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Mountain Equipment Co-op
V-Brake Pad
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Submitted by
Hank Jien
a Cross Country Rider
from Surrey, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 6, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$3.00 | | Purchased At: | MEC | | Strengths: | -stops well
-cheap
-lasts quite a while | | Weaknesses: | -squeaks very often | | Similar Products Used: | -Yehstar cantilever and V-brake pads
-Tektro stock
-Avid stock (Kool Stop)
-Shimano stock pads | | Bike Setup: | Aluminum Hardtail, Z2 X fly, X.9 drivetrain, Truvativ Firex Cranks, Alex EST 19 rims laced to Formula cartridge bearing hubs | | Bottom Line: | They stop very well but squeaks even when the weather is good. I think that MEC changes their suppliers quite often, so the older ones don't squeak. These are definitely worth it for the price. Norco house brand pads are the exact same and they sell for almost 2 times more expensive! Do not buy it if you don't like to hear constant squeaking noises. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a
from Gatineau, QC, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 29, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2.00 | | Purchased At: | MEC Ottawa | | Strengths: | Price | | Weaknesses: | Lots of squealing. | | Bottom Line: | It's too bad it squeals so much. tryed everything I could to stop the squeal. No luck.... | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Grover
a Cross Country Rider
from Saskatoon, CANADA
Date Reviewed: June 15, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | QE2 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$5.00 | | Purchased At: | my bro's garage | | Strengths: | A soft compound easy on the rims, and stopping is pretty good. GREAT product fot the price, easy to modulate, and all from a great CANADIAN outdoor gear store (shameless MEC plug) | | Weaknesses: | HOWWWWWWLLLLLL when even a little damp...and this is after playing with them every time it rains out. My bro couldn't use them, because of clearence issues. | | Similar Products Used: | JAGwire, KOOLSTOP, factory crap | | Bike Setup: | Trek 4500, misc goodies | | Bottom Line: | Buy these pads. I have the one-piece product, and I suspect the cartridge pads stop just as good and give a little more clearence. For sheer bang-for-the-buck, these pads rock!!! If you're on a budget (and who isn't) these are a great way to save a lot of money (cheap pad, less rim wear!) or need a good stopper without turning your brakes into on/off switches, these are for you! I do like my JAGwires better, but I paid a lot more for the tri-compund, and will review them at a later date | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mo
a Weekend Warrior
from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: May 12, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | McCarthy Park Ottawa - Not exactly technically challenging, but relaxing and fun! | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$3.00 | | Purchased At: | MEC Ottawa | | Strengths: | Fantastic Product, just like all the MEC gear! Great in wet, but I can't say much about wear, I've only had then in one month; they do seem to have a little more wear than I would expect (probably 30 hours of city street use on them so far) | | Weaknesses: | Can't think of a single one. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano V-brake pads, Koolstop pads... | | Bike Setup: | 99 Specialized Rockhopper, new casette, spd petals | | Bottom Line: | Can't think of anyone who should not buy this product! Worst case scenario, for a racer, they last you only a couple of races.... THEY COST $5.00 Canadian (approx. $3.00USD)!!! As long as you know how to adjust your brake system *cough* Jason from TO *cough* these are AMAZING!!! But to be fair to Jason, yes, they are a touch thick and "should" be more easily to install. HOWEVER, if that's the one cost of having such a cheap and amazing product, sign me up every time. Now, where did I put my metic allen keys... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gord L.
a Weekend Warrior
from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: November 13, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Anything that makes me scream in terror. | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$2.00 | | Purchased At: | MEC Ottawa | | Strengths: | They are cheap and have crazy stoping power. | | Weaknesses: | The pads wear very quickly. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano, Trace | | Bike Setup: | 2002 Rockhopper FS, stock with M515 | | Bottom Line: | If you swap pads before a race they keep this as your wet brake set. They don't wear badly in wet muddy conditions, but if it's dry out... keep a few pads with you. These pads are also awesome in the snow! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg
a Cross Country Rider
from Montreal Canada
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2.00 | | Purchased At: | MEC mail order | | Strengths: | inexpensive,
excellent braking even in the wet | | Weaknesses: | do not but the "full" pad (pad and screw assembly)
instead, get the MEC two-piece one: metal holder and re-fill type pad. | | Similar Products Used: | kool-stop, koski, jagwire pads | | Bike Setup: | v-brakes | | Bottom Line: | They work well and they're cheap.
