Quote Originally Posted by sara View Post
Are these pads something I can put on the bike myself or do I need to take it to the LBS? I'm kind of afraid I'll do it wrong and I don't want to end up with brakes that don't work. If it's easy and relatively fool-proof, I'll do it. As usual, here I am, a big newbie looking for more advice!
Pretty easy and almost foolproof. I'll assume you have standard road brakes rather than cantilevers or V-brakes (those pads attach a bit differently). The pads should attach to the brake caliper arms with a single allen bolt. If so, loosen the allen bolt on your current pads. Hold the pad so it won't turn while you loosen. If the pad is close to the rim, you'll need to make room to remove it either by opening the brake's quick release or removing the wheel. After you've removed one of the old pads, putting in the new ones should be obvious. KoolStop pads are designed to have the wedge shapes on the pad pointing backwards, so make sure you know which end to point forwards (it may be inscribed on the side of the pad or on the package). Position the new pad so that it contacts solidly against the full width of the rim and hits the rim flat or slightly toe-in (ie. front end first) if that is possible. Position the pad in the caliper, tighten it lightly, then squeeze the brake to see where it hits the rim. Reposition if necessary. When you're happy with the pad position, tighten it down very tightly. Often the pad will want to turn as you tighten, so hold it to counteract that turning force.

If your old pads were very worn and the brakes had been recently adjusted, you may find these pads too close to the rim or possibly even rubbing it. If so, you'll need to loosen the cable anchor bolt to readjust the pad spacing. If you loosen the cable, be sure to tighten the anchor bold very tightly.