Forever cleaning my wheel rims & B blocks to prevent abrasion “damage” .

[Ihatehills]

I have read your posts on the subject from August 2015 (together with the clear photos of the brake block comparisons). I felt that what you explained made a lot of sense. It was explained with such clarity and logic, supported by the technical explanations of why the issues are occurring. I want to try the “Koolstop Salmon” brake blocks, after reading the report. Swissstop green were also mentioned in the thread.

Where are the guys purchasing the Koolstops from? I`ll do a search anyway and see what comes up.

I had exactly the same issue as you and following @Yellow Saddle 's sound advice, I fitted some Koolstop salmon pads which have given no trouble at all, I still find it pretty shocking that you can get pads that are hard enough to dig chunks from the rim.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I had exactly the same issue as you and following @Yellow Saddle 's sound advice, I fitted some Koolstop salmon pads which have given no trouble at all, I still find it pretty shocking that you can get pads that are hard enough to dig chunks from the rim.

Aha! I have one disciple. I need 11 more and then I'll start a movement.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Another vote for Koolstop. Salmon's on the front and black on the rears for me, I find I can then grab equaly handfuls of brake without locking the rear.
I rarely clean my bikes compared to most here and never seem to suffer from grinding rims using soft pads.

 

[night cycler]

I had exactly the same issue as you and following @Yellow Saddle 's sound advice, I fitted some Koolstop salmon pads which have given no trouble at all, I still find it pretty shocking that you can get pads that are hard enough to dig chunks from the rim.

The thing that I find so shocking is that the offending blocks are the originals that came on a reputable brand cycle.

 

[night cycler]

Aha! I have one disciple. I need 11 more and then I'll start a movement.

You have two now. I nearly had a movement when I saw the damage on my rim.

 

[Tim Hall]

I have read your posts on the subject from August 2015 (together with the clear photos of the brake block comparisons). I felt that what you explained made a lot of sense. It was explained with such clarity and logic, supported by the technical explanations of why the issues are occurring. I want to try the “Koolstop Salmon” brake blocks, after reading the report. Swissstop green were also mentioned in the thread.

Where are the guys purchasing the Koolstops from? I`ll do a search anyway and see what comes up.

I've just shelled out on some from High on Bikes, which appeared to be the cheapest after a cursory search (Rose don't seem to do the calliper ones, which is what I want). Free postage on orders over a tenner, which condition buying two pairs will satisfy.

 

[mrandmrspoves]

Aha! I have one disciple. I need 11 more and then I'll start a movement.

Watch out if anyone called Judas starts to follow you!

 

[mrandmrspoves]

It was so much better in the days of chromed rims - the brake pads and rims both lasted for a lifetime (if you tried stopping when descending a steep hill!)

 

[mjr]

The thing that I find so shocking is that the offending blocks are the originals that came on a reputable brand cycle.

Anything to sell more rims...

 

[andrew_s]

The thing that I find so shocking is that the offending blocks are the originals that came on a reputable brand cycle.

My experience, which admittedly isn't very up to date as I switched blocks long ago (ca 2000), is that Shimano blocks are among the worst offenders. $Reputable_Brand will just buy the whole brake as a unit and fit it.

 

[night cycler]

Clearly, from the posts on here and elsewhere on the forum there is an issue that really does need attention from bike manufactures. I would wager that bike manufactures must be aware of what is happening to rims if they are supplying a bike with certain types of brake blocks fitted.

If prestige cars were fitted with a type brake pad in the callipers that was causing damage to discs, I’m sure car manufactures would stop using the problem pads. The responsibility must rest with the bike retailer when they are the ones that are sending bikes out with these problem blocks on. Customers buying after market ones is a different issue.

I need to get an email off to ROSE without delay.

 

[night cycler]

Clearly, from the posts on here and elsewhere on the forum there is an issue that really does need attention from bike manufactures. I would wager that bike manufactures must be aware of what is happening to rims if they are supplying a bike with certain types of brake blocks fitted.

If prestige cars were fitted with a type of brake pad in the callipers that was causing damage to discs, I’m sure car manufactures would stop using the problem pads. The responsibility must rest with the bike manufacturer when they are the ones that are sending bikes out with these problem blocks on. Customers buying after market ones is a different issue.

I need to get an email off to ROSE.

 

[Ihatehills]

I took my old pads ( complete with embedded chunks of rim) in to the shop when I took the bike back for its free 6 week check, the guy looked a bit surprised and asked if I been doing a lit of wet riding which I hadn't, he gave me a replacement set of pads FOC ( which I put on my girlfriends bike and are fine) and said it just happens sometimes. I'm guessing That it happens on every bike with those same pads, My girlfriend and I both purchased bikes at the same time and both suffered from the same issue although on hers it was less noticeable as she was doing significantly less miles. Id be interested to here any response you get from Rose, our bikes were both Specialized

 

[Globalti]

I'm using Swisstop green pads and I'm finding them just as bad as Shimano pads for holding grit although the softer compound does grab a little better.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I decided to have a look at the Koolstop website to see who the UK distributor is. I haven't visited the site for years and on the landing page, came across this strange gadget.

It took me a while to figure out what it is and it turns out to be a brake pad for caliper brakes. Yup, the world's first flying saucer caliper brake pad. They're made from the Salmon compound mentioned here. However, a company with a patent on a good rubber compound doesn't necessarily understand the science of braking. Don't believe the blurb that claims these pads stay cooler because of the cooling fins. The coloured discs you see behind the round rubber pad are apparently just that, cooling fins.

Brake compounds don't work that way and you cannot cool them from behind. This is because the heat that's generated when you brake is generated in the softer of the two materials, in this case the rubber. The heat is not generated in the rim, just the rubber. However, the rim heats up because the rubber pad passes the heat on to the rim by contact. Just the rubber's surface heats up from pulling and flexing and breaking of the molecular bonds in the rubber. Rubber is a good insulator so the heat doesn't travel backwards to the cooling fins but forwards into the aluminium. The only way to run cooler brakes (as if that's a problem) is to have more airflow over the wheels or use deep section aluminium rims. No amount of cooling fins insulated by rubber will do the job.

Nevertheless, salmon compound is the bees knees. Being a conservative, I would just opt for the standard rectangular pads though. Why fiddle with something that works?