Pretty good modulation.
Nice stopping power without throwing me over the bars.
Bleeding the system, while a little messy, not entirely too complicated.

It's actually pretty easy to install except Hayes wrote terrible instructions which actually complicate the process.
The instructions omit a step or two - such as where to install the tiny rubber gasket - causing me to stop, take apart, and reinstall the whole caliper and rebleed the system.

I was amazed when I switched from old school brakes to V-brakes. Now I'm amazed by discs. If you're still holding out, save your pennies and make the switch to discs.

Similar Products Used:

This is my first set of disc brakes.

reputation, decent weight, generation 2 open caliper cools faster and tells you when your rotor isn't centered (see above review, not a qc issue)

lever adjustment does not hold, even with blue loctite

I like to ride allot. My weekend rides have been 100% epic since day one on this bike- four and a half hours, in the rain, on tech, gnarly single track. Ride the bus for 45 minutes, gain about 2500 vertical and then take the single track home.
OK, having said that, about halfway through The Ride, I need to stop and adjust my levers. They keep self adjusting, similar to the above review. I also used loctite on the set screws, but it did not help. Sure, it made a bit of a difference, but I still have to stop halfway through the ride to do something I never have to on any of my other bikes. Work on it. Beyond that, as mentioned above, the front lever does not have the "pop" back to the retracted position that the rear does. I'm going to bleed and re-post. Oh, and yes they do howl, but only when wet. Stopping power decreases, but not more than you'd expect. The pads wore out in 5 weeks of raining and mudding it up. That's not even 10 rides. (I didn't ride The Ride at every opportunity) The brakes work, yes, but overall need too much attention.

Similar Products Used:

hayes, xt, deore

Awesome stopping power, no "chimes", mechanically sound, set and forget, works very well in all conditions

Lever handle likes to self-adjust - see below - but easily fixed

After 100 miles, I love these brakes. Only took about 15 minutes of some good downhill riding to break them in, and since then they have worked as advertised. No squealing or chimes, once we set them up they were ready to roll.....except for one minor issue that is easily repaired:

I had a problem not getting full stopping power because I was squeezing the lever so far down that it was hitting my knuckles....almost like "bottoming out" the brake. I adjusted the levers outward (clockwise) to increase the distance from lever to bar handle, but after a few rides I would have the same problem. As it turns out, whenever you turn the levers outwards, they tend to "self-adjust" back to their original position. The cure: use BLUE lock-tite when you adjust them and they will stay in place. Use blue lock-tite instead of red so it's not permanent, but yet strong enough to hold it's position.

Once that repair was made, they have not moved and now all it takes is a little "tap" to the levers and I can stop on a dime. Thanks to Shawn at the Cycologist for the tip on how to adjust the levers correctly.

Regarding the carbon levers, I thought they may be a little fragile, but I have since layed the bike down hard a few times, including a pretty nasty endo where the levers took the first impact - not even a scratch. They hold up well to abuse and feel very natural.

Bottom line: Excellent brakes, great feel, easy set-up. The one flaw I've noticed is easily fixed.

Similar Products Used:

first disc brakes, stepping up from an old pair of canti's

This is a repost after riding these brakes for a full season. In short I would buy these brakes again in a second.

Very powerful. I like a brake that needs only one finger to control and these have it.

Miantenance free after one hard season.

Easy to adjust.

Levers are tough and feel great.

None

I would buy these again in a second.

Similar Products Used:

Hopes. Tried Maguras. Avid Mechs.

Price, Weight, Design.

Brake levers rattled.

My friend had Hayse hydraulics on his bike with new pads and oil(1 year old design). His felt like they took more pressure to stop and faded. The difference from his version to mine was amazing. Mine has lite feel and no noise, excellent modulation, stopping power and fade resistance. Hayse has really made improvements. The only thing was my levers rattled a little. I added some mylar sim stock and no problem now.

The Hayse hydraulics have really complimented my bikes setup.

Similar Products Used:

Only V-brakes

-Great stopping power
-Easy installation
-Solid modulation

-Lever instability! The things flop all over the place and cannot be tightened.
-Throw adjustment: There is a small allen bolt inside the lever that constantly "adjusts" itself (in my case, causing the lever to stiffen dramatically) and is impossible to get to using any type of multi-tool.

While I really love the stopping power and modulation of these things, the lever problems simply make them not worth the trouble.

Both levers are extremely "floppy," and there is literally no way to tighten them so they don't bounce around and rattle all the time which is just annoying.

If it were just the annoyance of floppy levers with these brakes, I could live with it however, the throw adjustment and the fact that it never stays in once place, is just too much to handle.