Get the ones you can refill, they work well and they're not as hard as koolstop on your rims. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Baube
a Weekend Warrior
from Baie-Comeau
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | spin sport | | Strengths: | excellent in all condition, very long to wear and they stay always excellent.better braking power than kool-stop and shimano. | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | shimano and kool-stop | | Bottom Line: | worth the price | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Uncle Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Ottawa, Ontario
Date Reviewed: January 5, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Local MEC | | Strengths: | Dirt Cheap - new pins included | | Weaknesses: | Nothing worth mentioning | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XT, XTR, Kool Stops (various models), etc... | | Bike Setup: | Intense Tracer, Manitou, XTR Brakes and drive, RaceFace, Chris King, ... | | Bottom Line: | These are a great general pads.
With 2000 being a wet season, we went through many sets of pads, and for the $$ these just can't be beat. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Sapporo, Japan
Date Reviewed: January 4, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$3.00 | | Purchased At: | mec.ca | | Strengths: | Stop the bike better than anything I've ever used in winter and They stop the bike like its nobodys business. And of course the oft mentioned CHEAP. | | Weaknesses: | Will comment on that when I find it. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano V pads, WTB(dual compound), Japanese Mama Chari Brake Pads | | Bike Setup: | C'dale H'tail | | Bottom Line: | I dont usually place a review with only a month of riding but these brake pads are stopping me like crazy in the cold&dry cold&wet where other brake pads didn't stop me. The pads are thick but they fit. More importantly they perform in the various snow conditions some of you may have to ride thru yourselves. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
hmm ha
a Cross Country Rider
from victoria bc CANADA
Date Reviewed: January 2, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2.00 | | Purchased At: | MEC | | Strengths: | cheap, cheap, and cheap. The cartridge/holder setups are $8, still only half the price of a pair of koolstops. using these avoids the too-thick problem of the regular MEC pads. change your pads all the time, they're so cheap, and your rims will love you. | | Weaknesses: | the thickness of the regular pads was a little toward the ridiculous end of things... tough to make 'em fit with parallel-push LX v-brakes. | | Similar Products Used: | koolstops, shimano stock whatevers, xtr's | | Bike Setup: | giant atx 870, stock lx & xt with custom scratches and dings. | | Bottom Line: | I've never been that impressed with koolstops; really, rim brakes in general leave me wanting discs. but I have v's, so might as well spare the rim a bit with these softer pads, change 'em lots, save a few bucks to get some avid mechanical discs someday. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ace Lee
a Weekend Warrior
from Korea
Date Reviewed: December 2, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | watershed | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Price Paid: |
$2.00 | | Purchased At: | MEC DUH! What do u think? | | Strengths: | no brainer cheap
wears fast but wears tires(stops in no time and even skid) | | Weaknesses: | wears my tires....no other weakness | | Similar Products Used: | promax crap, koolstop | | Bottom Line: | Perfect!
oh yeah!~~it's a bit soft but easy on the rims...
anyways hey! what are u waiting for? buy one right now
they are so cheap so even if you don't like it?
just throw it away who cares it's so cheap...
but i bet you'll like it....
hey~ i don't work for MEC | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tippy
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver, B.C.
