Designed for freeride and downhill riding providing 30% more braking power. 8" rotor deliver the ultimate stopping power with th "Moto" look. New dual piston caliper. Two piece master cylinder allows lever to be removed without removing shifters and grips. High durability sintered metallic brake pads. Kevlar reinforced brake line. 525g
Submitted by
coiler16
a Weekend Warrior
from st. louis, MO
Date Reviewed: January 3, 2010
Strengths: responsive, easy to bleed, pad replacement can be done by a doped up monkey
Weaknesses: a little loud, pads are expensive
Bottom Line:
these brakes are great, i just replaced the pads, and the stopping power is unbelievable. its like hitting a brick wall. the best part is that i didnt even have to bleed them after i put new pads in. also, if you have to replace pads for these (or any hayes products) look for them online, they are really proud of their brakes and charge a fortune at a bike shop. i think i got mine for like $12 at pricepoint. they were twice that at my shop.
Bike Setup: kona coilair supreme, 8 inch rotors f/r
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Submitted by
Kevin
a Downhiller
from San Diego, CA
Date Reviewed: January 21, 2008
Strengths: Amazing brake levers. Super easy to install, and very very plush stopping power. very rarely have to bleed them, and they work like a charm. Love the brake. would recomend it to anyone! SO uch easier to get out and go fast if you trust your brakes! and i trust the HFX-MAGs!
Weaknesses: Snapped my first one off at the between the perch and the master cylinder. Not a weakness, just a recomendation to stay on your bike in rock gardens =D
Bottom Line:
Sick brakes. if you want good stopping power that you can trust, buy them. they require little to no maintenance. Ignore the price, and just suck it up and buy them. you'll be glad you did.
Strengths: They've gotten me to this point in time. Can take some hits.
Weaknesses: Lever Reach Adjustment Screw, Brake Modulation, Bleeding
Bottom Line:
HONEST REVIEW OF THESE BRAKES Lever Reach Adjustment Screw - out of the box I had trouble with the screw backing out on more serious descents. The problem was fixed by carefully putting lock-tite on the screw, always making sure it didn't leak onto the lever bushing which results into a disassembly to clean. This problem was actually recognized by Hayes as a defect because the bushing with newer models now have nylon bushings. After that hurdle for the first year I routinely kept up on brake maintenance so they performed well. The problem I CONSISTENTLY ran into each time bleeding as per Hayes was back to the lever reach & adjustment. After step by step following Hayes directions my lever reach was always way out from the bar and the adjustment screw didn't have enough range to bring it close enough back to the bar. Certainly not close enough to brake with a single finger. It was as if there was too much fluid in the system. I had to release excess fluid each time, making a mess and risking getting air in the line. By doing this it brought my lever closer but my brake modulation was now affected. In order to compensate for the poor brake modulation I purchased softer brake pads. It helped but just another issue with my brakes. Modulation - Over the brakes lifetime I had to apply alot of 'hand' power to try to maintain proper modulation, not good when railing a turn or on a steady descend. There was no consistent middle bite point to the pads. It was always alot of hand pressure it seemed when starting and during braking. I heard this could also be a result of soft brake lines, creating a spongey feeling with weak braking. My opinion of good modulation is soft lever pressure to firm (without locking rear wheel) and the braking acting accordingly. Bleeding - Certainly cover your brakes, better yet remove them. The bleed valve is directly above the pads. The nipple on the bleed valve never can hold the drain hose properly and will mostly likely blow-off, sending fluid a flying.
***Because of consistently using my lever reach adjustment screw (allen key) during bleeding adjustments it has now become stripped. This results into not being able to remove your brake lever at all, let alone your whole MASTER CYCLINDER. I have a better idea rather than trying to figure out how to keep my Hayes HD's running........an entirely new brake company. Avid Codes, Shimano or Formulas are going to be on my Christmas list.
The hoses that come with them are too soft and give a mushy feel. I could not get the pads to sit well against the rotors. One of my levers stopped working and that kinda did nothing to impress me. I get a lot of screeching out of the set up. All in all I guess I would not get them again. Maybe I just got a bad one.
Bike Setup: GT ruckus holly rollers hayes mags (B.F.L.'s) V8's odi grips mrp chain guide mrp bones crank and BB FUNN rims
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Submitted by
Julio
a Downhiller
from the netherlands
Date Reviewed: March 7, 2007
Strengths: Insane braking power Great modulation the design is the witch i like lever feel is smooth
Weaknesses: Bleeding the brake is dificult,for the rest off the brake i didn't find any weakness.
