-Carbon fiber lever blade with wide profile
-Anti-rotation reach adjstment bushing
-2- peice master cylinder design for easy remonval
-Flip-flop design master sylinder allows lever to be mounted on either side of bar
-V6 Rotor
-Sintered matalliv all-weater pad compound
Submitted by
Filippo
a Weekend Warrior
from Phoenix, AZ
Date Reviewed: November 4, 2009
Strengths: Stopping power, Simple design
Weaknesses: Weight
Bottom Line:
I have these on 2 bikes and for the price, I can't complain. They have great stopping power, were simple to install and adjust. I bled one system and it wasn't nearly the pain in the culo that I had anticipated (do a little research before you do).
There are better brakes out there now, lighter and slimmer, and most likely more expensive.I've never regretted buying these.
Bike Setup: C'Dale Jekyll, full XTR, Hayes 9 Carbon, Tora fork
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Submitted by
lsaiyo
a Weekend Warrior
from Grass Valley, Ca
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2009
Strengths: They do great almost all of the time. They slow you down..enough. Awesome system that rarely needs bleeding. Excellent mid-range brake. After riding these a hair over 3 1/2 years, I have been impressed with the performance.
Weaknesses: That dang hayes wobble. theres a good quarter inch of lever play in both levers. levers are a vulnerable arrea for damage. knowing that, I got the brakes anyways (carbon fiber = shiny factor), and the clear coat has chipped off in numerous places. Ive found that the v6 rotors dont seem to get the job done too well, so i ordered up a front v7 rotor and 180mm adaptor, hopefully that will fix the two finger lever issue. They tend to make noise in the rain, but what brake doesn't? they have too much neutral lever pull, and even after I bled the brakes after 2 years (super nice, sealed, reliable system) the lever pull didnt change much, but then again, there wasn't much air in the system to begin with. the rear brake is a pill though. i was experiencing fade, so I bled the rear system,and the fluid was this milky grey color, so i flushed the ststem, and there is still continuing fade... the front brake packs up a bit, as opposed to fading.
Bottom Line:
For an excellent low maintence, mid range brake, this is a wonderful option for a cross country to all mountain bike. sweet price, mad shiny factor. will stop the bike. theoretically.
i would suggest the new Hayes Stroker line as a step up and comparable price.
because of the new stroker line, i give this brake 3 chilis.
Similar Products Used: Hayes Mech., Magura Hydros, Shimano Hydros, Avid BB5
Bike Setup: Salsa El Santo
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Submitted by
loosespoke
a Weekend Warrior
from French Gulch, Ca. USA
Date Reviewed: June 22, 2009
Strengths: The carbon levers have a good ridgid feel. The pads really seem to last a long time. Reasonably light and look good. Good modulation and quiet.
Weaknesses: Too much lever travel for my liking. Not powerful enough for extended or high speed downhill runs. Not quite a one finger brake.
Bottom Line:
A great brake for xc use and short downhill runs. However, i have found the front brake requires too much effort to get the wheel to lock up.(really, how often do you go around locking the front brake anyway?) The back brake will lock up fairly easy and has been great on all but the long steep downhills. I weigh 130 lbs and on a fast downhill run the rear brake will be literally smoking! Also the rotor is black and you can feel the heat radiating out. The front dosent get as hot but it is way too hot to touch. All things considered, I feel that Hayes made a great product for its intended use but it dosen't quite fit the needs for long/fast downhill runs.
Bike Setup: Diamondback xsl eliete. Fox float R, WTB speedisc.
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Submitted by
cmonkEP
a Weekend Warrior
from Tucson, AZ, USA
Date Reviewed: June 8, 2009
Strengths: Easy adjustment, no maintenance, not the heaviest, nifty carbon lever, it works
Weaknesses: moisture + brake = squeal, not the strongest, not the lightest
Bottom Line:
These have worked very well for me here in the desert. I've got ~1500 miles on them with no mechanical problems whatsoever. They have great modulation and feel, and my only complaint is that they could use a bit more power. While they always seem to stop my 185lb self + 30lbs of bike, I would like it to happen a little quicker.