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Whistler | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2.00 | | Purchased At: | MEC | | Strengths: | CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP,MEC stands behind them,no squealing. | | Weaknesses: | Wear a little fast. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano, Kool-stop | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale, Killer-V900HT | | Bottom Line: | So they wear a little fast, they are CHEAP. MEC always offers a quality product. Haven't had any squealing, good in the wet, easy on the rims. Not too much rim residue, handle the mud well, Overall, 4 chilli's cause they wear a LITTLE fast. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
SGT ROCK
a Racer
from Drumheller, AB
Date Reviewed: July 21, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Cheapest pad on the planet
Last better than Shimano
Grip better than Shimano | | Weaknesses: | Thickness causes some mounting problems | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX V pads | | Bottom Line: | These are the best deal anywhere - something like 1/4 the price of the equivalent Shimano pad. Last forever in the dry, last better than Shimano in the wet, although no rim brake pad will last long in the wet (that's why I race with Hayes now). They are thicker than average, but they fit fine if you reverse the washers on your brake arms - put the thick washer on the outside, thin on the inside. Are you listening, Jason from T.O.? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Richard
a
from Vancouver, BC
Date Reviewed: July 20, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | The one that leads home after a long day at work. | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Inexpensive. These are the cheapest V-Brake pads in the world. | | Weaknesses: | Soft -- they wear quick (but then they're so cheap, who cares?). They are waaaay thicker than Koolstops or other V-Brake pads. | | Similar Products Used: | Koolstop, Shimano, Avid, Mathauser, Ritchey, etc. | | Bike Setup: | I run these on my beater bike with cheap-o Dia-Compe V-Brakes (which require a think brake pad -- with Koolstops, I had to use washers as spacers). | | Bottom Line: | If you're looking for cheap brake pads and these will fit your brakes without compromising braking power, you can't go wrong. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto
Date Reviewed: May 23, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Don | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | None | | Weaknesses: | Pads are too thick!!!!!!! | | Similar Products Used: | Kool Stops | | Bike Setup: | Avid Mag Levers with cheapy Pro-Max brakes | | Bottom Line: | These pads are WAY too thick! They through-out the geometry of my V-brakes (made the brakes very mushy). These may work on thin rims, but otherwise I would consider them unusable. I swapped them out after one ride.
I bought them because they were cheap and I have never done wrong buying MEC merchandise. I guess there is a first time for everything, what is MEC thinking!!! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
justin laflamme
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto,Ontario
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Durham Forest | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Cheap
Soft compound is grabby almost to a fault | | Weaknesses: | The pads are too soft to be durable.
Not the best pad for the dirt
| | Similar Products Used: | Koolstops, Shimano, Club Roost, | | Bike Setup: | Commuter, not the MTB | | Bottom Line: | I bought a set of these for my commuter rocket (a stripped down mountain bike on 1.25 tires). They are cheap but you get what you pay for. I prefer the firmer compound of the Koolstops. The MEC pads wear very quickly, but they're cheap so that's not an issue.
The very soft compound is prone to squeal without lots of toe-in. The pads are also quite thick (they have to be or you'd never get any use out of them). But you're not going to find any pad with more grip, they're almost glue-like. They cut your modulation and increase the stopping power. This is fine on the road where one usually stops instead to trimming speed, but in the dirt they leave a bit to be desired
You take the good with the bad but for the price they're an excellent deal. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kona Kurtis
a Cross-Country Rider
from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Date Reviewed: January 11, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Stop Better than Shimano pads
$3.50cdn / pair... (cheap) | | Weaknesses: |
Wear a little faster the Shimano Pads
Are very thick... Not much room for your rim if you have Parallel push brakes | | Similar Products Used: |
Kool Stop pads
Shimano stock pads | | Bike Setup: |
99' Kona Lava Dome
99' Z2 BAM
98' Race Face Turbine LP Cranks
99' LX Parallel-Push Brakes
Mavic 138 rims | | Bottom Line: | These pads are a great alternative to paying the high price of koolstop or shimano pads. However, if your running parallel-push brakes with these pads your really gonna have to keep your wheels true or the pads will rub. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tony Hilliard
a Cross-Country Rider
from Vancouver, BC
Date Reviewed: June 21, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Ladies Only | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
CHEAP
Comparable to Shimano pads | | Weaknesses: |
None unless you're a racer/rich person/sucker. | | Similar Products Used: |
Shimano
Kool-Stop | | Bike Setup: |
LX V-brake cantilevers | | Bottom Line: | Let's admit it - Shimano's brake pads aren't that bad. They're way too expensive, but they stop okay. Now, imagine buying shimano's pads for 1/3 of the price! Mountain Equipment Co-op, Canada's premier outdoor source, has given us their store-brand pads to save us money!Kool-Stop sells their pads for $16 Cdn. a pair. At that cost, two sets would be worth almost as much as the cantilevers I'm putting them on. At $4 per set, even if the MEC ones wear out twice as fast, I'm still ahead! BTW, if you care, they behave great! They even have the little V-shaped groove cut into them like Kool's. | | Overall Rating: |
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