Submitted by
tombennett
a Cross Country Rider
from england
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2011
Strengths: great breaking capabilities for what you pay, i bought a voodoo hoodoo from halfords with them pre-fitted for £475, and didn't expect them to be too good as most of the money seemesd to have been spent on the forks(which are amazing)
Weaknesses: need a bit of adjusting and an upgrade of pad
Bottom Line:
very good brakes for a rider who isnt attempting death defying downhill tracks every weekend.
Submitted by
druelli
a Cross Country Rider
from Vienna/ Austria
Date Reviewed: April 16, 2011
Strengths: Good value for the Money. They work well if the are properly adjusted
Weaknesses: little tricky to adjust
Bottom Line:
i have changed the Stock Tektro mech. Diskbrakes into the Auriga comp. ( 180/160). The adjustment is a little tricky but if the Breakes are setup right, they work verry good. I have no comparison with other Hydro. Breakes, but between the mechanical Set and the Hydro Set there are Lightyears. With the Auriga i use only one Finger to break and it`s easy to control the Breakpower. If you like to update your mechanical Breakes on your XC Bike the Auriga comp. is a good alternative, that works well and its good value for the Money.
Submitted by
picky94
a Cross Country Rider
from manchester,, uk
Date Reviewed: March 1, 2011
Strengths: they have moments of power which make me think that they are excellent brkes, but at other times utter rubbish
Weaknesses: dont look very good, they look cheap and budget in the cheap black colour
alot of the time i am squeezing the lever and hoping that i would stop, on other hydraulic brakes and some mechanicls, 1 finger braking works, but on these, at times, i have to use 3 fingers and pull as hard as i can to atually get them to do anything. i also fear that too much pressure will break the seals/hose.
there is also alot of movement of the lever before the pads are any where near the rotor
Bottom Line:
if you can get them cheap enough then yeah im sure you wont be disapointed for the price, but these are selling for around £100 a set and for which you could either get a set of avids or clarks which i would rate alot higher from what i have seen and used
Strengths: Outstanding price-to-performance ratio, reliable, maintenance friendly, absolutely consistent modulation in wet and dry and really fading free on long descents.
Weaknesses: It´s not feather light, but also not heavy and can be tuned with lighter discs. Still in the XC zone, like Magura´s Louise.
Bottom Line:
This review is for the Auriga Pro. I got it because two different mechanics in my LBS and in my favorite internet shop strongly recommended it due to it´s reliability. And this is perfectly true.
Buy it if you are searching for a great budget disc that performs well in all unforgiving conditions. Don´t buy it if you suffer from status symptoms.
Submitted by
mullen119
a Weekend Warrior
from ohio
Date Reviewed: February 17, 2011
Strengths: When set up correctly, They work very well.
Weaknesses: Getting them set up correctly.
Bottom Line:
Easy to bleed brakes that have plenty of power and decent modulation. They lack the pad adjustments and tool free reach adjustment(still has a reach adjustment, But you need an allen wrench) that other brakes have. Once you get them centered on the rotor and break them in properly, they work great. I have used them for over 2 years with only one bleed(about 3 months in) I would recommend them.
Submitted by
Fenitz
a Cross Country Rider
from Bucharest, Romania
Date Reviewed: January 25, 2011
Strengths: Cheap, very god for xc or city riding, very efficient at speeds under 40 km/h, no problems in havy mud.
Weaknesses: brake hose can be dameged easly, not the best feedback, especialy on wet tarmac and mud you can lock all weels
Bottom Line:
Is perfect for someone wick is learning the ways of cross-country. Not recomended for street, and don't go near long fast descend ( like 50 km/h average speed, and trails longer then 10-15 km)
Similar Products Used: Hayes HFX Nine, HFX Mag, Proxam mecanic, various v-breks
Bike Setup: frame: Impulse Challenge, Fork: Rst Capa T8, Avid G2 185 mm disc break
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
james.kim13
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto
Date Reviewed: December 14, 2010
Strengths: They are dirt cheap. Power is decent with variety of aftermarket pads available.
Weaknesses: Stock pads are garbage. Lack of modulation
Bottom Line:
Now let me start off the bay saying it would be quite unfair to compare these to more expensive brakes such as Avid Juicy or Elixir
I bought these brakes for my winter bike as moisture in the cables would freeze up my BB7. I don't do as much riding in the winter so I decided to get the cheapest hydraulic brakes I could possibly get. I had Koolstop lying around for my previous 515 and they happened to share the pads so I decided why the hell not?
Compared to Shimano M515 and Hayes Sole, they seem to have more power when paired with Koolstop pads as much as BB7. This is definitely not the case with the stock pads. Even after being worn in and adjusted properly (I work as a mechanic at a shop) they did not grab very well I would highly recommend throwing these into a garbage can.
