An LBS with Kool-Stops!

On Feb 22, 12:46 pm, Kristian M Zoerhoff <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

For anyone in the Northern Fox River Valley (Illinois), Main
Street Bikes in Carpentersville has Kool-Stop salmon Dura pads
in stock at the moment (he ordered some at my request, and I
picked up my two pair over lunch).

FWIW, most REI stores keep both salmon & black in stock.

Quoted message said:

For anyone in the Northern Fox River Valley (Illinois), Main
Street Bikes in Carpentersville has Kool-Stop salmon Dura pads
in stock at the moment (he ordered some at my request, and I
picked up my two pair over lunch).

<http://www.mainstbicycles.com/>

I would think it more cause for comment that a reasonable bike shop
*doesn't* carry Kool-Stop brake pads (salmon or black).

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

Quoted message said:

For anyone in the Northern Fox River Valley (Illinois), Main
Street Bikes in Carpentersville has Kool-Stop salmon Dura pads
in stock at the moment (he ordered some at my request, and I
picked up my two pair over lunch).

<http://www.mainstbicycles.com/>

I would think it more cause for comment that a reasonable bike shop
*doesn't* carry Kool-Stop brake pads (salmon or black).

He had black in stock, just not the salmon. No demand from his regulars,
I guess.

I see enough people complaining about /not/ finding them around here
that I felt it worth a mention.

--

__o Kristian Zoerhoff
_'\(,_ [email hidden]
(_)/ (_)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

<http://www.mainstbicycles.com/>

I would think it more cause for comment that a reasonable bike shop
*doesn't* carry Kool-Stop brake pads (salmon or black).

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycleswww.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

Hi Mike

W/ all due respect, I don't think you've been visiting enough
competitors in the Bay Area. When I ask for KS Salmon pads, most LBS
employees give me a blank look, shrug & say they never heard of KS
Salmon pads, or sometimes say something roughly to the effect; that
they & all their friends & customers use other than Salmon pads,
Shimano, Campy, KS, etc. And they are quite happy, and why shouldn't I
be happy too. (Slight exaggeration for dramatic effect, but not really
that far off) Or, if I get a more responsible employee (or owner) I am
courteously told that Salmon pads are for use in 'extreme' conditions
or where it rains a lot, per KoolStops literature. I feel KS is
responsible for a lot of this problem. This is the only bone I have to
pick w/ KS.

I live in the North Bay Area & have one hell of a time finding the
various proper KS Salmons for my various bikes. REI has some Salmon
ones, true, but didn't have the model I was looking for the last time.
And I wasn't going to make an ~180 mi round trip to Chain Reaction. I
ended up ordering on line. I would have preferred to order from
BikeToolsEtc. (Usually 1 weekday UPS delivery. Sometimes 2 days. Good
people. Good service, good prices) But they didn't have the Salmon
model I was looking for, so I ended up buying from Sheldon. Which is
fine from every aspect except one; 5 or 7 working day UPS. (I forget
which, 5 or 7 days) Geeasch!!
Not Harris's fault for being in Boston, after all Click & Clack are
there too, John

On Feb 22, 7:11 pm, Kristian M Zoerhoff <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

Quoted message said:

For anyone in the Northern Fox River Valley (Illinois), Main
Street Bikes in Carpentersville has Kool-Stop salmon Dura pads
in stock at the moment (he ordered some at my request, and I
picked up my two pair over lunch).

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

<http://www.mainstbicycles.com/>

Quoted message said:

I would think it more cause for comment that a reasonable bike shop
*doesn't* carry Kool-Stop brake pads (salmon or black).

He had black in stock, just not the salmon. No demand from his regulars,
I guess.

No, or at least not much, demand......that's exactly why so very few
shops stock 'em.

Quoted message said:

I see enough people complaining about /not/ finding them around here
that I felt it worth a mention.

"Around here" is a small group of vocal cyclists scattered around the
world. To serve such an audience, a MO/internet source makes much more
sense than a local shop.

Hank Wirtz said:

On Feb 22, 12:46 pm, Kristian M Zoerhoff <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

For anyone in the Northern Fox River Valley (Illinois), Main
Street Bikes in Carpentersville has Kool-Stop salmon Dura pads
in stock at the moment (he ordered some at my request, and I
picked up my two pair over lunch).

FWIW, most REI stores keep both salmon & black in stock.

What good the blacks are for? I saw the salmon/black combo that
came with the calipers but not the pure black ones.

Hank Wirtz said:

On Feb 22, 12:46 pm, Kristian M Zoerhoff <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

For anyone in the Northern Fox River Valley (Illinois), Main
Street Bikes in Carpentersville has Kool-Stop salmon Dura pads
in stock at the moment (he ordered some at my request, and I
picked up my two pair over lunch).

FWIW, most REI stores keep both salmon & black in stock.

