I am looking for some soft brake pads for the cold and wet weather on the way. I have a cyclo-cross bike (with the old style V brakes), which I commute on every day and the standard brake pads are very slick in the cold wet weather. Do you all have a type that you really like under those conditions? Think 38°, wet and dark and I have several steep hills.............Thanks MTT :thumbsup:

Disc brakes would be the best bet, but XTR v brake pads have served me well. Maybe look for pads that have a leading "point" that cleans the braking surface of water.

I love the disc brake idea, but the bike is relatively new, and I really can't drop the money I want to now. Anyway I heard about the leading edge idea, that sounds like a smart design, are those XTR v brakes a nice soft material for cold wet days? Thanks MTT

The XTR pads are (I think) a bit softer than most other companies' standard compound. Avid pads are also a little softer. Kool Stop and Jagwire both make wet weather-specific pads that work really well (too well for my tastes, actually). I would go with whichever is available locally.

These brake pads are being compared to stock Tektro pads. I don't know why I did that, I just did.

On my winter/rain bike, I will not use anything but Swiss Stop green pads. I have tried countless others, but always come back to these.

I commute on a cross bike with Avid Shorty 6's here in the wet and snowy Northeast, and I second the Kool Stops. I've been using the Salmon pads, and in rain they grip plenty tight and manage to shed any mud/road gunk. The Stock Avid pads were hard as a rock, and didn't seem to stop the bike as well in wet conditions. Short of discs, I'd recommend the salmon KS pads.

Good material, good pad shape, very good hardware (finely adjustable).

Now that sounds like the voice of experience. I will try those- thanks..........MTT