Some positive words about KOOL STOP E-BIKE brake pads

[Kim H.]

I bought one bike's worth of KOOL STOP E-BIKE brake pads that Rivendell headquarter sells on their website.  I wanted to try something different and from the commonly known KOOL-STOP brake pads. I went with the recommendations and praise from Bill Lindsay and Jim in Minneapolis.

https://www.rivbike.com/products/brake-pads-kool-stop-e-bike

I must say after riding my Clem earlier today these KOOL STOP E-BIKE brake pads are really nice. They stop very well every time upon braking. I am very happy with them. Yes, I do highly recommend them. I am completely sold on them. Once these wear out, I will buy them again and again. 

Thank you Bill and Jim !

I will have to buy another set for back up and just in case soon. 

Kim Hetzel. 

[Dwain Weary]

Nice. I had been wondering about these, may have to try.

[Kim H.]

@Dwain,

I had the Kool Stop pads with Salmon compound for years that I bought from the PAUL COMPONENTS ENGINEERING website. These E-bike brake pads are far better.

Let me know what you think, after you buy some for your ride.

Kim Hetzel. 

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[Patrick Moore]

Does anyone know if they wear the rims faster?

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

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[Kim H.]

@Patrick,

I will get back to you when that happens. I am not going to worry about that.

Kim Hetzel.

[Armand Kizirian]

I have to agree. They are fantastic and superior to the salmon color. Great stopping power with less squeaking. 

Will mentioned it too once in some weekly newsletter long ago. 

[Kim H.]

I contacted Randy Smith at KOOL-STOP headquarters in Portland, Oregon. He said, "That compound is 1 of my newer developed compounds and is my favorite compound for all aluminum rims and non e-bikes."

Therefore, these are relatively new in their line of production. 

I am happy, again that I have them on my bicycle. 

Kim Hetzel. 

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[Patrick Moore]

I understand your assertion, but I wonder what evidence supports it, theoretical or empirical. Seriously, I’m not being either contentious or finicky, just asking what seems to me to be a perfectly reasonable question, based on the consideration that pads that grip rims more strongly might also wear them more quickly.

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[Joe Bernard]

The answer seems to be that nobody knows. I have these pads on Paul Morolites, I like them. I don't know if they'll wear my rims faster, I don't ride much these days. 

[Richard Rose]

It’s always humbling to find out how little one knows about some things. I’d never heard of these pads & I’ve never changed pads. Looking at them on the Riv site I was surprised by the options. Two sizes, with or without the holder. I had to look at my two bikes to see what I currently have. My Clem came with “Shimano” labeled V brakes, presumably lower end versions that “Deore”, “XT” or even “XTR” labeled versions. These pads are of the smaller variety & appear to not have holders? I think they have a threaded insert for direct attachment to the brake? The Gus has “Deore” brakes & the larger pads with holders. The Clem is 27.5 while Gus is 700c. Is that the reason for the two different sizes?

Richard - learning new things every day.:)

Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 15, 2025, at 12:27 AM, Joe Bernard <joer...@gmail.com> wrote:

The answer seems to be that nobody knows. I have these pads on Paul Morolites, I like them. I don't know if they'll wear my rims faster, I don't ride much these days. 

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[Benz Ouyang, Sunnyvale, CA]

On Tuesday, October 14, 2025 at 9:22:04 PM UTC-7 Patrick Moore wrote:

I understand your assertion, but I wonder what evidence supports it, theoretical or empirical. Seriously, I’m not being either contentious or finicky, just asking what seems to me to be a perfectly reasonable question, based on the consideration that pads that grip rims more strongly might also wear them more quickly.

First of all, I'll admit to not using these brake pads, so I have zero empirical evidence one way or another.

However, I don't know if I agree with the claim that "pads that grip rims more strongly might also wear them more quickly". My own experience is brake pads used in the dry doesn't wear down aluminum rims appreciably, even with thousands of miles of use. In fact, I have wheels that have seen tens of thousands of miles in mostly fair weather conditions with both Campagnolo and Koolstop pads, and they don't have that concave rim wall indicative of excessive wear (and I have an inexpensive specialized gauge for this). Rims do wear quite a bit more when run in wet conditions, when grit comes into play, when grit embed themselves into the (soft) brake pads; no less than Jobst Brandt has opined on this topic. So maybe the biggest contributor to rim wear isn't the gripping force, but under what conditions the wheels are used in and secondarily the type of brake pad material?

 

[Patrick Moore]

I certainly hope you are right, that is, that stronger “grip” does not eo ipso (sorry!) mean more wear. I’d like to try those e-bike pads for the lackluster (but just adequate) Paul cantis on the fixed IGH Riv clone (lackluster, probably because the levers, DA 7410, are sub-optimal; but I like those levers, so that’s that), but I do not want to accelerate wear on the hens’ teeth Sun Ringle EQ 21 rims.

Below, what Jobst had to say in the thread linked. I live in a desert, for heaven’s sake, but I recall being caught in a sudden downpour on my beloved Joe Starck fixed custom, this 20 or close to 30 years ago, about 5 miles from home; even very moderate braking in that very short distance left noticeable scouring lines on the rim wall.

I say, thank God for disc brakes for off-road (here, dry but dusty/sandy) and wet conditions!

Patrick “I hope I never, ever wear out a rim from braking” Moore

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From: jbr...@hpl.hp.com (Jobst Brandt)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: When to Change the Rim?
Date: 28 Apr 2000 21:25:51 GMT

Tom Nakashima writes:

> I just purchased a new set of Mavic MA-2 rims, knowing one of these
> days I'll have to replace them, plus they were at a great price.  I
> took a 1" mic and measured the thickness of the new rim and
> compared it to my 3 year old Mavic MA-2 set that's on the bike.  The
> rim on my bike measures .790" in thickness, while the new rim
> measures .800".  Seems as though I have worn off .005" of each side
> of the rim due to braking.  I've been taking good care of my wheels,
> making sure they're well tuned.  Just not sure now thin you can wear
> a rim before it becomes dangerous to ride on.  Anyone have the
> answer to this?  Has anyone wore a rim down to beyond the safe zone?

The MA-2 is 1.5mm thick in that area when new (0.060").  I have ridden
them to less than 0.5mm (0.020") and do not recommend it.  I think
0.5mm is the limit but in my case, I was riding in the Alps in the
rain and each descent from a high pass ate another 0.1mm or so from
the rim.  I descended the Stelvio in the rain on the rear brake alone
because I was certain that I would split the rim if I used the front
brake on the hollow cheeked rim.  After returning home and sectioning
the rim, I discovered how correct I was in estimating the condition by
the feel of running my thumb and index finger across the cusp in the
rim sidewalls in the manner of a caliper.

I think you have a long way to go.

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[Kim H.]

UPDATE on the performance of the KOOL-STOP E-Bike brake pads:

I have quickly grown to really like them a lot. I appreciate their quick stopping power with my Dia-Compe 980 cantilever brakes on my Clem. I will be buying another one bike's worth to stash into my parts drawer. 

 

Happy !

Kim Hetzel.