Yup. My local REI is my LBS for that and many many other reasons,
mainly involving stocking products that have merit due to function,
not hype. REI is also the only place that stocks Ritchey True-Grips
locally, another mundane but essential item. Put some on a neighbor's
bike I built up and they were amazed that such comfort was
available. :P

As far as places not stocking the salmon but having the black or grey--
meh, that's no big sin, the black is plenty good, and elegant after
6PM.

Quoted message said:

What good the blacks are for? I saw the salmon/black combo that
came with the calipers but not the pure black ones.

I used them to break in a couple of Velocity "Aero" rims (
http://www.velocityusa.com/default.asp?contentID=580 ) that made
horrendous noises with the salmon pads when new. This happened on two
bikes, so it wasn't a matter of resonance or setup. The black pads
were quiet and quickly smoothed the braking surface so the salmon pads
could be used without waking up the neighbors.

FWIW: Here in the Portland area, nearly all the bike shops have the
various Kool Stop formulations on the wall.

Jeff

landotter said:

As far as places not stocking the salmon but having the black or grey--
meh, that's no big sin, the black is plenty good, and elegant after
6PM.

Steak or fish?
Black pads or salmon pads?
Red wine or white wine?
Hmmm....

Jeff

john said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

<http://www.mainstbicycles.com/>

But they didn't have the Salmon

Quoted message said:

model I was looking for, so I ended up buying from Sheldon. Which is
fine from every aspect except one; 5 or 7 working day UPS. (I forget
which, 5 or 7 days) Geeasch!!

What's the hurry? You wait until your pads are totally worn before
ordering new pads? Geeash!!!

Lou
--
Posted by news://news.nb.nu (http://www.nb.nu)

In article <[email hidden]>,

john said:

I am
courteously told that Salmon pads are for use in 'extreme' conditions
or where it rains a lot, per KoolStops literature. I feel KS is
responsible for a lot of this problem...

This is interesting given that a number of respected posters here have
complained about KS Salmon's performance in wet weather.

I am at a loss until my present salmon wear out and I get a chance to
compare them with my Campag pads.
--

Artoi who? said:

Quoted message said:

I am courteously told that Salmon pads are for use in 'extreme'
conditions or where it rains a lot, per Kool Stops literature. I
feel KS is responsible for a lot of this problem...

Quoted message said:

This is interesting given that a number of respected posters here
have complained about KS Salmon's performance in wet weather.

Quoted message said:

I am at a loss until my present salmon wear out and I get a chance
to compare them with my Campagnolo pads.

Why wait, just change your front pads an see how you like them. I
have been riding the Continental salmon pads for years in all weather,
fog , rain, hail, and snow, and find them superior to any others I
have used. Beyond that, they don't embed grit, probably the most
important feature after being good brakes. They wear so slowly that I
ran through a practically new MA-2 Mavic front rim on one of my tours
in the alps on which it rained on every pass. The pads were still
usable for many miles after that.

Jobst Brandt

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

Artoi who? writes:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

This is interesting given that a number of respected posters here
have complained about KS Salmon's performance in wet weather.

Quoted message said:

I am at a loss until my present salmon wear out and I get a chance
to compare them with my Campagnolo pads.

Why wait, just change your front pads an see how you like them. I
have been riding the Continental salmon pads for years in all weather,
fog , rain, hail, and snow, and find them superior to any others I
have used. Beyond that, they don't embed grit, probably the most
important feature after being good brakes. They wear so slowly that I
ran through a practically new MA-2 Mavic front rim on one of my tours
in the alps on which it rained on every pass. The pads were still
usable for many miles after that.

I guess I could. But right now, my KS Salmon pads are working pretty
well from my point of view. They are about 1/2 way down and I'll just
wait until it's time to change. Not much point in wasting what appears
to be good pads. I am just curious how good those Campag pad can be.
It's certainly building up expectation.
--

Artoi said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

john said:

I am
courteously told that Salmon pads are for use in 'extreme' conditions
or where it rains a lot, per KoolStops literature. I feel KS is
responsible for a lot of this problem...

This is interesting given that a number of respected posters here have
complained about KS Salmon's performance in wet weather.

Um, er, when did jim beam become a respected poster? I must have
missed that, I thought he was merely a prolific poster.

Pat

Email address works as is.

Patrick Lamb said:

Artoi said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

john said:

I am
courteously told that Salmon pads are for use in 'extreme' conditions
or where it rains a lot, per KoolStops literature. I feel KS is
responsible for a lot of this problem...

This is interesting given that a number of respected posters here have
complained about KS Salmon's performance in wet weather.

Um, er, when did jim beam become a respected poster? I must have
missed that, I thought he was merely a prolific poster.

Pat

Email address works as is.

Don't kid yourself Pat. There may be a silent majority of readers here
that give Jim Beam lots of respect. He has proven many of his
arguments on this group to my satisfaction.

As for Salmon Pads, I use them. They brake just so-so in the rain in
my experience.