Bottom Line:
This brake is good,stopping power is awesome and all that with 2 pistons,i was very impressed and it's better then the Hfx9 in terms off power and lever feel.The design off the caliper is the same as all hayes except the el camino. But this is still the most use standard brake in the bike industry and that great that hayes is still good for all bikes from xc to dh.I'm glad im running the hayes again and i will upgrade it to a hayes 9 inch disc front/rear for more stopping power.
Similar Products Used: Avid juicy 5,hope m4,Hayes hfx9
Bike Setup: on a stock session 10
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Submitted by
Andrew
a Downhiller
from Nova Scotia, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 4, 2006
Strengths: Great power, look good, easy to work on, easy to find parts, don't take long to break in. The brakes work much better with steel braided cables, which I just put on the rear brake.
Weaknesses: Stock pads suck.
Bottom Line:
These brakes rock. They blow my buddies HFX 9's out of the water; and his HFX 9's are very good brakes becasue he had them dialed properly. I would deffinetly recomend them to anyone. And anyone who says that they can't get them dialed or tat the brakes don't bleed right needs to get them looked at by a different shop. These brakes are a little heavy especially with 8 inch rotors, so i wouldn'y suggest them to anyone who is concerned about weight.
Submitted by
jake sammy
a Weekend Warrior
from england
Date Reviewed: August 15, 2006
Strengths: The lever looks nicer in real life than in pictures. BIG power
Weaknesses: Next to no modulation, but,fit hayes b.f.l levers and you fix that problem. Squeel during bedding in, but it sorts its self out
Bottom Line:
Really good brakes now the bfl levers are fitted.then again you could save 30 quid and learn not to be so fat fingerd.to be honest though you might as well get the nines. there cheaper and they have nearly the same power. very good though. I've got the hd versions, good for downhill but get the plus's if your into your xc, otherwise the weights just not worth it.
Strengths: looks cool stops every time doesnt squeek
Weaknesses: nobody knows how to set them up
Bottom Line:
if you want good equipment you have to take care of it. show it a little love and it will love you right back... its as simple as that.
you cant just expect to throw it on and have the rotors allign perfectly.. get some shims if you have to. a 5 year old could do it.
lastly.. this is a 2 finger brake.. if you grab it with all 5 you will go over the bars.. its a fact of hydrolics
everybody also complains about modulation..ooo these brakes suck for modulation. to start with it helps to have properly bled brakes... and in my opinion the modulation is in your fingers not your brake..
Bike Setup: 2 wheels, a fork and handlebar you know..
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Submitted by
Jeremiah
a Weekend Warrior
from Marquette, MI
Date Reviewed: April 14, 2006
Strengths: Simple to work on, widely available parts, durable
Weaknesses: intermediate modulation
Bottom Line:
For any sort of extreme riding, these brakes w/ 8 inch are excellent. There are better brakes for 6 inch applications(xc, etc).
TAKE YOUR TIME
There is no perfect brake system out there, and there never will be. Every single brake system ever invented, whether disc or rim, takes some amount of tweaking, futzing around, and playing with to get it right.
Take the little bit of extra time to be a little bit OCD while setting these up and making any necessary adjustments. I have used these brakes on my two current bikes, and several others, and have never had any major problems with them. Any time they rub, I spend 2 or 3 minutes readjusting the caliper so they don't. Any time they scream, I take a few minutes after the ride to sand the pads a bit and rub down the rotors with alcohol, and it goes away for a long time. Any time power and modulation starts to suck (and this has only been twice in a total of over 4 years use with 8 individual brakes) I have a trusted and professional bike mechanic bleed them for me, because it's not something I've ever been able to figure out how to do right. If you also do these things with your brakes, they will work beautifully, just like they're designed to.
How do they compare: Shimano has slightly better modulation, but less high speed power. Avid is a way more finicky system to set up, and roughly equal on power and mod.
Modulation: Sure, they don't modulate at the world-class level of some brakes available, but for the price, it's worth learning how to use these right. If you spend some time using them, you will be able to modulate them perfectly, like I can.
