I just learned something incredibly obviously but even more important. If your brake isn't adjusted well it won't stop you fast. This wasn't as easy as I figured it would be.
What I just did in the last hour or so.
- Clean brake service fairly well
- Installed KoolStop MTB dual compound pads
- Broke them in and tried it out; braking was no better than with crappy pads
- So I moved the lever to the other side because I noticed the brake cable was "flexing" because of all the tight bends; braking was only slightly better, but still nothing to write home about
- I then adjusted the pads so they are a hair away from the rim brake service; The rear wheel goes up in the air when I panic brake. Sadly they now squeal like crazy at the same time. Sigh.
This whole process of building up a quality conversion takes up a heck of alotta time. So these are the pads I got. I am very impressed with their post build quality; very nice.
Kool Stop Dual Compound Mountain Pads