Jobst posted that he loves the pads. He said that on one rainy tour
in the Alps he wore out a front MA2 rim and the brake pads were
hardly worn out.
I would think maybe the the pads ate the rim. You think?

In article <[email hidden]>,

Fritz said:

Patrick Lamb said:

Artoi said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
"john" <[email hidden]> wrote:

> I am courteously told that Salmon pads are for use in 'extreme'
> conditions or where it rains a lot, per KoolStops literature. I
> feel KS is responsible for a lot of this problem...

This is interesting given that a number of respected posters here
have complained about KS Salmon's performance in wet weather.

Um, er, when did jim beam become a respected poster? I must have
missed that, I thought he was merely a prolific poster.

Pat

Email address works as is.

Don't kid yourself Pat. There may be a silent majority of readers
here that give Jim Beam lots of respect.

Then again, there may not. If they are silent we don't know if they
exist, do we? Let's not indulge in worthless speculation.

Quoted message said:

He has proven many of his arguments on this group to my
satisfaction.

Some would suggest that your standards of proof might bear
re-examination.

Quoted message said:

As for Salmon Pads, I use them. They brake just so-so in the rain
in my experience.

The independent testing published years back showed that the pad
material used in these pads (and the second-generation and later
Scott-Mathauser pads) outperformed other pads in the wet. I have not
seen that duplicated with some of the OEM pads that have come onto the
market since then.

Quoted message said:

Jobst posted that he loves the pads. He said that on one rainy tour
in the Alps he wore out a front MA2 rim and the brake pads were
hardly worn out. I would think maybe the the pads ate the rim. You
think?

Perhaps you haven't ridden long descents in the rain and noticed the
slurry formed from water and grit splashed up from the road.

Not only Jobst likes these pads. I've used them for quite a few years
and have been very satisfied with both dry and wet braking. Many other
posters here hold similar opinions. IIRC only jim beam has complained
of poor braking in the rain with these pads.

"Tim McNamara" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The independent testing published years back showed that the pad
material used in these pads (and the second-generation and later
Scott-Mathauser pads) outperformed other pads in the wet. I have not
seen that duplicated with some of the OEM pads that have come onto the
market since then.

Several rbt readers tested and compared several pads themselves, including
KS Salmon pads. KS Salmon pads aren't bad but Campy pads are better. That's
my experience and Jim's, although I won't classify them as poor in the wet.
Oh well that's Jim....

Quoted message said:

Not only Jobst likes these pads. I've used them for quite a few years
and have been very satisfied with both dry and wet braking. Many other
posters here hold similar opinions. IIRC only jim beam has complained
of poor braking in the rain with these pads.

Even Jobst opinion is just an opinion.

Lou

In article <[email hidden]>,

Lou Holtman said:

"Tim McNamara" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The independent testing published years back showed that the pad
material used in these pads (and the second-generation and later
Scott-Mathauser pads) outperformed other pads in the wet. I have
not seen that duplicated with some of the OEM pads that have come
onto the market since then.

Several rbt readers tested and compared several pads themselves,
including KS Salmon pads. KS Salmon pads aren't bad but Campy pads
are better. That's my experience and Jim's, although I won't classify
them as poor in the wet.

I didn't have that experience, but the last time I used the Campy pads
was 1999 and perhaps the material has changed.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Not only Jobst likes these pads. I've used them for quite a few
years and have been very satisfied with both dry and wet braking.
Many other posters here hold similar opinions. IIRC only jim beam
has complained of poor braking in the rain with these pads.

Even Jobst opinion is just an opinion.

True, although some opinions carry more weight than others. In this
case there is something of a chorus of agreement and few dissenters.

Fritz said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> I am courteously told that Salmon pads are for use in 'extreme'
> conditions or where it rains a lot, per Kool-Stops literature. I
> feel KS is responsible for a lot of this problem...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

This is interesting given that a number of respected posters here
have complained about KS Salmon's performance in wet weather.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Um, er, when did jim beam become a respected poster? I must have
missed that, I thought he was merely a prolific poster.

Quoted message said:

Don't kid yourself Pat. There may be a silent majority of readers
here that give Jim Beam lots of respect. He has proven many of his
arguments on this group to my satisfaction.

Quoted message said:

As for Salmon Pads, I use them. They brake just so-so in the rain
in my experience.

Quoted message said:

Jobst posted that he loves the pads. He said that on one rainy tour
in the Alps he wore out a front MA2 rim and the brake pads were
hardly worn out. I would think maybe the the pads ate the rim. You
think?

You may not have descended thousands of meters elevation in the rain
so you don't know. On the other hand, I know when a brake pad is full
of grit and eating a rim. That was not the case. The remains of that
rim show a smooth wear track in the classic hollow cheek style of a
worn rim. Besides, when brake pads are gouging rims with embedded
grit, their braking effect becomes noticeably worse. After having
suffered that with all sorts of other brands, I happened upon
Kool-Stop and stopped operating a mobile rim lathe.

Jobst Brandt