Originally Posted by
hoyc
Hi,
I'm a bit confused about which way to toe-in the Kool Stop Eagle Claw 2 pads.
According to
Kool Stop instructions the longer portion of the offset pad should be facing the rear of the bike. I'd imagine that due to the offset of the pads that this longer, rear-facing portion should be toed-in (or heeled in), to provide the most even rim contact.
However,
according to the Park Tools, the toe-in should be at the frontward facing end of the brakepad. This is what I've traditionally followed for other brakepads.
Should the Kool Stops indeed be installed the opposite way (heel-in)?
Just as with your feet, the "toe" is in the front and the "heel" is in the back. You want the toe to hit the rim first as the rotation of the wheel will pull the "heel" of the brake pad down towards the rim. If you do "heel" in first, the "toe" will lift off the rim and start a skip/grab/skip/grab action. This will be rather high frequency and will result in chatter of the brake pad on the rim. What you will hear is "SQEEEEEEEAAAAALLLLL", especially if the rim is dirt or wet.
likebike23 got pretty good advice from his shop but it may not be perfect. You should
try to set up Eagle Claws so that the toe and the plow on the heel hit at the same time. But if the brake squeals, you will need to put more toe on the pad.