Submitted by
elitist
a Cross Country Rider
from Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2011
Strengths: good stopping power. pads are very easy to be adjusted. use shimano pads.
Weaknesses: hard to align due to the round pivot thing on the caliper bracket.
Bottom Line:
dual-action caliper kicks ass. once adjusted properly, everything works well. i got the polished version of the calipers. looks very nice with my bike set-up. need good set brake levers, as well as a good set of brake cables. calipers are little bulky and heavy comparing to avid brakes. other than that, no complaint from using them for almost 3 years.
Submitted by
Cogged
a Cross Country Rider
from Honolulu, Hawaii
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2011
Strengths: Only mechanical brake to rival hydros in modulation and stopping power.
Weaknesses: Nightmare to setup. Required a lot of modification and R&D to get to work properly.
Bottom Line:
These are the only mechanical brakes I've ever tried that actually have great modulation and control, matching the feel of a good set of hydros.
Stopping power rivals the Avid BB7's.
However, I cannot recommend them, unless you are a machinist and can modify these brakes on your own.
The Dual Bangers are solidly made, but not very well thought out when it comes to the details.
The outer brake pad adjuster has no click stops, but the inner pad adjuster does!
A few reviewers said the pads wear alarmingly fast, but that's not what is happening.
Because the outer brake pad adjuster has no click stops, it literally unscrews itself each time you brake.
By the end of a one hour ride, you have no brakes!
My calipers were not manufactured for use with any standard rotor on this planet.
It came with 160mm rotors, and the pads aligned more than 1/4" off above the tops of the rotors!
I had to remachine the front caliper mounting tabs to make them fit on the post mount of the Manitou MRD front fork.
The rear brake was a joke, and had no adjustment like the front caliper, which used a similar system to the Avid CPS to allow you to tilt the caliper to line up perfectly with the rotor.
The rear brake required washers to move it inboard or outboard, and no tilting adjustment.
I returned it, and purchased another front brake, using an Avid adaptor to mount it to the tab style rear swingarm bolt holes.
Again, same problem with the caliper not lining up, being 1/4" higher than the rotor.
I had to machine and face the Avid adaptor down to get the caliper to line up with the rotor.
To solve the issue of the outboard pad adjuster constantly unscrewing, I totally disassembled the caliper, which was surprisingly easy, and put an o-ring behind the adjuster.
This limited the amount of adjustment, but kept the adjuster from unscrewing, solving the problem.
However, I had constant issues with pad rub against the rotors.
The Dual Bangers do not have a pad mounting system that securely holds the pads in place, causing them to tilt at an angle when retracted, giving you the illusion that there isn't enough pad adjustment range, when there actually is.
I used some sticky Disc Brake Quiet to literally glue the pads to the adjusters, but even that didn't solve the issue entirely.
I ended up machining small shims to keep the pads aligned parallel to the rotors to prevent pad rub.
These were installed behind the pads where the 3mm screw goes through the top ear of each pad to secure them into the caliper.
Each shim is a different thickness and had to be fit by hand, until the pad remained parallel to the rotor.
This trial and error process took nearly three months of riding to solve each issue, one at a time.
I wouldn't trade them for the Avids which I gave up for these.
They have excellent modulation and braking control.
This is the only mechanical brake that moves both pads against the rotor, and I think that is why the modulation is so good, not to mention the braking power.
If the Dual Bangers ever fail, I'm going with hydros, and never back to Avids.
Would I recommend them?
Absolutely not, unless you are willing to go through the nightmare and hours of R&D that I had to put into them.
These issues should have been worked out by Interloc before even releasing them to the market.
The Dual Bangers have great potential, but needs a serious redesign to the pad adjusters and pad holding system.
Maybe another manufacturer can take this concept to the next level, and really come up with a great mechanical disc setup.
Similar Products Used: Avid BB, BB7, Hayes Mechanical
Bike Setup: 2004 Ellsworth Joker, XTR shifters, crank, derailleurs, rotors; Manitou Minute MRD fork, Manitou Type S rear shock.
