If you could have only one brand of hydraulic brakes, which would it be?

Formula's for power to weight ratio and perfect modulation
Hope V2 (vented disc)for sustained load heat dissipation and stopping power
Hope Mono6 Ti outright stopping power

 

I put in my vote for Formulas. I've ridden both them and avids extensively, and I definitely prefer the Formulas. Amazing modulation/power and very light. I honestly thought there must have been a lot of people blowing it out their arses in reviews, but they were all quite right.

Avids are powerful, but lack a lot of modulation. I've also had a lot of trouble with them squeaking.

I have ridden with shimanos (the 08 XT w/ servowave), and they also perform very well. They're right up there with my K24's for overall performance, but the formulas are just a bit better (I've ridden them back-to-back on the same trail)

No experience with maguras short of toodling around with some HS-33's on a friend's bike.

None with Hopes either.

I've ridden with hayes and I'm not terribly a fan. The stroker trails are odd to set up for a good lever pull, and feel kinda cheap IMO. I'm sure they work fine though

 

I do only have one brand of brake. Magura

 

I am currently running AVID juicy 5's. I hate them. The levers have a mushy feel and bleeding is a pain in the arse. I cleaned and lubed the pistons and bled them a few times. I thought I was bleeding them incorrectly so I took them into a shop. They rebuilt the levers (replaced springs an seals) and they still feel like crap. The levers barely recoil back to the starting position. I am replacing them tommorrow with XT's and hope that will work out.

 

Are You Kidding Me!!! Enough Of You Have Not Used Hope Brakes!
Bunch Of Haters!

ohhhh THE M6 ARE KIND OF HEAVY, THEY ARE SIX PISTON BRAKES FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, THATS MORE PISTONS THAN MOST OF OUR CARS HAVE PER CALIPER, AND MY M4 DID NOT NEED SHIMS TO CENTER THEM.

i CANT WAIT TO HOCK MY J7'S FOR ANOTHER SET OF M4'S

OOOOOOOHHHHH XTR BRAKES!! THEY COST THE SAME AS M6'S, M4'S ARE CHEAPER, THE BLEED KIT THEY USE IS RETARDED, HAVE NOT COME ACROSS A SET YET THAT HAS NOT BEEN NEEDED TO BE BLED RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX AND YOU HAVE TO USE SHIMS TO CENTER THE CALIPER.

AHH TO EACH HIS OWN LOL!!! P.S. i LIKE BIG LETTERS!!!

 

As a matter of fact the guys over at The Path called me and told me my new brakes just came in!:bang::bang:
Here's a picture

 

ease of service avid but for best performance, looks, and longebity hope all the way.

 

hayes all the way. especially since they are 59 bucks at beyond now if you are local. i hate the avid juicys more and more now. way overrated. believe it or not, there are more juicys in my house than hayes. i have break in issues with the pads. they take forever to break in. then, the turkey gobble. then the pain in the ass bleeding method. also fade issues on hard shuttle runs. my hayes on the other hand just plain work. nothing fancy, its like an old toyota pickup. well over 2k miles and dont even need to rebuild them. replaced rotors a few times, thats it. just bought an old beat ass set of hayes with who knows how many miles, and they also just plain work.

i wonder sometimes if bike people just like stuff based on price.

 

one word: SEXY!

92SE-r, I know what you're talking about. Avids really shouldn't be as popular as they are. Tons of problems, low value compared to other options, etc. They have the advantage of OEM support, and the fact that theyre a SRAM company. I'd rather spend a few bucks more and get something I'll actually like

 

Damn, I have to admit, those Hope's are PIMP. Never used them, probably will never buy them. Don't see how they are worth like 5-6 times more than Hayes.

A lot of times, I wonder if all the Avid lovers just haven't had any other brand disc brakes. Especially since they are OEM on everything, that's why I have so many sets of Avid brakes in my household and amongst my friends.

 

Hope Are the best brakes by far in my opinion and many others.
Are they affordable? No
Are they easy to set up? Not always
Do they work the best when set up correctly? Yes

You asked what are the best brakes the answer is HOPE.

Now if you asked me the best brakes for the money I would say avid juicy 7s or juicy 5s. I have had good luck with both. Easy set up. I used them On a DH bike and they had no problems.

If you asked me who makes the lightest brakes. I would say Magura mags.

