The Official Brake Review Thread

Discussion in 'The Workshop' started by 07coiler, Sep 1, 2009.

  1. hunterp101

    hunterp101 Member

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    I just got a brand new set of Hayes Stroker Trails today. I will drop a review in a couple of days and let you know what I think. I will also post up a few pictures of my new ride they were installed on! ;)
     
  2. 07coiler

    07coiler Banned

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    Anyone using Avid Code's, If so how do you like them?
     
  3. denmother

    denmother Gone riding....

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    I have Stroker Trails on my DH and 4x bikes an I love them!!!
     
  4. Chewyeti

    Chewyeti Circus Bear

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    Let me know if you want to trade for some Elixers?
     
  5. hunterp101

    hunterp101 Member

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    Ok, so now I have taken the new project bike out and the Hayes brakes are first rate. Great stopping power and good all around feel. I also love the lever adjuster knob which is very handy. I will be putting the same model on my next project as well.
     
  6. Sam Adams

    Sam Adams New Member

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    I've tried XTR, Magura Marta, Avid Juciy 7, and recently picked up some Avid Elixr's. I like the Elixr for price and performance. I'm starting to think they all have their faults. Once the Elixr's were set up them hold well without issue. Use 6" roto in back and 7" up front.
     
  7. Waldo

    Waldo Lebowski Urban Achiever

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    This thread is starting to look a lot like a tire review thread. Just goes to show that while there may be a very few that universally disliked, there is also no one brake that is best to everybody. It's all about how much you can spend and what you like the feel of.

    I currently have Juicy 7's, after running Hayes Nines on previous bikes. I like the modulation and power of the Avids just fine, and they have been quieter than Hayes Turkey Gobblers, but yeah, the Avid bleed kit bleeds your wallet faster than the brakes.
     
  8. stuffshredman

    stuffshredman Member

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    I've used:
    Hayes Mag - no reliability issues. good feel, good power, good modulation.
    Hayes HFX 9 - no reliability issues. modulation not as good as mags. some power fade on long descents.
    Avid Juicy 7 - of the three, best modulation and power. Have had some issues of the lever not returning properly. Had them rebuilt twice and it still happens.

    Next bike will either have the Elixirs or the Hope M4's... still trying to decide...
     
  9. Rockslide

    Rockslide Two-wheeled transient.

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    Elixir CR's and R's

    I am currently running Elixir CR's on my trail bike with 7/6 inch rotors and Elixir R's on my freeride bike with 8/8 inch rotors. I have only ever used Juicy 5's before these brakes. Both Elixirs are stonger than the Juicy 5's. A friend of mine thinks my CR 7/6 combo has more power than his XT 8/8 combo.

    The Elixir CR's have awesome modulation compared to the Juicy's. The so called pad contact adjustment is misleading. It does not adjust pad contact like Juicy 7's and Ultimates. It adjusts at which point in the lever stroke the pads contact the rotor. They should call it adjustable modulation. That is the best way I can describe it. I had problems keeping the calipers adjusted until I found out I wasn't torquing the bolts tight enough. My rear brake came with air in it. I had to bleed it after a few rides. The carbon levers don't feel as solid as the Elixir R aluminum levers. They have held up fine after crashes though.

    The Elixir R does a great job stopping me on my 43 lb. freeride bike. I rode the hell out of them 6 days in one week at Mammoth. Modulation is not adjustable like on the CR's and is not much better than my old Juicy 5's. Lever feel is solid. This set also came with air in the rear brake. The rear caliper seems to have one piston that doesn't retract all the way. It still works, but rubs the rotor a little. I am going to see if I can warranty it.

    If I knew modulation wouldn't be as good on the Elixir R, I would have bought CR's instead for the second bike. Modulation was the whole point I upgraded from Juicy's on both bikes. Spend the extra money if you are considering these brakes.
     
  10. MTBJOE57

    MTBJOE57 mtbjoe57

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    This may be a little off topic, but what brand of replacement pad do people use? It's time to replace the pads on some BBDBs I have on a XC bike and I was wondering if there is much difference between the semi-metalic pads offered by Avid, Kool-Stop, Jagwire, etc.?
     
  11. Geronimo

    Geronimo S.T.U.P.I.D.A.S.S. member

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    Avid codes

    I ran one set of Avid Codes over a period of two years before they needed a rebuild on two FR bikes with 8" rotors front and rear. During that time i weighed anywhere from 165 - 190 geared up. For DH, Codes are SICK! these brakes really shine for DH applications. For my weight they were overkill for FR because they were grabby at low speed tech stuff, but with smaller rotors they probably would have been fine for FR as well. When I build a DH rig the Codes are going on it, not even tempted by anything else.
     
  12. D-Cyclist

    D-Cyclist New Member

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    XT Brakes (M775) all the way! They have great modulation (not a gimmick or marketing term), but not quite as much initial bite as some other brakes out there. Personally I prefer the control of the brake without the initial bite that can lock up a rear wheel easily. Multiple pad compounds are nice as well, you can mix and match to suit what works best for you. Metallic stop better, but resin are quiter. I run a metallic and resin in each caliper, works like a champ.
     
  13. Lovin

    Lovin Calmer 'n you are

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    Hayes HFX9's - Great entry level hydraulic brake.

    XT M775 - I run them on my bike. I really like them. I recently moved the levers in a bit more to get them out of the way more so I can hit them with one finger............WAY BETTER. The lever blade could be a tad wider. I'll have to check out Saint blades and see if they are any different. Adjustment is great. Feel is great. I can't see myself getting new brakes until these completely explode.