Bottom line: If you put these brakes on and never touch them again, you will hate them, guaranteed. If you love on your bike, and put some TLC into your brakes, they will stop you every time. Buy these brakes for any extreme application requiring 8 inch rotors and a lot of stopping power and durability. Use a high end Avid, Shimano, Magura, etc. for xc or similar use. TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR GEAR, AND YOUR GEAR WILL TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOU
Similar Products Used: Shimano XT (6&8inch), Hayes 9 (6&8inch), Avid Juicy 5 (6&8inch)
Bike Setup: 8" Iron Horse SGS w/ Shiver & 8 inch rotors, and a Soul Cycles hardtail w/ DJII and 8 inch rotors
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Submitted by
calen
a Downhiller
from marin county CA
Date Reviewed: December 6, 2005
Strengths: über power easy to modulate low key all-black never f-up
Weaknesses: not really any
Bottom Line:
I use '05 MAGs for freeriding and downhilling and i love 'em to death. have never encountered a situation in which i wished these brakes had more power - you can always dig into them a little deeper to stop on a dime. big, blocky calipers + metallic pads take heat really well. i slapped BFLs on my set and they add smoothness and comfort. a hundred dollars cheaper than juicys and they work better. Bottom line: '05 MAG levers stay in adjustment, calipers generally don't drag, rotors do not glaze up like juicys do, pads don't burn like martas do, way more power than HFX9 HDs - best all-around brake i have ever ridden get them if you only want to buy one set of brakes ever.
Submitted by
Andy
a Weekend Warrior
from Ft Collins, CO
Date Reviewed: March 17, 2005
Strengths: Great one-finger braking.
Weaknesses: Bleeding took a few tries.
Bottom Line:
Great brake. I've got the 8 inch up front. Modulation is amazing. The bleed took me a few tries to get, but I got it and the feel is impeccable. Key is to take your time and take the thing off your fork and let it hang straight down. Some of those bubbles take a long time to get through the system so be patient!
I can't help but think the people who don't like this brake either don't know how to set it up and/or don't know how to ride. Grab a handful and yer goin' down. This is a one finger brake. Brake mounts are often not perpindicular to the axle so bolt it up, put a sheet of paper behind it, look at it, and get some shims to adjust the thing. It really isn't that hard.
Submitted by
Bill Brune
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Cruz, CA.
Date Reviewed: February 10, 2005
Strengths: solid braking power, and quiet too!
Weaknesses: none, if set up correctly, total failure possible if you don't get them bled correctly.
Bottom Line:
These are great brakes. The rub is that you really have to pay attention to bleeding them correctly. A couple of times I bled them out on the bench, levers felt good and hard, seemed very solid, even after a ride around the block. Took them out on the trail, and had almost complete brake failure. What happens is that a tiny air bubble left in the calipers -given some vibration from a trail, works its way up to the master cylinder and your brake levers start pumping air. -Very important, squeeze the calipers to their seated position with the master cylinder open to make sure they seat. Then make sure the master cylinders are straight up when you bleed them. Squeeze fluid all the way from the bottom calipers up through the master and out to your collection bottle (watch for the little air bubbles from the calipers before you think you are done) Be very gentle with the fluid that you squeeze into the calipers during this process, you don't want to make ANY bubbles. If you get this right, then you will have true 1 finger braking. If you don't get this right, then expect noise, grinding, not much power and maybe a real pucker when you start pumping air. -cheers.
This is my 4th set of Hayes brake and have had very few problems. I broke the lever mount on my HFX-Comps, but they are plastic, so it is expected. Great brakes.
Similar Products Used: Hayes Hydro 6", Hayes HFX-9, Hayes HFX-Comp, Magura Julies, Magura HS-33's
Bike Setup: Single Speed with...Hayes HFX-Mag 6"
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Submitted by
Tim
a Cross Country Rider
from Blacksburg
Date Reviewed: May 24, 2004
Strengths: good power,good modulation,good heat dissipation with 8" rotor.bleeding was a snap with the right tools,the paint is good too(dot 4 fluid strips paint off anything).setup was simple,all grinding,squealing and creaking can be fixed and forgotten about.
Weaknesses: once you get a leak you have to rebuild the whole system,after 6 mo had to rebuild both levers ($50).stock pads should be replaced with aftermarket for longer life.
Bottom Line:
really good value for a reliable disc.great power,modulation,and the simplicity of the system makes it silly easy to fix if anything goes wrong,good value and woth saving the bucks for.if you want body throwing power get the 8" rotors.
What are the differences in these variations of the HFX 9 brake line?
I have seen...
Hayes HFX 9 HD Disc
Hayes HFX 9 XC Disc
Hayes HFX Mag Disc
The XC offers V6 or V8 r Read More »
