Excellent stopping power; Excellent wear; No groaning or squeeking; No grinding; Very quiet pad

Made brakes feel a little softer. I prefer a firm brake lever. But this isn't detrimental to the use of the pads.

I bought the "salmon" pads from Amazon.com for $15 for all four pads. I used to be a Shimano-only pads kind of guy. But after reading numerous positive reviews about these pads, I decided to give them a try. I am VERY pleased with them and will not be converting back to Shimano anytime soon.
For comparison, I was contemplating dumping my whole XT v-brake setup and converting to Avid Single Digit 7s. My Specialized has the Avid setup and I really like them. They're quiet and powerful. I almost started to hate to ride my Trek only because of the grinding brakes. A set of $15 Kool Stops saved me a couple hundred in a new brake setup.

Similar Products Used:

XT V-brakes; Avid Single Digit 7

No matter what condition you ride in (dry, wet, rock, etc), these things will stop you. That's what brake pads are supposed to do. Also, they do not wear out very quickly and tend to last.

None.

I love these brake pads. I've used the Koolstops for years, and it's because they do what they are supposed to do--they stop you. They perform better than the XTR crap or any other Shimano pad for that matter.

I started using Koolstops back East because of the wet trails, but with all the creek crossings in SoCal, they make sense to use out here too.

Also, they are priced fairly well (half as much as the XTR) and the work 10 times better. I won't use any other brake pad.

Similar Products Used:

XTR V-brake pads (total crap), and Koolstop Eagle IIs with my old canties.

Koolstop Salmon has superb braking, no squeal, recovers quick in wet, no residue on rims.

Not as good as disk brakes in wet or mud

Koolstop Salmon pads in XTR brakes are super in the dry but disks are better in wet conditions. They recover fast when wet or muddy. Much easier to set up squeal-free than Shimano pads.

Similar Products Used:

Shimano & Avid V-brake pads, old canti's, Avid disks

Had the triple compound blocks, labeled as bike-totaal brand.
Durability, bite, noise free, price

The brand under which they are sold is so low budget that you are almost afraid to show them ;-) (but the price is nice)

The past year, during the sorpetal marathon (hail, snow, rain etc) I got very disappointed by the XTR pads. There was metal sticking out onto the rim, destroying the rim. Furthermore they became very brittle and parts simple broke loose.

I was soo pissed off with these expensive pads that I went for the Koolstop triple compounds. Best choice ever. I was afraid they wouldn't last the SBM this summer, but no problem. They became really hot, but didn't fade or wear out. Also in the mud these winterdays they seem to live up well.

Best buy for the Vbrakes. For the value rating I would like to add a sixth chili, because they are way better than the XTRs and cost less than half.

Similar Products Used:

XT, XTR (with the extra mm pad)

Excellent stopping power. Almost as good as disc-brakes

None.

Just slapped these on today and noted dramatic improvements. These pads will literatly send you over your bike if you press too hard. They do feel a bit softer than my previous pads, but the stopping power is just incredible. Got them at prices that even your el-cheapos can't compete with, you can't go wrong.

Similar Products Used:

Cannondale Expert Cartridge Pads

CHeap, and they work.

None yet.

I was a little nervous at first to go away from the recommended shimano pads for my XTR brakes. Now that I finally did, I will never go back. They are far superior to the shimanos, and a breeze to put in. All mountain bike parts should be so reasonably priced and work this well. Nice work kool stop.

Similar Products Used:

Shimano V Brakes

design, function, perfectly match my XTR brake shoe holders, and RIM FRIENDLY COMPOUND!!!

a bit softer feeling at the brake levers.

Thank God I got the Koolstop pads. They are really COOL! no more worry about tiny metal grits get stuck in the pads and scratch rims excessively. My previous XTR pads nealy ate my rims. Now it's from hell to heaven, brakes are more responsive and easier to modulate. I can even practise nose wheelie better. However, probably due to the angled tips on pads and its softer compound, the brake levers feel softer than before, though I prefer harder feelings when braking. But it couldn't be a problem once I am used to them.
All in all, a highly recommandable product for all v-brake users like me!

Similar Products Used:

XT, XTR

DURABLE, DON'T EAT THE RIM, BRAKE GREAT.

TAKE A LITTLE TIME TO BRAKE IN WET CONDITIONS.

THEY'RE THE BEST PADS I'VE USED WITHOUT DENIEING ITS WET PROBLEMS.

Similar Products Used:

AZTEC, SHIMANO

Rim Friendly
Work awesome

Hard to find locally
Can squeel sometimes but that's because there is some play in the brake pivots.

Have always used Shimano pads because cheaper ones wreck my rims. The XTR's are great but still have slight rim transfer. Threw some Kool Stop puppies in and noticed the change immediately. Using dual-compound and they brake really well rain or shine. No embedded alloy fragments from rim surface.

Similar Products Used:

Shimano XTR

soft compound, excellent grip

none

Salmon pad review: Just like all the other reviews say, these are so rim friendly. My rims were getting destroyed by shimano pads, with metal embedding into the pad, and then making this lovely sound on the rim. A friend recommended the salmon kool-stops and now my bike brakes quiet, and with almost the same power as my disc bikes. If you are a rim brake rider, get these. I only use them in dry conditions, but they work flawlessly, and are so easy to install on my xtr rim brakes. Love em.

Similar Products Used:

shimano xt and xtr