Kool Stop Dura 2 Brake Insert

The best. Simply the best. I hope they never stop making the Salmon pads. Ive been buying them for 15+ years and put them on everything i ride.

When I first bought these, I didn't know what the difference was compared to the regular Dura. I thought it used a new compound or something, but it turns out it's just a thicker version of the Dura. For how much thicker it is compared to the price difference, I thought it's a good value. I have used Kool Stop brake pads for quite a while. I originally switched to these from the Shimano Dura-Ace 7800 brake pads. Those brake pads have good stopping power, but they eat rims like crazy. By comparison, the Kool Stops have similar braking power, but they're much quieter and more rim friendly. They don't last as long as the Dura-Ace pads, but I would rather change brake pads than rims (lot more work).

I can't say they are better than the default rubber path that came with my specialized alley but for some reason I cannot get the back pads to grip very well on the back they just don't grip but on the front they grip tremendously and it could just be me because I'm not an expert bike fixer but I know about the toeing and I know and watched million videos but just for some reason the back ones are not grouping correctly but with that said these pads still grip a million times more than the pads that came default with my bike and it's a 2018 specialized alley. I specifically read over and over again online that these are best in the wet and they have done a very good job. I will say the back brakes do grip tremendously in the wet but when it's not wet whatever reason they just don't grip and that's only the back the front I could pull that lever so hard I would flip over the bike that grip so well.

Run these on my nice road bike that only sees nice weather. The softer compound helps save on rim wear and better stopping power.Had a pair on my computer that gets abused year round. Better stopping power in the wet. The soft compound does wear a little faster in an all conditions environment. Well worth it though for the stopping power.Been running these for over 25 years. Keep coming back for more.

still rocking the rim brakes? these replacement pads serve me well -- easy enough to install, and adjust. immediately had more confidence descending that I could slow and stop appropriately

These brake pads were put on a 2013 Cannondale CAAD8 equipped with the stock Cannondale C4 brake calipers. They replaced the original pads, whose braking capacity had always been mediocre at best.Having ridden on the Kool Stop Salmon pads for 4 months now, I can say these are night-and-day from the stock pads.They are very sticky, and can lock up the back wheel easily when gripping clean rims. They do give the brakes a very tacky and almost spongy feel, which other reviewers have complained about. However, I have found that this allows for improved modulation of braking intensity, especially in wet conditions. Speaking of wet conditions, this is where these pads really stand out from the traditional black composite pads. They have an affirmative grip on wet rims and generate only a fraction of the gray aluminum/brake material sludge on the rim that seems to accumulate in wet/icy conditions. The pads do seem to wear faster than traditional pads, but are molded about 40 to 50 percent thicker to offset this factor. As a result you may have to open your brake calipers a bit wider to accommodate these pads.Overall, the stellar wet and dry performance of these pads will make them my first choice for all of my future aluminum-rimmed wheels.

Have tried many other brands - swiss stop, zipp, etc and keep going back to these. Stopping power is great with my carbon rims - other brands did not perform as expected compared to these. These have great stopping power for those emergency situations, in all weather conditions even. They don't seem to make any noise especially if they run hot and also do not mark the rim. Wear seems to be minimal after a few thousand miles, then again I am not riding a lot of hills, riding season is also short in the north. These are definitely a winner with ENVE's Composite rims!I like Kool Stop - they have great customer service and really stand by their products. I've always used their pads for all my bikes (all types of brakes and rims) and have not had any issues.

There seem to be a lot of good reviews covering salmon pads in the wet. In the dry these are the best pads I've used. My aluminum rim braking surface are so worn, I couldn't even lockup the rear wheel if I tried using black compounds from various brands! The wheels brake almost as good as new.I'm not really impressed with the stopping power of the black Kool Stop pads, but the salmon pads modulate well and don't chew up the rim much at all. They seem to take about 10 rides to break in, they felt really greasy and spongy until they broke in - in fact they are a bit spongy anyway but very progressive and ultimately secure.They also have plenty of life after 2k+ miles including many 15% descents stop signs with stop signs at the bottom.