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Submitted by
Schlem
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle
Date Reviewed: July 1, 2007
Strengths: Great modulation and stopping power WHEN NEW, as has been said. Uses Deore pads = everywhere. Easy to service in field.
Weaknesses: I used to love these brakes. 1000 miles later, they are prone to chattering, grabbing, rubbing, and I cannot adjust these bad traits away.
Bottom Line:
I consider these brakes dead and buried. I have ordered BB7's on the strength of the many great reviews at MTBR. They cost about the same as the Avids, but, as you see, the complaint ratio is muuuuuch higher with the IRD Dualbangers. 2 chilis for the great performance 1K miles ago, but only 1 chili overall, cuz they have worn out.
Similar Products Used: Only mechanical disc every used. I run Hope M4's on a couple of other bikes. ZERO problems.
Bike Setup: Steel singlespeed. One gear; many speeds. One speed is all you need. Read the Outcast, friends. Kill your derailler.
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Submitted by
MADMIKE
a Cross Country Rider
from England
Date Reviewed: April 18, 2007
Strengths: Good power. After a while I got some EBC "Red" brake pads, high friction soft compound, now my brakes scare me!
Once set up these are immense, awesome brakes at a low cost.
Weaknesses: Took a while to set up, I can see why people take them back. Give it a go, be patient and just stay cool. If you're a good mechanic you can do it. And to be honest, if you can't set these up, you should never be a pro mechanic (ahem).
Bottom Line:
Great, if you know what you're doing, and don't pretend you do (like a "pro mechanic"). They are good. The pads are the same as the popular Shimano M-525 brakes, so easy to find. Overall a great system. Great value for what you get (5 Chilis) but the setup can kill you (4 Chilis). If you do anything, street, XC or even Downhill (though, I'd prefer hydros if I did) get these for a budget yet good brake system.
Bike Setup: 2005 Gary Fisher Tass, crank bros candys, wtb speed v saddle.
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Submitted by
a Weekend Warrior
from BC, can
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2006
Strengths: btw. i am the same guy as the blah below. and i am talkin bout the mechanical version of this brake. superb stopping. easily endo my bike (35lbs), on purpose, with the 160. dosnt endo with light modulation.
Weaknesses: cable housing weak
Bottom Line:
ripped cable housing apart after hitting small tree (1.5" dia. at base) and now, must replace. oh well, good while they were around. very good for xc i presume. another update after a month with a better housing.
Strengths: good design, no loss of modulation during long descents, easy on-trial fix, good cost. easy to find pads.
Weaknesses: cables strech so must be readjusted every 1-2 rides.
Bottom Line:
i hate endos. i've used hydro fronts, 203's and with my setup i like these better, and i rely on my rear to stop me, these just help me slow and get through tough terrain as fast as possible. i can say they are a little complicated to set up, took me about 45 mins. I can understand how others can get the setup messed up. but they're worth it once theyre set right. but i like the adustments. keep in mind, they need a few turns of the tightener after every few days out. yes, i am going to change them someday, but i might just hang on to them for a spare.
Similar Products Used: a few other xc and dh hydros
Bike Setup: 35lb a/m bike with these on the front and much better hydros rear.
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Submitted by
a Cross Country Rider
from NH
Date Reviewed: March 19, 2006
Strengths: Good concept.....oh yeah, you don't have to bleed them.
Weaknesses: A bear to set up, had to grind the front adapter to fit a Marzocchi MX Comp fork. Front mounting screws ( caliper to adapter ) are extemely difficult to tighten without srewing up pad alignment. Due to misalignment of frame mounts in the rear ( caused by pilot error ) had to use some shims. An Avid type mounting system front and rear would be major improvement.
Bottom Line:
If set up and adjusted properly work OK for mech discs. After a year of use I still can't tell if the inboard pad wears evenly. Can't wait till they break so I can replace them with BB7's!
Similar Products Used: Never used anything so difficult to adjust.
Bike Setup: Soma 4one5 SS & Marzocchi MX Comp with XT rotors
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Submitted by
a Cross Country Rider
from longmont,CO,USA
Date Reviewed: March 14, 2006
Strengths: Dual piston.
