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V-Brake pads that don't freeze?

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Old 11-30-19, 10:21 AM
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tclune
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V-Brake pads that don't freeze?

I normally get the standard black rubber brake pads for my bike. They work fine in most conditions, although they are not as good in rain as I'd like. But the real bummer for me is when the weather gets below, say, 15 degrees, they get so hard that they chatter when I stop. I have seen some kool stops that advertise themselves as "all weather." Does that mean that they don't get hard in the cold, or just that they grab better in the wet? Any ideas on how to get smoother braking in the cold? TIA
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Old 11-30-19, 11:04 AM
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cyccommute 
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Originally Posted by tclune
I normally get the standard black rubber brake pads for my bike. They work fine in most conditions, although they are not as good in rain as I'd like. But the real bummer for me is when the weather gets below, say, 15 degrees, they get so hard that they chatter when I stop. I have seen some kool stops that advertise themselves as "all weather." Does that mean that they don't get hard in the cold, or just that they grab better in the wet? Any ideas on how to get smoother braking in the cold? TIA
The squeal is due to the pad orientation as well as the hardness. You may want to increase the ”toe in” on the pads so that the leading edge of the pad hits sooner. The squeal is due to the pads lifting off on the front of the pad and vibrating.

You might also want to look into a softer pad for winter riding. The cold makes the pads harder and allows them to skate across the rim rather than grab the metal.

Finally, you might want to look at the brake caliper itself. If the caliper is not stiff enough, it will be prone to vibration and squealing. Most good linear brakes are stiff enough but there are a lot of stamped steel brakes that are of very low quality.
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Old 12-01-19, 02:19 PM
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tclune
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
Finally, you might want to look at the brake caliper itself. If the caliper is not stiff enough, it will be prone to vibration and squealing. Most good linear brakes are stiff enough but there are a lot of stamped steel brakes that are of very low quality.
That may well be it. This past spring, I had to replace the back caliper because the spring was shot. So I may not have a problem this winter at all! Here's hoping...
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