message said:

    Jim, your theory does not reflect my experience as a year-round
    commuter in Vancouver. Kool Stop salmons are the only pad I run, and
    I'm pretty picky about braking performance.

    Quoted message said:

    -RjC.

    I commute in the same city and I agree with Jim (horrors). In the wet
    Kool Stop salmons are scary.

    Hmmm. I ride in the rain all the time (in PDX) and always thought the
    salmons did a good job -- not perfect, but not scary. I have never
    tried the Campy pads (not since the old NR days). I use disks now on
    my main commuter bike.

    What was scary for me were cantilevers with STI levers on my old
    commuter. I never could get those to stop me in the rain no matter
    how much fussing I did with straddle cables, pads, etc. That's why I
    switched to disks on my new commuter. -- Jay Beattie.

  15. In article <[email hidden]>,

    Lou Holtman said:
    Hank Wirtz said:
    Scott said:

    Hi,
    Just got a new Specialized Allez road bike. The stock brake pads
    are
    pretty bad and I would like to replace them. I'm looking for
    recommendations as to brands / models people like.

    On this list, you'll see a thousand threads asking this question, and
    you'll always hear a hundred people respond in unison, "Kool-Stop
    Salmon."

    Then Jim Beam will disagree.

    Like Jim I think the Campagnolo pads are better than the Koolstops
    Salmon so you can beat me too.

    Lou

    No, we won't beat you.

    We'll just brake deeper into the corners.

    --
    Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
    "I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
    to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

  16. Ride your bike with the original pads for some time and
    they will really improve (for cheaper)

    Scott said:

    Hi,
    Just got a new Specialized Allez road bike. The stock brake pads are
    pretty bad and I would like to replace them. I'm looking for
    recommendations as to brands / models people like.

    Thanks,
    Scott

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