Weaknesses: Quality Control at Manufacturer
Bottom Line:
Had a hard time getting these set up. The rear installed fine but the front was crooked and had to take apart the caliper and install shims to get it straight. VERY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE from the factory. Have not had alot of time yet w/ these but imagine they will function ok now that I have them setup. Took a while but neither one of my brakes rub. Jury is still out though. If your not handy w/ a wrench get something else or have the LBS install them. Don't count on customer service. I told them I had a problem w/ the caliper and said it would be a month to get a replacement after I sent this one back. Screw that I just took it apart and fixed it myself.
Submitted by
a Cross Country Rider
from Los Angeles
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2005
Strengths: The design of a dual mechanical is good in theory.
Weaknesses: Could not get to adjust on brand new Fox fork. I did get the rear brake to work after shimming it out with washers I bought at the hardware store
Bottom Line:
I could not get these to work. I tried for 3 hours to get the rotor/pad just right and the cable tension adjusted. If the cable was tight enough, the brakes were already rubbing. If the brakes weren't rubbing, the cable was too loose. I tried and tried. I finally took them off, went to the shop, bought the Avids and within an hour had rotors, calibers, everything on and adjusted... 'Nuff said.
Weaknesses: horrible manufacturing, poor design, obviously little development before production, overpriced for the low quality. pads do both move but not at the same rate. they also move at an angle not perpindicular to the rotor wich means they flex the rotor under braking, and rub the rest of the time, i am a pro mechanic, there is no way to set these up to work properly. do not buy!!
Bottom Line:
awsome concept, crappy design and manufacturing, realy to bad, i was excited when i heard of them but they suck! the ONLY mechanical discs worth buying are avids, great product! dont buy the dual bangers they are the worst, and there are alot of crappy mechs out there!
Similar Products Used: avid bb7 mechs, hayes mechs, shimano mechs, lots of hydros
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Submitted by
a Cross Country Rider
from MD
Date Reviewed: April 18, 2005
Strengths: Seems to be a good a good blend of modulation and stopping power
Weaknesses: hard to set up, about a 10 mile break - in period
Bottom Line:
First, I have to apologize for my first review (on the dual banger mechanicals.) After orienting the adapter correctly, it worked fine with the F100X fox fork (we all have dumb moments right?)They were definetly a real challenge to set up, but if you are determined and inventive like me it can be done right. I had to put shims in strange places. Now I have no rubbing and a very good feel in the levers. In contrary to a previous review, both pads do move and contact the rotor simultaniously - very nice design idea (no bending of the rotor.) Yes, the outboard pad moves in and the housing moves the inboard pad out, but this is exactly how my brakes work on my Pontiac Grand Prix! There was a very noticable break in period (don't make your first run a downhill!) After two rides they are gripping nicely. I am prepared to replace the pads often if necessary, which is not a big concern to me. I look forward to some good rides with these brakes!
Weaknesses: Pain to set up, brake pads must be replaced often, hard to adjust, no power, rub constantly no matter what you do
Bottom Line:
These are the worst brakes I have ever owned. I prefer my old STX-RC cantilever brakes to these. They take forever to set up and rub anyway. The pads are terrible and they are impossibe to adjust. Not only that, but both pads don't actually move. Don't believe the hype. One pad moves and the caliper moves on the other side. The whole thing is floating, which is why it rubs. Not only that, but one of my calipers snapped and IRD took forever to ship me a new one. Buy Avid Mechanicals and save yourself a lot of time. And they work better.
Similar Products Used: Avid BB-7 mechanicals, Hayes HFX-9's
Bike Setup: Specialized
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Submitted by
a Cross Country Rider
from MD
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2005
Strengths: don't know
Weaknesses: Major compatibility issues!
Bottom Line:
I purchased the mechanical dual banger disk brake. Upon attempting the install, I ran into a huge problem right away. The front brake is really designed for Manitou forks. It comes with an IS adapter, but it didn't line up with my Fox F100 X fork, WEAK! I don't know if it works with other Fox forks yet or not, but I suspect not. Guess I'll try the Avids next :-(