Submitted by
Norcalsav101
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Clara, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: April 21, 2009
Strengths: Only cost me $90 and it has a carbon fiber lever giving it that cool look
Weaknesses: ALOT OF WEAKNESSES FOR ME! first problem i encountered was when my master cylinder screw completely stripped and my brake lever hung loosely unattached and i had to pay $40 to get a stupid screw? next problem is that my brakes have completely faded out even after a completely thorough bleed.
Bottom Line:
i would not recommend this break it looks cool but the power fades to quickly and it feels really cheap i am definetly not satisfied
Submitted by
stevereeneo
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado Springs
Date Reviewed: June 11, 2008
Strengths: Solid, easy to adjust hose length, carbon levers have high 'bling' factor, easy to adjust/set-up, reliable, easily repaired/simple design, plenty powerful enough for XC use
Weaknesses: During long descents they can be a bit noisy - more of a high pitched hummm rather than squealing, if you're not careful you can break the piston/post that holds the brake pad when pushing the pistons apart... but it can be fixed easily enough. Bleeding is a bit of a pain - but once you do it it's no big deal - I recommend using a big syringe instead of the bottle they give you. No major weaknesses though
Bottom Line:
I was given an older pair of Nines a while back and they worked great - then I broke the post on one and had to pull the caliper apart to replace the piston and seal...which was straightforward enough, so I got another pair since I knew I could fix 'em and they were on sale for $79 each. They have proven to be plenty reliable and are WAAAAAY easier on my hands on long descents than the BB7s were.
These are good "workhorse" brakes for XC use and have stood up to some good abuse.
Bike Setup: On both the Santa Cruz Blur XC and the Monocog Flight 29er SS.
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Submitted by
Bob
a Weekend Warrior
from Bellingham
Date Reviewed: June 1, 2008
Strengths: Looks great! Brakes very well with 8" front rotor.
Weaknesses: Terrible machinging for the brake adjuster screws...backs off after 15-10 minutes
Bottom Line:
The brake adjuster screws are out of spec or the threading is out of spec...Constant adjustment of the brake lever adjuster is necessary. This is my 1st Hayes product I have owned and it will be my last, should have insisted on Shimano from the start. 1st gen XT discs are where its at.
Submitted by
John Hayes
a Racer
from Greenwood, IN
Date Reviewed: March 16, 2008
Strengths: good modulation, nice lever, easy to set and adjust
Weaknesses: weight compared to others, price(but I'm cheap)
Bottom Line:
Great Brakes! Hayes has had issues in the past with some of their hydraulic brakes, but their new stuff is really nice. I abuse brakes and these have never faultered and have never had a problem.
Similar Products Used: Avid BB7, Hayes 9, Hayes MX-2
Bike Setup: Kona Kula Supreme, Sram X.0, Fox F100 RLC, Industry Nine Ultralight
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Submitted by
Page Nicol
a Weekend Warrior
from San Diego
Date Reviewed: November 24, 2007
Strengths: Light weight, inexpensive for carbon levers, good modulation.
Weaknesses: Piston set screw keeps coming out and must be reset. Have had shop reset it with lock tight and it still does it. When this happens the levers will go to the bars and really decrease stopping power until it is reset with a small allen wrench.
Bottom Line:
I really like these brakes but after only a few miles of riding the piston set screw keeps coming out and the levers lose any stopping ability. I've had the shop reset them with lock tight to no avail. We tried a different type of lock tight so we'll see next weekend. Other then this I really like the feel of these brakes, especially compared to the Avids
Submitted by
Lloyd
a Downhiller
from Philippines but now I'm here in Shanghai, China
Date Reviewed: November 22, 2007
Strengths: Looks good (due to its Carbon Fiber lever) and in an affordable price. Carbon lever has a nice feel, its stiff. For the weight, its light compared to the Aluminum models.