On my left (front) brake, I am constantly having to mess with the tiny bolt after rides due to the fact that the bolt, somehow, tightens itself thus causing the lever throw to stiffen (i.e. move away from the grip) significantly. This is an especially horrendous problem when dropping down long, technical descents due to the facts that: A) a long reach causes serious hand fatigue after just a few minutes and B) it can be very dangerous as the lever has actually been out of reach on two seperate occasions (fortunately I was able to ride through both times without serious incident...barely though).

On the right side, the bolt sticks in just fine but it stripped out VERY easily and now can't be adjusted at all without someone tearing the whole lever apart and rebuilding it. Fortunately the lever is in an adequate (not great) position so I can live with it.

I've talked to a lot of people who've had/have these brakes and this seems to be a VERY common problem and the only solution I've heard (from multiple people) is to use red "Lock Tight" (they say that's the only one strong enough to hold it) on the little bolt but, if I do that, I'm right back to the problem I'm having with the right lever in that if I lock it up permanently and don't quite like it after riding it, I'm stuck with it.

Bottom line: there's a reason brake manufacturers develop "on the fly" throw adjustments and market them all over the place and these brakes seem to be the poster children for all of those reasons.

I WOULD NOT buy these brakes again and - unless you like having constant problems trying to adjust your brakes - I would not recommend anyone else buying them either.

Similar Products Used:

-Shimano XT disc brakes
-Magura Louise brakes

Durability, reliability, stopping power

Pads can wear out fast

I've tried a lot of different brakes, having never been quite satisfied with the stopping power of any of the brakes I've used over the years. Until I got the Hayes. Other brake mfrs. say they have better modulation (arguable), better stopping power, but all-around nothing beats Hayes brakes. They are powerful, but more importantly, they maintain their stopping power in any conditions.

Some brakes like the Magura Martas will seem have incredible initial stopping power. However, they heat up easily and fade on you. Hayes will not fade on you on a long descent. I've put these brakes through some serious stress on long steep downhills. My rotors turned dark and I could smell burning, but the stopping power remained. Other brakes would have melted, their fluid boiled, and their rotors warped. But not Hayes.

Brakes that use mineral oil don't cut it. Real brakes use DOT fluid. Hayes uses DOT. They are also a cinch to bleed, easy to align, and simple to change pads. Parts are readily available. Ever have to service Hope or Magura brakes? Good luck.

The least expensive Hayes model will perform the same as the most expensive. I have the HFX-Comps (plastic lever body) and the Mag Plus. So you don't have to spend a lot for the best braking performance in the market either.

Modulation is also very good. People have said that Hayes don't have good modulation. What? Try going fast for a change. When you're flying downhill and you have to scrub off some speed quickly to make a turn, you'll be very glad you have Hayes.

Similar Products Used:

Magura Marta, Avid Mechanical, Coda (crap)

They stop like a wet tongue on a icy steel pole.I have used them for as long as they have been out and i love them. Now that they have all that ti hard wear it makes me even more happy. You blead them once and you are good to go for at least a year and i ride way to dam much so thats saying alot. Wet dry you name it they work sweet. I even gave myself a tatoo from the red hot rotor and did not mean to but it's starting to grow on me i think it's better then ink.

They will not fit on my car..

If you are looking for a break that is always ready to go this is the one. These guys have been doing disc breaks for ever and they know what it takes to make a durable long lasting brake. I have been running them for over 5 years and have not had one problem except when i cut the hose with my front tire when the zip tie broke that heald the hose to the fork. That was my falt for only using one zip tie. so no problems as of yet.

Similar Products Used:

every disc break out

it's hayes...they're expert with brakes

have to file a small portion of the caliper 'cos it touches the rotor whenever it's already centered. quite an issue for QC,,,so there r parts that d paint was stripped. the lever return on my front brake is not as strong as to my rear brake...i guess because it's factory bled. but i don't mind...can bleed anytime.

there's no difference with the previous HFX MAG, but in my own opinion HAYES changed their brake pads,,,there's this something unusual when u press the lever...but actually i don't want to investigate on it. the carbon lever is so light that when u press it u must be used to it. the power of the brakes is not an issue...there's no change with the master cylinder, just modified their caliper i guess this caliper looks better (lighter), kinda sexy. btw anyone knows what does "G2" stands for? all bolts are made of titatium. the bottom line is i bought this piece at a low price compare to the world price.

it's worth the price...especially regarding research and engineering. i hope i won't encounter with the QC issue again next time i buy their product.

Similar Products Used:

hayes HFX MAG XC; magura clara

Strong, dependable, squeek-free, good modulation

Don't ride a ton, and have had to bleed once besides original set-up (not really a big deal)

Haven't tried others, but like it enough to replace my xtr v brake/carbon brake booster in rear with another at a cost of $330 (includes wheel).

Similar Products Used:

None-first disc, but going to buy it for the rear