Product Review: Kool Stop Brake Pads

The real deal - Olde Schoole Kool Stops
from back in the day!

Yeah, I know what you're thinking, "Brake pads? Seriously, that's the most interesting thing you can find to blog about, dumbass?" On the surface, that does seem a logical conclusion. but I've been a big fan of aftermarket brake pads since I first ran the big Olde Schoole Kool Stop's on my BMX bikes. With a fat, tall 2.25" BMX tire, you needed some fairly long calipers to reach the rim. And what do long calipers do? Yep - they flex. And what does flex cause? Sucky braking performance. But with the addition of the Kool Stops, its definitely better. Plus, hey they looked trick...

Fast forward a couple of decades with me. It's 2005 and I purchase my 2004 Giant OCR 3. For some unknown reason Giant decides to position the brake mounts such that they require long calipers. Maybe they thought everyone would want to run 28mm tires? Or fender? Or God-knows-what? Anyway the braking suuuuuuccccckkkkksssss on this otherwise pretty good bike.

A little time with Google reveals that Kool Stop is still around, and they now make brake pads for road bikes. With a few clicks of the mouse, I have a pair of Kool Stop Dura Road Pads on their way. One great feature I notice immediately are that these are pad holders with replaceable inserts -- nice touch! And they include two sets of inserts - salmon for wet and salmon/black for wet/dry. Figuring two must be better than one, I install the salmon/black.

Wow.

Kool Stop Dura Road Pads

Braking goes from fairly awful to not-so-bad. In fact, it's pretty good. Amazing how such a small thing can help so much. A bike that had been sort of scary on descents is much more confidence-inspiring.

This year, I move to the Ultegra grupo. Nice upgrade, but naturally the Ultegra brakes don't fit on the OCR. Crap in a hat. But hardly a surprise. However, when I make the move to the new Giant Defy Advanced carbon frame, I now have normal reach brake mounts - YAY! Bike shop does a quick swap and set-up and I'm on the road on the new bike.

After a couple of weeks dialing things in, I decide to try the Kool Stops to replace the factory Shimano Ultegra pads. The Ultegra's have been fine, but I figure if the Kool Stops can make bad brakes good, they'll only make good brakes great - right?

Well, not quite...

Figuring I might as well install fresh pads, I use the remaining new set of Salmon inserts. From the first ride, I'm not that happy. Grabby (makes sense -- they're for wet conditions), not that much more powerful. And just flat out weird. Now, I'm not so happy. But as a good tweaking mechanic, I remember the Salmon/Black pad inserts. Again, a few clicks of the mouse brings them to my doorstep. A quick install last night and I head out on a ride.

Yeah, baby -- that's what I remember! Braking is now smooth, progressive, and powerful. Tons better than the Salmon inserts, and a nice step forward from the factory Ultegra pads. Now I could stop a freight train. Very happy.

So, if you have a ride with questionable braking, or if you want to make a good stop better -- Kool Stop brake pads are highly recommended. But, I'd just skip the Salmon inserts and go for the Salmon/Black. A world of difference.

-Sean-