The stock rotors that comes with the brakes are lighter and thinner than Avid Clean sweep, Hayes or Shimano standard rotors. Because of that they tend to flex and bend a lot easier, which isn't necessarily a bad thing as they are easier to bend back when they deform (Remember to clean your fingers or wear clean nitrille gloves).
As other users have pointed out this brake seems to lack any form of modulation. There is no progression in braking and initial bite is harsh and far end power is not strong. I would stick to two-finger braking. This problem is not uncommon in cheaper brakes. Same goes to Hayes Sole, Deore and Avid BB5.
Bottom line, I would stick with BB7 if it wasn't for cable freezing issue (Best brakes at this price. Tons of adjustment when paired with SD7). This product is just another cheap brake. Not exceptional in any area but not horrible either(like the Hayes Sole). If you feel like you need more bite out of them I would definitely try upgrading the pads to Koolstop. Rotors do not seem to be the problem. Wipe them with rubbing alcohol and leave them alone.
Similar Products Used: Avid Elixir 5
Avid BB5 and 7
Hayes Sole
Shimano Deore M515
Bike Setup: Marin 29er
Single Speed
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
jpeters
a Cross Country Rider
from Germany
Date Reviewed: November 19, 2010
Strengths: Low price
Weaknesses: Bad pads Bad customer service
Bottom Line:
The customer service stinks!! The pads are not good at all so you will need to replace those. My brakes never worked properly from the first week when I got the bike. They made noise and shaked all over when I stopped. Finally I purchased some ebc green stuff pads and bled the breaks and they work great. I guess you get what you pay for I would never recommend these brakes to anyone. I would say just go with shimano deore for a budget brake.
Bike Setup: Focus Black Forest Fox 32f100 Slx Group with fulcrum red metal 5 wheels
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
wazi_woo
a Weekend Warrior
from South Africa
Date Reviewed: April 17, 2010
Strengths: Good value for money brake
Weaknesses: Took a while to bed in.First though they were hopeless. But soon came right.
Bottom Line:
Would recommend them. Was very skeptical to move from v's, but really enjoy the constant modulation and feather touch stopping. A good set of cross country discs. But would not recommend for down hill, think they might get a bit hot. But for the serious XC descents I have undertaken, a pleasure to have.
Submitted by
LM
a Weekend Warrior
from United Kingdom
Date Reviewed: March 4, 2010
Strengths: Great Stopping Power
Quite light
Look OK
Weaknesses: The calipers on mine rubbed slightly on to the disk-need adjusting. Apart from that, none.
Bottom Line:
Had them for nearly 3 months now. Apart from a bit of rubbing on the rear rotor, had no problems yet. For the price if bought seperately, you cant do much better.
Similar Products Used: Rim Brakes
Tektro Mechanical Disk Brakes
Bike Setup: 09 GT Aggressor XC2 (halfords)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Louralt96.8
a Cross Country Rider
from Orangevale, California, United States
Date Reviewed: November 23, 2009
Strengths: Low maintenance, Hold well on long descents, good stopping power
Weaknesses: Hard to break in, Pads could be better
Bottom Line:
I had these brakes on my Amasa comp and loved them. In one case they were even too powerful. On my very new Meteore, they seem far less powerful than before. I think they aren't broken in yet, or maybe they are using different pads. They are solid brakes though, and work fine when hot. If you are doing a lot of long descents, or maybe even some moderate downhill, these brakes are good. If you want to put disc brakes on a bike, get easy to install BB7s, which work just as well. But keep them on the bike if they come with it.
Similar Products Used: Rim brakes, Avid BB7, other mechanical disc brakes
Bike Setup: 07 Mongoose Amasa Comp,
09 Mongoose Meteore comp
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Malibu412
a Cross Country Rider
from Camas, WA USA
Date Reviewed: November 11, 2009
Strengths: These brakes came with my GT Marathon and have very decent stopping power. They are quiet unless wet. If buying as an upgrade from cables, price is reasonable for a hydro (see below).
Weaknesses: After having my bike less than a month, I have now popped the lever retainer shaft from the piston assembly on each side during very soft, easy falls. Using proper tools while attempting to repair the second one, the shaft became unusable. I have read other reviews and some owners state the same problem with these brakes--the lever retention shaft popping out the same way. I will be upgrading to Juicy Fives tomorrow as I bought my bike to RIDE with regular proper maintenance, not tear the brake levers down for a repair/rebuild every time they get bumped.
Bottom Line:
If your new bike comes with these, they are fine for safe stopping and a decent first time hydro brake. Use them until they break, avoiding crash contact the best you can. For me, they were more trouble than they were worth by the second repair, even at a bargain price or as OEM. Even if Performance Bicycle or Tektro stood behind them and replaced them, I would not want more of the same. I would not recommend them as any type of upgrade.
