mattm0805

I wanted to get your opinion on the best V-Brake Pad for trail riding. I have a Trek 4300 and I've noticed some slipping when the trails are wet. Is there a pad that works great in both dry and wet/muddy conditions?

Also, should I eventually upgrade my bike to disc brakes? What would a ballpark cost be for something like that?

Thanks for any help!

BCRider

From rainy weather commuting I found that the Koolstop salmon coloured pads gave the best bite in the wet. The thing with very wet or muddy riding is that the pads still need to wipe the rim clean first before they dig in. So rim brakes will never be as instant as discs. Again the Koolstop pattern with the wiper wedge at the leading edge of the pad helps in this regard compared to a lot of other brake pads. But no rim brake will ever have the same performance as a disc for consistency and immediate bite in all conditions.


If your bike comes with the fork and frame mount points for the calipers to mount to and if the wheel hubs are disc hubs then the changeover won't be too bad. You just need to buy the disc sets and attach them. If you don't have the right wheels and the frame or forks are not set up to accept disc brakes already then your best bet is to sell the bike and just buy something new or at least newer that comes with discs. Otherwise the cost of a suitable fork and suitable wheels will be more than the bike is worth. And if the frame is one of the older ones without the mount point on the rear then you're dead in the water before you even start.

fietsbob

Mud = grit, so no matter what pad you buy the rim will wear thin, keep an eye out for wear.
eagle claw was what KS calls their plow leading tip .. to scrape off a majority of the mud.

mattm0805

BC and Fietsbob thanks for the info! good stuff, I'll check it out!

surreal

kool-stop makes a dual-compound pad, which i like very much for general trail-riding

-rob