uh oh, maybe a little research was in order...

[FyrFytrRyn]

so i went to the jensonUSA sale today. must have gotten there late, because there was only a few tents and all the product to be seen was inside. anyhow, i asked one of the guys about disc brakes and he suggested hayes HFX9's oe. i asked if they were good, he said yes and that they are pre-bled ready to bolt on and ride. so i bought them, along with the adapters and a few tubes. well i got home and thought id look around the web and see what i bought before i rip them open and install. SH*!, in large, the reviews say these are complete trash. so i guess my question is, do i go ahead and install them, or take um back and up grade to something more decent? ive got v brakes now (front and rear) that work meh, will these work better than v-brakes? ive never ridden a disc bike before, i im not sure what to expect. and i am mechanically inclined, and i also understand that mechanical things have mechanical failures,( i help with a few offroad race teams, and have always been motorsports related so i know things just break) so i dont mind servicing these, but if they are trash then they are. is it also possible that all of these reviews are a bit old, and that mine clould be different? or that all the bad reviews stem from people who dont know what they are doing and rely entirely on their LBS to keep them running? also, they are goin on the c-dale, which is used for basically XC, no jumping more than the 6"-1' encountered during riding.
thanks guys.

[dstepper]

I would give them a try.

They may not be as good as the high end hydro brakes, but I have to think they are better than what you have on there now.

My Old Hayes Mags are still my favorite brakes. I like my Juicy 7's, but they are are hard to keep quite and need more attention than my Hayes.

[FyrFytrRyn]

thats what i thought too. i just callled my LBS and talked to a tech i trust, he said almost any mech or hyd disc will be better than what i have, and that most people's gripes are about the drag sound, and that its not enough to slow you down, just enough to make noise... i could care less. i drive an offroad truck that makes more pops, creeks, squeals and knocks than i can keep track of, noise doesnt bother me, besides my nano keeps me singing @ the top of my lungs anyhow.. haha

[Sprockethead]

Dang, if only you got there early for the parking lot sale. I saw a bunch of disc brakes in the bins. I had some Hope M4's in my hands, but I didn't need them and nobody in our group needed them so I tossed the Hopes back.

Anyhow, I think you'll like the Hayes better than your V brakes. Once your disc brakes break in, you'll be glad you got them.

[EndoMaster]

Originally Posted by Sprockethead

Dang, if only you got there early for the parking lot sale. I saw a bunch of disc brakes in the bins. I had some Hope M4's in my hands, but I didn't need them and nobody in our group needed them so I tossed the Hopes back.

Anyhow, I think you'll like the Hayes better than your V brakes. Once your disc brakes break in, you'll be glad you got them.

I' must've really gotten there late because I scoured the bins and didnt see any Hopes in there.

I have a set of Hayes HFX-9's and although I'm looking to upgrade there really is nothing wrong with them. I have had zero issues and I've had mine for 3 years now.

[FyrFytrRyn]

there was some disc's (unknown brand i didnt look) for like 439.00... i saw the price and dropped um immediately. haha. how much were those hopes sprockethead? whats the proper break in procedure for MTB discs? i know for cars is 10 increasingly hard decels, 60MPH to 5MPH never coming to a complete stop, but i cant reach 60 on the c-dale

are you wheels/hubs disc compatibaly ryan? i had the hayes and wasn't a fan, i do love my avid juicy 5's though.

[mtnbikerdude87]

Id say go ahead and try them. My brother has the HFX 9s on his Jamis and so far they have been trouble free, granted he doesnt ride much anymore. People say that they are messy, but after you get used to bleeding them, it should be really easy. If you want something that is trouble free, go with the Avid bb7.

Oh and after about 10min during the parking lot sale, everything was gone! I wish they had more stuff like last year but probably last year's sale depleted the stratch and dent stuff.

[FyrFytrRyn]

dino, indeed they are, shimano. one of the reasons i bought the bike too. well after talking to a few friends about them i decided to install. i did it while i was waiting for my motorcycle to dry (awkward time between the autodry and chrome polish ) took about 30 minutes to do. ran into only one problem, im gonna need to get one of those nifty adhesive backed cable holders to hug the cable closer neer the rear shock. of course i need to break them in aswell. really easy install. as far as rotor drag, i got ZERO with minimal effort. i seriously think that the people who cant get them to stop rubbing arent trying . how often do they need to be bled? i flush my street bike and truck when they need it, of when installing NEW calipers, but never just to do it. are the mtn. bike ones different? thanks for the replies guys, im really glad i found this place!

*** also, any info on how to break these suckers in would be helpful, im assuming they are the same as a streetbike or auto, but ill wait for some one to chime in ***

[dhshuttlemonkey]

That Jenson sale was crazy. Right when they opened the gate some dude went right straight for the disc brakes and grabbed the whole bin. Anyway...back to your brakes. I'm not sure if those people who gave the 9's a bad review knew how to install them properly. I have Hayes Mags on 2 bikes and they work as good or better than the Hope M4 I used to have. Breaking them in is the same principle as a moto. Ride them around the street and gradually apply the brakes off and on until enough material gets transfered to the rotor. Then you'll be good to go.

[roadkillross]

try them im sure theyre better than ur v brakes

[FyrFytrRyn]

thanks mtb racer. gonna go break um in and go for a little ride. what time did the gate open? ill camp next time.. lol.

[dirttorpeedo]

ive got the same brakes on my gemini and have had no probs after 8mos of use. ive read on the hayes website 20 hard stops and they're ready to go.as for rubbing you may need to use some shims later o,other than that just ride em.

[FyrFytrRyn]

first ride this morning on them, 8 climbing, 10 decending. worked fantasic. *thumbs up*

[Evel Knievel]

Originally Posted by FyrFytrRyn

first ride this morning on them, 8 climbing, 10 decending. worked fantasic. *thumbs up*

I have used Nines' for years now with only one bleed needed . Solid performance. Better grippers can be had, but these do a exelent job.

One concern that makes non-mechanical people hate these brakes is ,the lever throw adjust screw moves out a bit on each ride. A good fix is to remove these screws and apply a light coat of blue locktight on them and put them back on. Problem solved.

[dstepper]

Originally Posted by Evel Knievel

a light coat of blue locktight on them and put them back on. Problem solved.

Locktight did not last long for me, bought some aftermarket barrell adjusters from the Path about a $1 each. The threads are nylon and don't rattle loose.

[FyrFytrRyn]

whats "the path" ive heard of this happeneing, i just carrey the allen with me incase it happens.

[dstepper]

Originally Posted by FyrFytrRyn

whats "the path" ive heard of this happeneing, i just carrey the allen with me incase it happens.

The Path = Bike Shop, Tustin, CA.

You may never have the problem, but if you do...the loosening does not get better with time. A buck or two is not much to spend to fix it permenately.

Ya I know, they should be right to begin with.