    Elixir CRs - Good brakes. Didn't have any issues with them. They stopped well, modulation was ok. They were on a test bike, so I don't know how they adjust/tune.

    Juicy Ultimates - Great brakes. I rode a bike all weekend with them. I wasn't on them very much, but when I was, they worked very well.

    I want to try some Formula brakes next!
     
  14. gr@sshopper

    gr@sshopper Closet Roadie

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    really don't care for the Stroker Trails on my bike, mostly b/c I am having big problems bleeding them.

    Like the Juicy 7's I've got.
     
  15. motoxscott

    motoxscott New Member

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    My Norco DH bike has Avid Code's with 8" rotors.

    My Giant Reign X came with Hayes Stroker Trails with a 7" rotor up front and a 6" rotor in the rear. I was having brake fade issues so I stepped up to a rear 7" rotor and better pads, which helped a little but I still had fading issues. The bike weighs in at 38 lbs.

    I now have Avid Code's with 8" rotors on the Giant and couldn't be happier. They have a ton of control and stopping power all while being able to one finger them. An added bonus is I now have spares for either bike if need be.

    - Scott
     
  16. culturesponge

    culturesponge keep on keeping on

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    disk brakes

    '04 Hayes HFX-9 Hydraulic Disc (came with Schwinn Moab DS-1) - fair, they stop the bike eventually (2/5). almost okay when used with 180/160 drilled SS rotors, sub 150lb riders only! tricky to bleed using corrosive DOT 4

    '04 Shimano XTR M960 Dual Control Hydraulic Disc - okay/tolerable (3.2/5). lacked initial bite, screechy + not much stopping power with 160/160 XTR rotors + shimano sintered pads - 180/160 SS rotors with SwisssStop organics are much better, still have them in a box & might use them on a beater, difficult to bleed using mineral oil)

    '05 magura Marta black Ltd Ed. Stans NoTubes (with 160mm Stans coated alloy rotors + Ti fasteners) - good (3.5/5). great for XC with 160/160 SS rotors, Goodridge hose upgrade & SwissStop organic pads. smooth initial bite then plenty of power. but once the Stans alloy rotors braking tracks are pitted & worn braking is bad - just like a supermarket rim brake bike, currently using Mucky Nutz "Muck Chucker" 160/160 SS rotors + KoolStop pads, easy to bleed using mineral oil

    '08 magura Marta red ano (came with SJ Carbon Pro) - good. (4/5). now great upgraded to 09 calipers, Goodridge hose & SwissStop organic pads, very good pad retraction + wide braking track, easy to bleed using mineral oil

    '09 magura Marta SL magnesium - great, smooth initial bite then plenty of power (4/5). currently using Marta SL 160/160 SS wavy rotors + SwissStop pads, very good pad retraction distance + wide braking track on rotors, easy to bleed using non corrosive mineral oil

    '10 Formula R1 - great, fast bite + masses of power (4.5/5). currently using 180/160 Scrub MMX rotors + SwissStop organic pads, also with 180/160 Marta SL SS on training wheels. very quiet under power >superlight! front brake is only 159g. recently bled with Motul RBF-660 (highest boiling temp DOT 4 available) to see if i can get away with 160/160 rotors without any brake fade

    future 29er build might well have a 2010 Formula "the One" upfront and Formula’s R1 on the back - might be a really great combo for a weenie big wheeler.
     
  17. Waldo

    Waldo Lebowski Urban Achiever

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    Well, about a month after my previous post about Avids, I switched to XT 775's also. They are simply fantastic brakes, and I agree with everything Lovin wrote. Maybe some of the more exotic brands might work better, but I don't know how, wouldn't want to pay the price, and prefer the easy access to Shimano parts. Plus they use mineral oil for easy clean-up.

    Shimano's resin pads do wear pretty quickly, so I'll try the metallics next time, but at least they are comparatively cheap ($22 vs $35 for the last Avid set I bought), and they are quiet. I've ridden them down the long descents of Holy Jim, Maple, and Motorway, and they have been quiet and fade-free (and I'm 200lbs, using 6" rotors front & rear).
     
  18. Fewinhibitions

    Fewinhibitions Always be a moving target

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    I have the Elixir R's with 203's front and back.

    Love them. Been getting the bleeds done at the shop as they have been giving me a discounted price to do so.

    But I am about to get the bleed kit for the next one even though I can get 2 or more bleeds from the shop for the same cost.

    I only need to bleed my brakes a couple of times a year so it's a push. I mean, bleeding them is easy, but it's even easier to screw it up doing it yourself.
     
  19. Garrett

    Garrett Active Member

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    I run Avid Elixir Rs, 180/180 f/b. I really like the feel on them. They are grabby, yet have seemingly endless power and modulation. During the winter when the trails were all tacky I had nearly endless braking power, now that they are getting loose it can become a slidefest. Not the brakes fault at all though.

    I do notice some fade in steep, long downhill trails though. Power is decreased and the lever becomes slightly spongey.
     
  20. El Rey

    El Rey New Member

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    I just bought my first bike with disc brakes (avid elixir CR's) and after 1 easy ride around the fully loop the rear disc seems to be a little warped.Is this normal? and will they wear the pads enough to stop the rub? Or do I need to buy a new disc. or will the shop warranty the disc?
     

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