Submitted by
Whatto
a Cross Country Rider
from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Date Reviewed: June 15, 2009
Strengths: Stopping power in all conditions. No grimey rims from brake pad wear. Pads have lasted well (in this application)
Weaknesses: Lop-sided pad wear (single piston thing). Finnicky adjustment. Poor alignment to rotor.
Bottom Line:
As my first disc brakes and used only for commuting, they were great step up from rim brakes. Now I have experienced these I'm looking for something without all the frustrating bits.
My main gripe is the poor alignment to the rotor braking surface. The pads are actually wider than the wear surface of the disc and that means that a significant part of the pad runs on the 7 spokes of the disc. All it does is shudder! I have tried a different disc but to no avail.
For low-end hydraulics they get a low-end rating. Ho hum.
Submitted by
L4m3r
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Angeles, CA
Date Reviewed: February 12, 2009
Strengths: Works
Smooth braking
Weaknesses: Cheap. Single-piston hydraulics? WEAK.
Difficult to adjust
Required bleeding after only a few months
Stupid bleeding system
Bottom Line:
These were my first disc brakes. At first I thought they were really cool- not just discs, but hydraulics! They stopped quickly and smoothly.
They did rub a lot, mostly because of the awful single-caliper design.
It was not long before the braking power started to diminish. It soon became clear that I needed to bleed my brakes. I bought the bleed kit and did the front, then started the back... I had a hard time getting the bleed valve open. Eventually I forced it with vise-grips, breaking the valve bolt and ruining the rear caliper.
After that, I bought some BB7s and never looked back. Overhauling the entire brake system was expensive, but I didn't want to deal with maintenance for hydraulic brakes.
Frankly, I can't see why anyone would BUY these. If they come on your bike, that's one thing... but if you're going to purchase a set of brakes, look elsewhere. There are mechanical brakes that are better than this junk.
Bike Setup: 2008 GT Avalanche 2.0 w/ Avid Juicy Sevens
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
dirtyjerz
a Cross Country Rider
from NJ
Date Reviewed: February 12, 2009
Strengths: Stop good, once broken in little adjustment needed.
Weaknesses: Single piston design relies on rotor flex to work correctly.
Bottom Line:
These came with the bike. I wouldn't bike these to put on a bike cause there is nicer stuff for reasonable prices out there. They're better than rim brakes and better than mechanical discs I've ridden. I don't really like the way they work. Flexing a rotor laterally isn't really what I'd like to see. Even when they're adjusted right they have to bend the rotor towards the static pad some. That said they stop my 200lbs and 36lb bike consistently and I haven't done any maintenance to them after they broke in. I wouldn't use them for downhill but if you ride xc and they come on your bike they'll do.
Submitted by
Vitaly K.
a Cross Country Rider
from Israel, Haifa
Date Reviewed: June 3, 2008
Strengths: very simple brake. has no problem at all. need no maintenance at all. passed without leaking many crashes, part of them because it didn't stop.
Weaknesses: my weight is about 95kg ant it just has not the power to stop me.
Bottom Line:
good brake for simple city bike. i am going to put it on my girlfriends bike.
Similar Products Used: have v-brakes before and should stay with it.
Bike Setup: deore lx
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Gary Artis
a Cross Country Rider
from Woodland Hills, Ca
Date Reviewed: May 20, 2008
Strengths: Calipers adjust with an allen wrench.
Weaknesses: Noisy rotors. Rotors need to be burnished with emery cloth every few rides to reduce noise.
Bottom Line:
Came with the bike. In a year and a half of hard riding, these brakes have performed as well as any brakes I have used. The rotors start "singing" after a few rides, but a couples of swipes with emery cloth quiets them down. The calipers can be adjusted with an allen wrench without having to remove the wheel. I have used Hayes FX-9's in the past, but they were so much trouble I got rid of them.
Submitted by
Fred Smith
a
from Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Date Reviewed: May 18, 2008
Strengths: No Significant mechanical problems. Easy to Adjust. Never needed to bleed.
Weaknesses: Lack of stopping Power is the main weakness. Also the pads seem to glaze over very quickly on a decent decent, rendering the brakes almost useless.
Bottom Line:
Nothing special. Easy to use and adjust and never have had to bleed them, but they lack real power, especially for a hydro. They glaze over WAY to quickly. Average. Probably better to save up a bit more and upgrade to a better set.
Submitted by
Spencer M
a Weekend Warrior
from Hamilton
Date Reviewed: May 5, 2008
Strengths: cheap relatively easy to adjust great stopping power for "back country" riding better than most rim brakes and some mechanicals
Weaknesses: brake components loosen easily through use on trails brake performance fluctuates (sometimes good, sometimes bad, depending on rider's maintenence)
Bottom Line:
These brakes are great for the average rider who likes to have fun and let off some steam on the back country trails in the neighbourhood. Stopping power is more than enough for going down steep downhills or for when one needs to stop on a dime at moderate speeds. Everything is easily adjusted, although some parts like to come loose soon after they are adjusted, but that's a minor setback. I would not recommend anyone who rides their bikes hard (ie downhill, freeride, etc, etc) to use these brakes. Not quite enough power for those applications. In all, I think these are great entry-level hydraulic discs, and those who want a taste of what they're like should try these out
Favorite Trail: King's Forest/Felkers Falls/Valley Park loop
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Purchased At: Pierik's Cycle (came with Kona Cinder Cone)
Similar Products Used: avid BB5s
Bike Setup: 2007 Kona Cinder Cone, all stock
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
XC Rider
a Cross Country Rider
from SoCal
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2008
Strengths: Not much. Easy set-up?
Weaknesses: Very poor braking power Lever design is poor (just does not feel 'right/comfortable') Horrible modulation
Bottom Line:
This is my first set of hydraulic disc brakes, and was very excited to finally have the power and modulation of hydraulics. Man, was I wrong... These brakes (I have both front and rear) really do not work as advertised. If I was Hayes, I would take it off the market ASAP rather than tarnish their brand like this. I'm going to have to look for another set of brakes before I hurt myself out on the trails.
Weaknesses: Slightly reduced braking power when wet. Quite loud when wet as well.
Bottom Line:
These brakes work pretty well. Only problem I have had with them is that the brake line leaked once. They work, that is really all that matters for the average person.
Strengths: none this brake sucks so bad its not even funny some people say u get wat u pay for but this aint the case
Weaknesses: i had these brakes for 2 weeks and guess wat just guess i go out for my 5ith ride and im goin down a hill and my front brake line exploded!!!!! can u belive that they blew-up and it got brake fluid everywere wrecked my awsome paint job and oh man was i pissed,brand new bike too and the front brake sucked anyway so now i got new hope brakes and they are tanks!!
Bottom Line:
garbage!!!!! i wish i hadent boughht them they suck ,but i love my new hope brakes they rock
Weaknesses: Pistons seize,no installation adjustment, no easy wear pad adjustment, no good.
Bottom Line:
These brakes are crap. They came installed on my new Dr Dew and were my first discs, let alone hydraulic brakes. I thought they were great for my daily 15 mile commute. Then after less than a few hundred miles they caused trouble. Adjustment was hard to make (yes, these have to be adjusted manually like mechanical brakes, however there is no lever adjustment dynamic tuning). Then they started juddering under firm braking to the point I was in fear for the integrity of the forks! The LBS diagnosed that the brakes were not set properly on the rotor and the friction area was interrupted by its rotor supports...anyway there was NO adjustment possible with this one part system. Everything was functioning so no comeback to the manufacturers just bad,bad design. Shame on Hayes for producing such a poor product. Kona's 2008 Dr Dew doesn't use brakes anymore - they have Shimano M485 instead (I had to pay for these myself for my 2007).
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