Best brake pads...
#1
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Best brake pads...
I expect there will be a wide variety of opinions ;> But for 1970's vintage mavic center pull brakes, what works best for you? Why? ;>
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Koolstops are good and they are available in black if you do not want the salmon colored ones on your bike......
with new Koolstops you do not have to compromise with braking performance like you will usually do with NOS brake pads that have most likely dried up and hardened with age.....
with new Koolstops you do not have to compromise with braking performance like you will usually do with NOS brake pads that have most likely dried up and hardened with age.....
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I don't think you will get very many different opinions. We're mostly Koolstop fans around here, though I will admit to putting some almost-modern shimano v-brake pads on an old pair of Weinmann sidepull brakes with a great improvement in stopping power.
Brent
Brent
#4
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Really the only choice is Kool Stop red or Kool Stop black. They are as far as I know the only pads available that fit the original holders. Yeah, you could use modern post type pads, but I prefer not to use dorky looking modern pad holders on vintage brakes. If for some reason I used modern pads, they'd be Kool Stop anyway.
AFA the Kool Stops I like the black because they work well and don't ever squeak. Reds are kind of cool if you live in a rainy area. The stopping power in the wet feels almost the same as it does in the dry.
The original pads worked well, but that was 30 years ago. They were very similar to the Kool Stop black. Any still around are too dried out to be usable.
AFA the Kool Stops I like the black because they work well and don't ever squeak. Reds are kind of cool if you live in a rainy area. The stopping power in the wet feels almost the same as it does in the dry.
The original pads worked well, but that was 30 years ago. They were very similar to the Kool Stop black. Any still around are too dried out to be usable.
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Conclusion: Kool Stop makes an excellent product which performs well and does so looking as if it got there with the original brakeset. If you have any variety of MAFAC which takes the 4 dot pad, this may be exactly what you are looking for. If you tour in wet weather, possibly consider the orange compound Kool Stops instead and forego that black pad originality for even better performance.
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I vote for salmons. if you don’t like the color, just color the salmons with a sharpie! Of course ya don’t color the braking surface, but if your rims are true and brakes are tuned correctly, you won’t ever see the evil salmon lurking in the shadows...
#9
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For a slight bit of variety,
Mathauser, using Koolstop pad material.
I have a set of Mathausers on my lightly ridden Gitane, and they are good after 20 plus years.
Mathauser, using Koolstop pad material.
I have a set of Mathausers on my lightly ridden Gitane, and they are good after 20 plus years.
#10
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Nothing but KoolStops on my bikes.
One of my scarier experiences was descending 4th St. in Del Mar (10% grade, slightly misty/foggy conditions) with Campag. sidepulls and brand-new Shimano pads. I could slow the bike only gradually. KoolStop pads didn't look quite as cool, but handily solved the safety problem.
One of my scarier experiences was descending 4th St. in Del Mar (10% grade, slightly misty/foggy conditions) with Campag. sidepulls and brand-new Shimano pads. I could slow the bike only gradually. KoolStop pads didn't look quite as cool, but handily solved the safety problem.
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
#11
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My Old Campag Side pulls have a Kool stop pad in their pad holders..
If you don't want to use replica 4 dot pads in the Mafac pad holders you can use one of their plain post cross pads
or TRP 'adjust in place' pads that offer an easy toe in adjustment..
I got those^ for my Mafac cantilever brakes, put salmon compound inserts in them,
they use the Shimano Dura type.
....
If you don't want to use replica 4 dot pads in the Mafac pad holders you can use one of their plain post cross pads
or TRP 'adjust in place' pads that offer an easy toe in adjustment..
I got those^ for my Mafac cantilever brakes, put salmon compound inserts in them,
they use the Shimano Dura type.
....
#12
Bad example
Kool Stop salmon here in wet Seattle. Even those pads are sometimes slow to stop, so caution is always needed.
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I've used Koolstops, I would also like to try Yokozuna pads.
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Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!
"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!
"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
#14
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On my Campag NR sidepulls, I tried the Koolstop red and black. While both stopped much better than the OEM 20+ yr old pads, I could not get rid of the brake squeal and didn't want to bend the arms. I tried the new production Campag pads ( Velomine) and these stop as well as the Koolstops in my experience, and don't squeal, so are what I am using. I didn't try these in wet conditions on severe downhill however, so your experiences may differ.
On my Trek 500 with Tektro brakes, I run the Koolstop Cross pads/holders, which are a triple compound of red, gray and black. These work very well, but might not trip your vintage trigger. They use Dura Ace type pad.
On my Trek 500 with Tektro brakes, I run the Koolstop Cross pads/holders, which are a triple compound of red, gray and black. These work very well, but might not trip your vintage trigger. They use Dura Ace type pad.
Last edited by Pars; 04-28-18 at 10:46 AM.
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As good as Kool Stops are, Jagwire pads seem just as good. I switched from Kool Stop salmon Eagle 2 pads to black Jagwire thin lines on my Univega hybrid because I needed more clearance with the wider tires I installed. No compromise in braking, wet or dry, clean or muddy. The Jagwire pads are a little cheaper.
If the original Suntour pads on my Ironman ever wear out I'll replace 'em with Jagwires. But the Suntour pads are nearly 20 years old and still remarkably effective. Never seen any brake pads last so long. Freaky.
If the original Suntour pads on my Ironman ever wear out I'll replace 'em with Jagwires. But the Suntour pads are nearly 20 years old and still remarkably effective. Never seen any brake pads last so long. Freaky.
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Handmade cork.
Because braking should just be a suggestion and not a verb.
Because braking should just be a suggestion and not a verb.
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#23
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On my Campag NR sidepulls, I tried the Koolstop red and black. While both stopped much better than the OEM 20+ yr old pads, I could not get rid of the brake squeal and didn't want to bend the arms. I tried the new production Campag pads ( Velomine) and these stop as well as the Koolstops in my experience, and don't squeal, so are what I am using. I didn't try these in wet conditions on severe downhill however, so your experiences may differ.
On my Trek 500 with Tektro brakes, I run the Koolstop Cross pads/holders, which are a triple compound of red, gray and black. These work very well, but might not trip your vintage trigger. They use Dura Ace type pad.
On my Trek 500 with Tektro brakes, I run the Koolstop Cross pads/holders, which are a triple compound of red, gray and black. These work very well, but might not trip your vintage trigger. They use Dura Ace type pad.
I generally don't see a point to using the red pads unless you live in a rainy area like the PNW. Black ones stop close to the same, and you don't have to keep chasing after them to de-squeak them every few weeks. If it happens to be wet, squeeze harder. If pads are squealing, they're not fully working. That said I have the dual compound pads on two of my bikes. Best of both worlds. Not available for MAFAC holders.
BTW, the pithy saying I always heard when someone started rattling on about their brakes was: "Brakes only slow you down."
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My salmon Kool Stops don’t squeal, ever, and wear extremely well. Their braking improvement in dry weather is demonstrably better than others in my experience.
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If I see salmon Kool Stops on a bike I assume either you, or your bike mechanic know what's up. I won't use anything else.