Weaknesses: Even though its new (pre-bleeded), the rear brake needs bleeding... it's not a big deal though and this won't affect my review...
Bottom Line:
This hydraulic brake system is great. I love the modulation and the power (the 8' rotors contributes to its performance though). I'm no weight wennie... i'm a freerider/Dh racer who just found my way here in the urban jungle of Shanghai.
The weakness that I stated above doesn't affect the overall performance of the system. Anyway, I really need to purchase a bleeding kit for my system since its advisable to bleed any hydraulic system once every year (at a minimum) or when the need arises.
The next time that I will purchase for my AM bike in the Philippines is a set of Hayes 9 Carbons.
Similar Products Used: Shimano Deore M-525 and Shimano XT
Bike Setup: Single Speed urban/dj rig. Frame: Mosso M1; Fork: 2005 Manitour Firefly (90/130mm travel and 20mm thru axle); Rims: Sun Rims Ditch Witch; Tires: Maxxis Holy Roller (26x2.4); Hubs: Quando TX 20mm thru axle front and Shimano Deore 525 rear; Crankset: FSA Gravity; Pedal: Shimano 424; Seat post: Race Face; Saddle: Da Bomb (bomb boy); Stem and Handle bar: 31.8mm from a Jamis Komodo; Brake system: Hayes 9 Carbon w/ 8" rotors (front and rear).
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Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver, BC Canada
Date Reviewed: February 26, 2007
Strengths: Levers are great. Weight is reasonable. Easy to get parts, inexpensive to maintain/replace. Modulation/Feel are unlike other Hayes - nearly as nice as Saints or Oros.
Weaknesses: Could be lighter...and brake fade is unreasonable. These are not for freeride/DH/Clydesdales.
Bottom Line:
Okay. Nothing special but they get the job done until cash comes along to replace them with oros or saints. Plus it gives you an idea of what carbon levers are like (I think they're a lot better as long as your not scared to break them). If you're about to spend some cash, just get the Formula Oro K18s for the same price and you get a waaaay better system. That's the next purchase for me...
Bike Setup: scott scale 30, full xtr, hayes hfx9 carbon
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Submitted by
Alex
a Cross Country Rider
from Greensboro, N.C USA
Date Reviewed: September 3, 2006
Strengths: Great breaking power no worries about not being able to stop, great feel due to carbon because it doesn't bend, and just plain killer looks!
Weaknesses: None as of yet normally i would wait longer to review something but you get the feel of brakes pretty easy
Bottom Line:
These are great brakes have had no worries and have a friend who rode over 2000 miles on standard Hayes HFX without any problems, the carbon simply adds more feel and better looks.
Bike Setup: Trek Remedy 6, sram x.9 shifters/rear derrailuer, manitou Nixon, Manitou Swinger 3-way,Bontager RAce Disk Wheels, X-Lite carbon bars,Hayes hfx-carbon, Stainless eggbeaters, Continental Vertical Pro tubless, with a Big Earl up front, sorry for the long description I just love my bike and can't help it
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Submitted by
Giancarlo Pelosi
a Weekend Warrior
from Miramar, FL, USA
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2006
Strengths: Looks really nice. Hold its repuation just like in Motocross. Performs well under adverse conditions. Sturdy brake system.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
I like it better than the Avids but that is a matter of opinion. Better reputation due to its history is making brake systems for the Motocross circuit.
Hey, I bought some of the 10th anniversary edition hayes hfx 9's from beyond bikes and I need a front brake, but the label that beyond bikes put on the box says it is a rear brake, Read More »
I recently bought a set of the Hayes 10th Anniversary brakes, they came with alluminum levers installed and a some carbon levers that you could swap on, however if i try to unscrew Read More »
I'm currently running Deore 535 hydraulics. Been thinking about upgrading and price point has the 10th anniv. Carbon/Chrome on sale for $80/side. Is that a good deal for these br Read More »
Any recommendation for replacement pads/rotors rotors?
This is on my 575 has 160mm now, never any braking issues power wise but after a few months the rear end vibrates while br Read More »