If you asked me what brakes have the best feel I would say Hope then Formula.

If you asked me if the Hayes brakes are good I would say they work great for some but I have to repair them for customers daily.
The ball pops out of the master cylinder on the older brakes.
The new Hayes Strokers are great and they are light. Nice price also.
They have a light weight model that is cool. A lot like the Avid intimates.

I have tried many and I always end up back wanting HOPE brakes on everything.

I have tested and or owned . Some I still own.

This is how I rate them overall.
Hope all models #1
Hayes all models #4
Avid all models #3
Formula most models #2
Magura most models #5
Shimano all models #6

 

I like the fact that hopes have a "floating rotor". Decreases wear and warping compared to solid rotors. I really like my Hayes brakes, but for the cost avids are pretty good.

 

I think the best brake decision depends on what kind of use you are planning to give them...

I'm basically an XC rider and have used Juicy 7's and Shimano XTR's, and the XTR's are by far better. Juicy's were a pain to adjust, bleed, etc...Shimano's are sooooo easy and simply set-up.

I've tried Magura Marta's and they were very smooth too, but am not sure how easy they are to maintain and set-up (which for me is maybe as important as the brake itself...if you have the best brakes around but can't set them up correctly, then you'll end up with some crappy performing brakes).

 

Am very happy with my XT brakes, but then again the only other ones I've had were Magura Julie on my first mt bike and they were a complete PITA...

Damn those Hopes are hot looking!

 

I've heard a lot of bad things about 9's but doing some math here:

Hayes HFX 9 are on sale at Beyond bikes right now for $60.

Bought separately, parts that you have to replace often cost:

8" hayes rotor - $32
hayes pads - $15-16
hose - $23-30 (not replaced as frequently but we all kill one now and then!)

hardware - couple $?

And then you still get a lever and cylinder in the deal. Even if the stories come true and they die in a few months you've still got spare parts at cost. I might have to pick up one or two of these.

 

I don't know man. Brakes are the one thing I would not really put a price on. I want the best brakes that I can afford! I'm worth it! I'm done donating DNA to the trails......:wave:

 

Ya, I heard bad things about the 9's on MTBR before I tried them for myself. You know---I'm a big guy at 225 lbs and the 9's have NEVER let me down. They always work and never have faded on me. They are an awesome brake.

I am one of the biggest bike/part/component snobs I know. I am always buying high-end just because I can. I don't get dropping $300 or more on a set of brakes though. It just isn't necessary. If you want to, more power to you. Enjoy them and please allow me to drool on them when I see them on your bike. But, good, quality brakes can be had for much less.

 

Any reviews on the Formula Oro k18's?
They look neat, But has anyone used them?

 

I had this problem also until I called Chris at Formula. I talked to him for about 1/2 hour on a few things after I bled my K24's which didn't turn out so good before I called him.

The two critical things the bleed manual doesn't state is:

1. You can't bleed the brakes without removing the O-ring at the caliper. So remove the O-ring and keep track of the smallest O-ring you'll ever see. (I have extras because I know I'll lose them.) Reinsert after you are done followed by the caliper set screw.

2. To keep from reintroducing air, after removal of the caliper syringe, you must keep the caliper level, or slightly higher, than the lever reservoir. If it is lower then oil will leak out as you reinsert the O-ring and the set screw, thus introducing air. So either place the bike in a position where the lever is lower than the caliper or remove the brakes altogether.

I just positioned the rear brake caliper higher than the lever and did the same for the front brake caliper without removing the calipers.

If you follow these two simple directions then the bleed process is a piece of pie or cake whatever you prefer. It's a shame that the manual doesn't emphasize these two simple suggestions as that would have saved me a whole lot of frustration the first time around. But Chris at formula is super helpful and spends a lot of time with you going over whatever you want. Give him a call if you have a problem.

I got other tips also if anybody wants to PM me about bleeding Formula brakes. I'll walk you through the process on the phone if you like also. :wave:

Not the K18s but here is a review of the K24s from Competitive Cyclist. The K24s perform essentially the same with the addtion of the pad adjustment called "FCS". The K18s do not have FCS.

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/mountain-bikes/review-brake/Formula-Oro-K24-Disc-Brakes_162.html

 

As I said, unorthodox. Bleed screw all the way baby!:bang: