The new Enduro 4 replaces last years successful DH4. Even though the brake has been slimmed down and lost over 60g in weight it still retains its awesome braking power. The caliper features 4 pistons operating 4 separate pads and is supplied with a pro lever. The brake is an open system. The 74mm post mount (200/1 Manitou) requires a special bracket and larger disc.
System type: Open
Lever type: Pro
Caliper No.'s: 3, 5 & 8
Standard Disc: 145, 165, 185 & 205mm
Bike Setup: identity Dr Jekyll, pike, sun double wides, race face dh cranks, 24 seven suicide bars, race face diablos stem, fsa pig head set.
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Submitted by
Neeek
a Weekend Warrior
from Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Date Reviewed: December 8, 2008
Strengths: Eye-popping power
Great modulation
Beautifully machined
Weaknesses: Pads rub a bit on the rotor
Bottom Line:
I bought them cheap on a whim from a bike shop in the US. Advertised as secondhand but complete and working I took a punt and $120 later they were mine. Bought some new rotors and a "hop-up" kit and I now have 4-pot 205/185 discs. And my GOD they're good.
The only thing I don't like about them is that the pads rub on the rotors slightly. It's more annoying than anything else and with my old Hope brakes (closed C2s/XC4s) you could adjust them to get rid of it; not possible on these ones but who cares when there's so much power on tap?
Weaknesses: can be noisy (fixed by poring water over disc), master cylender scraches easily
Bottom Line:
very powerful brakes especially as they are quite a few years older than most of the brakes i've used, having said that the set i bought was new in 07 (old stock left in LBS). although there has been a slight ammount of squeal i fixed this by poring water over the discs (the squeal was caused by dust/salt) and upon advice from Hope replacing the standard pads with some newer sinistered pads provided free of charge by them, there is now no unwanted noise.
although the modulation is good it takes a little bit of getting used to, when they were first fittd i found i was constanly locking up but after about a weeks riding i had them dialed.
I'd recomend them to any rider, although i have only the rear brake for DJ i have used the same bike for bothe singletrack and DH and even with just the one i am stopping fast than most of the group who are using hydros
Strengths: Awesome power, great modulation, look pretty damn cool
Weaknesses: Pistons need cleaning and lubing (with brake fluid) every so often or they stick, as least one pad per caliper rubs at any one time though you can't hear it when riding, rear heats up on long descents
Bottom Line:
Really impressive brake and, considering how old they are, extremely reliable. Power is in the "glad I wear glasses or I'd have been picking my eyes up off the trail" league, but really useable even in slimy muddy conditions (which is 10mths of the year here). Brakes used to howl a bit, but stick a coke can cut out with grease on the pad side onto the back of each pad cured this. I'm considering retiring these for some Juicys in the future (bit lighter, bit more adjustable), but I ain't exactly in a hurry!
Submitted by
Oli Lewis
a Weekend Warrior
from Wiltshire, UK
Date Reviewed: April 4, 2004
Strengths: Great! Light (for the size and power of it) Total lock up with one finger ease, yet still has more modulation (and consistent moulation at that) than any V brake) Quality Customer Service Looks
Weaknesses: RRP prices are quite high, but it is a damn quality bit of kit. I am very lucky to have got mine 2nd hand off a mate for a bargain price of £70, thats 1/2 retail.
Bottom Line:
Got this on the back of my trials bike (185mm disk) and my only concern is breaking the disk tabs, which i will resign to happening eventually. I love the feel modulation and reliable power too much to go back to Vs or maggies.
I liked my Avid when it worked, but it was often inconsistent, needed lots of cleaning- especially through the british winter, and i had to keep my wheel straight otherwise i had lots of rub.
This has given me more power and modulation, and i dont think ive gained too much wieght as i was runnign a hefty booster any way.
I was skeptical about gettin ghte old pro lever, as im used to the new mini levers on my other bike, but after riding it for a while i actually really like it. nice broad flat blade. feels good and solid, even with a lot of pressure when im up on the back wheel.
I have had no noise problems with mine so far, very slight ocasional squeling, no where near as bad as my mins though. try a dab of copper greae behind the pads. that usually quietens things down a bit.
Strengths: These are wicked brakes. they are easy to fit and easy to change the pads. the stopping power is amazing even before being bed in. After being bed in they are unbelieveable. 1 finger stops you fine but 2/3 fingers means you're over the bars.
Weaknesses: none yet
Bottom Line:
bloody excellent brakes!!!! go and buy some now!!!!!
Similar Products Used: magura hs33's deore v's magura gustav disc's
Bike Setup: cuda 03 frame dj2's f519 on xt disc hubs hope e4's
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Submitted by
Neil Baxter
a Weekend Warrior
from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK
Date Reviewed: May 12, 2003
Strengths: Awesome power, great looks.
Weaknesses: Insufficient slow speed modulation. Piston resistance to movement is not equal on each side of the caliper, causing the disc to deflect rather than the pads to centralise. Very loud screeching, unless cleaned every 10 minutes. Always seems to be a bit of stray brake fluid around master cylinder/levers
Bottom Line:
These brakes are at home on fast down hill work. The brakes do not modulate well at slow speed on loose or muddy surfaces. These brakes come on with aggresive power which can catch you out. A very light feel is required to keep things from turning nasty on twisty steep technical single track, AKA North Wales. Great for stoppies though! The mis-match of piston movement resistance is a pain in the a.se. Once the caliper is centralised about the disc the free moving pistons should allow the pads to come in to touch the disc with equal force and then retract to the correct distance to ensure no rubbing.....no chance! One pair of pistons on one side of the caliper come out, pushing the disc to one side(even with BigUns), way before the other pair move. Result one pair of pads miles from disc, the other pair rubbing. This can be temporarily cured by wedging the disc so that it can not be pushed to one side, this will force the remaining two pistons to move out, voila! All this I can live with, but not the squeeling, I think I have tried everything(cleaning,pad change, copper lease on back of pad etc etc), at most, the cure works for a day. If anyone knows a long term solution to this problem, please mail me at: neilcbaxter@btinternet.com The noise has pi..ed-off myself and anyone who's ridden with me. If I cannot find a cure I'm getting a pair of Hayes (I already have some on a Trek VRX 500, look c..p, work well, silent-brilliant!)
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz Bullit, Set up as Free-ride, Junior T's, 185mm discs on Hope BigUns.
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Submitted by
Jeremy
a Cross Country Rider
from Ft. Collins
Date Reviewed: April 29, 2003
Strengths: Modulation, Power, Look sweet (we all know it counts!)...
Weaknesses: Centering the rotor b/t the pads is time consuming and tedious. Stock Pads Squeel like a stuck pig! Seriously... My friends were threatening to stop riding with me if I didn't stop the noise... Also a little heavy, but I'm not a weight weenie when it comes to stopping power.
Bottom Line:
These brakes rock! Modulation is awesome and power is sick! I've had success eliminating the squeeling with some automotive disc brake squeel-stop applied to the back of the pads (b/t the pad and piston). EBC green replacement pads also seem to have eliminated the noise (less metal in the pad compound). Another note: the hollow bottom of my Marzocchi X-Fly sliders seemed to act as a resonance chamber increasing the noise these brakes produced. Problem solved with a little pipe insulation stuffed in there...
Similar Products Used: Only rim brakes. No other disc brakes tried...
Bike Setup: Titus Loco-Moto
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Submitted by
Joe
a Weekend Warrior
from Victoria BC
Date Reviewed: March 14, 2003
Strengths: Great modulation, powerful, beautiful machining, Made in UK.
Weaknesses: Can be finicky to set up. Hayes are nicer to setup. Initial brake howl(Cured).
Bottom Line:
Shim set up pretty straight forward but took a couple of rides to stop zinging. I had real trouble with brakes howling but Mike at NRG(great Company) gave me warranty pads no charge(EBC). That silenced them. I rode them for nearly 2 years trouble free then installed the new piston upgrade kit which reduces the distance between lever stop and engagement positions.They are really tuned and snappy now. They are more consistent than any of my hayes were and less susceptible to pad contamination, hayes seem sensitive to even touching the rotors.
Strengths: They work very well but only when they feel like it. Brake squeal is annoying but you get used to it.
Weaknesses: Unbelivably finiky to get working properly. I found that generally after 1-3 rides, they would need to be adjusted because of brake fade. I had them bled three times by a LBS who deals with Hopes but the problems continue. I even shipped them back to hope and although they replaced the piston unit in both brakes, the brake fade problems continue. I give up.
Bottom Line:
They are expensive and finiky as hell. Definitely not worth the ridiculous price tag. Believe me, the slighly added power of the four pistons does not make up for the fact that you'll be constantly trying to fix them after every ride! Go buy a set of Hayes. You'll be glad you did.
Weaknesses: unreliable have blown a few master cylinder seals(lever) on DH runs (plattekill) so they were retired to a lesser freeride xc (mountaincycle dhs with triple)
Bottom Line:
I had mounting bolts back out of my hopes with in a 100 yyards of getting off the lift, unexplainable, they were tight (though not locktited) it happened twice on different days and later, on both days, the master cylinder blew out it's seal(under the boot) on the lever. I switched to purple hayes with braided steel line and have had zero problems. I think the hopes are over leveraged, all the pistons in the system are smaller and less fluid is in the brakes,creating more pressure and temperature on the seals,i demoted them to my mountain cycle which is a less intensly ridden bike more cross countryish ,less stree is on the brakes now, so they hold up fine,i have a few levers to send back to hope(i own more than one set), the loosening bolts? possibly some sort of vibration,though it was inaudible,i didn't have a squeeling problem. I machined my own adaptor for my shiver and i have a 2003 monster t that will bolt the Hayes right up. In back i just built my own floating set up,that's truely bad ass and stays on the bike during wheel removal( brake therapy's don't) Don't use Hopes for DH if you ride really hard,or think you might.
Similar Products Used: Purple hayes and older hopes
Bike Setup: They were on my Karpiel Armagedon but i replaced them with Purple hayes
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Submitted by
cobbs
a Weekend Warrior
from London, Kent, England
Date Reviewed: February 11, 2003
Strengths: Smooth as... Great Control... Loads of power (3 fingers will see the rear end over your head...NICE!!. But thnx to superb modulation, major head crunching was avoided) you simply cant go wrong, bought these on the reviews here, 1 year down the line im still smiling :) worth every penny paid.
Weaknesses: When bolting discs on, advise that you use a criss cross pattern with the bolts, otherwise discs dont line up properly, and gastly squilling and rubbing occurs. Managed to get rid of it when i bolted the discs on correctly.
Bottom Line:
Best brakes i have ever had the privillage to use. Easy to set up. plenty of spacers of different sizes to line it up perfectly over the disc. changing of pads is an absolute doddle compared to my old formula mechanicals, had to dismantle the whole brake everytime pads needed changing.With these pull out pins slip the old pads out put new pads in put pins back in and away we go...smashing! 235 pounds for front and back including 185mm discs.
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[url]http://www.enduroforkseals.com/id48.html[/url]
from RWC
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