budget brake blocks that aren't rubbish??

ozzy1000
ozzy1000 Posts: 73
edited February 2012 in Workshop
any suggestions?? my bike is a planet x nanolight with sram red. I belive the calipers are sram red...??.... I'm broke at the moment, but there's nothing left of my brake blocks :)

Comments

  • Yossie
    Yossie Posts: 2,600
    For ali rims: Kool Stop - £6.99 for four (I think but double check). Bargain price and work/last really well.

    I use salmon & black all year round on the commuter/trainer and can't fault them - imho better than equivalent Shimano (have used 105, Ultegra @ D/A) and Swissstop green (at ridiculous price) offerings.

    For carbon wheels I'm afraid for your budget that I'm recommending Swissstop yellow - utterly fab. Expensive but last very well and braking performance is brilliant.

    HTH

    Y
  • napoleond
    napoleond Posts: 5,992
    Yep, Kool Stop salmons are great.
    Insta: ATEnduranceCoaching
    ABCC Cycling Coach
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    Thanks for the tip - just ordered me a set (was out yesterday and stock pads did nowt!)
  • ozzy1000
    ozzy1000 Posts: 73
    great thanks guys... kool stop's it is then :) one last question (forgive my stupidity, its been years since i've bought bike bits!) are the inserts a standard size?? will the shimano ones fit my SRAM brakes??

    cheers, O
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    Feck!! I hope they do I just bought a set for mine! I am sure Shimano and Sram blocks are compatible and they fit all the shoes with the little grub screw lock just not Campo
  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    ozzy1000 wrote:
    great thanks guys... kool stop's it is then :) one last question (forgive my stupidity, its been years since i've bought bike bits!) are the inserts a standard size?? will the shimano ones fit my SRAM brakes??
    cheers, O
    Shimano Dura will fit SRAM. Campag are different.
    Brake blocks are not the place to go "budget". Good blocks in cheap brakes will out perform cheap blocks in top brakes. Been using Koolstop Salmon for years now. Top stuff.
    My Fleet.
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    Thanks John.T
  • racingcondor
    racingcondor Posts: 1,434
    All the standard Shimano ones are good as are Kool Stop's (although I'm pretty sure £6.99 is for 2).

    I'm on Swiss Stops because although they're 30% more than others they last forever and since they rarely pick up enough rubbish to grind on the rims (unlike Shimano) I like to think my rims last longer (which is probably wishful thinking).
  • ozzy1000
    ozzy1000 Posts: 73
    hi all,
    I bought some koolstop salmons, they're very good, easily better than the standard sram blocks... if anything they bind a bit, which I'm hoping will settle as they wear in... thanks for th advice, O
  • onbike 1939
    onbike 1939 Posts: 708
    I would agree with all of the above but just having bought a pair of Salmon Koolstops at £12.99 I see this as a rip-off and has no place in a thread discussing "budget" blocks. I despair at the way cycle parts are being sold at inflated prices with little protest on the part of the buyers.
  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    onbike 1939 wrote:
    I would agree with all of the above but just having bought a pair of Salmon Koolstops at £12.99 I see this as a rip-off and has no place in a thread discussing "budget" blocks. I despair at the way cycle parts are being sold at inflated prices with little protest on the part of the buyers.
    If you paid £12.99 for a pair of blocks then you were ripped off. I usually pay around £6.00 for a pair.
    http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s104p822 Blocks only.
    http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s104p824 Pair of shoes and 2 sets of blocks.
    They are well worth the money as rubbish cheap ones could end up costing you much more.
    My Fleet.
  • Yossie
    Yossie Posts: 2,600
    onbike 1939 wrote:
    I would agree with all of the above but just having bought a pair of Salmon Koolstops at £12.99 I see this as a rip-off and has no place in a thread discussing "budget" blocks. I despair at the way cycle parts are being sold at inflated prices with little protest on the part of the buyers.

    Sorry - you've been done over I'm afraid - pay no more than £6 a pair.
  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    Yossie wrote:
    onbike 1939 wrote:
    I would agree with all of the above but just having bought a pair of Salmon Koolstops at £12.99 I see this as a rip-off and has no place in a thread discussing "budget" blocks. I despair at the way cycle parts are being sold at inflated prices with little protest on the part of the buyers.

    Sorry - you've been done over I'm afraid - pay no more than £6 a pair.
    Bit late there Yossie.
    My Fleet.
  • onbike 1939
    onbike 1939 Posts: 708
    Yossie wrote:
    onbike 1939 wrote:
    I would agree with all of the above but just having bought a pair of Salmon Koolstops at £12.99 I see this as a rip-off and has no place in a thread discussing "budget" blocks. I despair at the way cycle parts are being sold at inflated prices with little protest on the part of the buyers.

    Sorry - you've been done over I'm afraid - pay no more than £6 a pair.

    I got mine from Wiggle.http://www.wiggle.co.uk/kool-stop-thinl ... ke-blocks/

    Where did the £6 pair come from?
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    I got mine from Wiggle. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/kool-stop-thinl ... ke-blocks/Where did the £6 pair come from?

    ahh ... your link is to v brake blocks - as this is a road forum I am sure everyone was talking about prices for Koolstop blocks for road calipers which are available for that price (that said if you search I bet you would find the ones you linked to cheaper but maybe not get that rock solid customer service and available blameworthness ....)
  • Yossie
    Yossie Posts: 2,600
    'Fraid that wishitwasflat is right - you paid top dollar. And Wiggle isn't even as good as it used to be on the delivery front. Sorry .........
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    Yossie wrote:
    Wiggle isn't even as good as it used to be on the delivery front. Sorry .........

    You stil get their
    always willing to accept the blame
    guarantee though don't you ? Please say yes those Haribo are the only sweets my kids get!
  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    You should have got these. They work better anyway as they are stiffer.
    http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s104p825
    You could then have used these in future.
    http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s104p820
    The pic is wrong and actually shows the Dura ones.
    My Fleet.
  • onbike 1939
    onbike 1939 Posts: 708
    Yossie wrote:
    'Fraid that wishitwasflat is right - you paid top dollar. And Wiggle isn't even as good as it used to be on the delivery front. Sorry .........

    That's true. They took three days and then sent the wrong blocks. What's happened to them as they used to be really prompt and very competitive. I expect better for that sort of money.

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