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Submitted by
Jason B
a Weekend Warrior
from NYC/MiamiDate Reviewed: November 12, 2007
Strengths: It hasn't broke on me!Weaknesses: People make fun of My CODA brakes!Bottom Line: I dunno...I maintain my bikes well.I haven't had a problem with the Coda brakes (Knock on wood).I'm still very hard on my bikes when I ride.I do alot of ramping still and the brakes werk fine.Go figure.I do prefer the traditional cable/mechanical systems now that I'm reading all these leaks and failed seals..kinda gives me goose bumps as my bones are more brittle..LOL...Ride on guys...Every once in a while we get that messed up product..All you can do is use it or change it out.Coda tried and bummed out.But at least they tried.
Favorite Trail: RAMPS/Curbs/Urban
Duration Product Used: More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$1600.00
Similar Products Used: Dia Compe,Odessy,Shimano XTR
Bike Setup: Redline RL20 II(1987), GT Pro Performer(1986),GT Performer 20" GT VCR2000 iDrive(FRESH),Trek Y Glide(1999)Broken,Cannondale F2000
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
James Feltman
a Weekend Warrior
from Boise, Idaho, USADate Reviewed: March 13, 2007
Strengths: NoneWeaknesses: Rotters come warped straight form the factory. I actually had one of my rear pads fall out while going down a mountain. $ bolt design makes them hard to replace. STAY AWAY FROM THESE THINGS IF AT ALL POSSIBLEBottom Line: COMPLETE GRABBAGE THEY JUST NEED TO BE THROWN AWAY
Favorite Trail: forfuninidaho@yahoo.com
Duration Product Used: More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$2000.00
Purchased At: Rocky's
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
James Share
a Cross Country Rider
from EnglandDate Reviewed: October 7, 2002
Strengths: Work just the same wet or dry. Great if you buckle a wheel. Easy to change the pads.Good for most UK usage.Weaknesses: The rear brake hose overheated and dumped all its fluid. The pistons either loosen by themselves or alternatively become seized.They eat pads in the wet.Bottom Line: When I bought the bike they were a complete arse to setup and bleed and took ages to bed in and actually lock up the rear wheel.They munched pads within weeks.Eventually they became less spongey and actually worked quite well. For most of the UK usage they're fine, for biking in the Alps, forget it, they could be the cause of your last ever ride...
Not sure if the brake stand off kits would help with the overheating problems??!! Oh, I did have a Coda pad fail on me when the material sheared off the metal which then caused a nice metal on metal braking effect.....Nice idea, good for low end use, forget extreme!!
Favorite Trail: LeTour-Chamonix
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Price Paid:
$4000.00
Purchased At: Shore-Hayling Island
Similar Products Used: Only Shimano V-brakes
Bike Setup: Canondale Jekyl-Gorgeous bike
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Matthew Greene
a Weekend Warrior
from Bellingham, WA, USADate Reviewed: June 11, 2002
Strengths: - Good stopping power
- Very little maintenance
- Works just as well wet or dry
- Little to no squeakingWeaknesses: - Uneven wear on the pads
- Brake levers feel a little spongy...too much play
- Hard to find replacement parts
- 4 bolt design!Bottom Line: These brakes came stock with the bike and are the first set of disc brakes I've owned. I'm a pretty light rider (150lbs.), and they have excellent stopping power. Very little to no maintenance; once adjusted, I didn't have to touch them for the first 6 month I owned the bike. After a year, rotors are very slightly warped, but nothing too serious, and it doesn't affect performance. I'm content keeping my brake setup as it is, but the fact that it is very difficult to find online locations for buying parts (I'm having a tough time locating new brake pads) might make me eventually switch, although the 4 bolt rotor design means that I'll have to replace my hubs if I get a new brake system. :( 5 flames for value because it came with my bike, 4 flames for overall rating due to lack of replacement parts and the 4 bolt design. Overall a good first experience with disc brakes.
Favorite Trail: Galbraith Mountain
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Purchased At: Fairhaven Bike Shop
Similar Products Used: Hayes (on my friend's bike), Avid Mechanical (demo'ed)
Bike Setup: 2000 Cannondale F900
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
R.H. Brown
a Weekend Warrior
from TucsonDate Reviewed: June 10, 2002
Strengths: Powerful and Definite…WHAM! This is only if you set up the complete system correctly. I have the Competition version, not the Expert. There is a big difference in performance as I’ve tried them both. The Competition version has dual pistons.Weaknesses: A true pain in the ass to set up. I can see why guys hate these things. Mine actually came on my rig but I was determined to learn about them and beat them... I DID! After considerable time and determination I feel I have these things working the way they were meant to.Bottom Line: These brakes will flat out stop your butt and now. I weigh 215 so I’m not little skinny ass. Patience and determination are a must. I've even seen C’dale ship these set up incorrectly and commonly configured in the Expert configuration. The standoff mod is a must on pre-2001 systems with the sintered pads or ECB pads. I may be wrong, but I think ECB is making the sintered pads for C’dale when you purchase the standoff upgrade. Bleeding is essential and in my opinion is best learned on your own. You care about your system more than a shop mechanic will. Once you nail it, you’ll instantly know you have. If you need help setting these up, email me and I’ll do my best to explain everything I’ve painfully learned.
Favorite Trail: Sequoia & Kings Canyon National
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Purchased At: Wheel Life Cycle
Similar Products Used: V-Brakes and I’ve tried the Expert version. I’ve ridden friends rigs with Hayes and Hope so I can compare to those.
Bike Setup: C'Dale Raven 4000SX - XTR minus the crank and front required hub for my Lefty. Thompson Elite, ATAC Carbon and MonkeyLite.
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Bob
a Cross Country Rider
from SeattleDate Reviewed: June 9, 2002
Strengths: Read earlier reviewWeaknesses: Short lifeBottom Line: For just over a year these brake worked good compared to rim brakes. The brake line rubbed against the guides on the front and wore it thin. Lucky for me I wasn’t on a down-hill when it blew. I tried to find a new brake line with no luck, because Cannondale didn’t have any. I barrowed a friends Avid caliper and lever and used it with my Coda rotor for the weekend. WOW! What a difference. I bought new Avid Mechanical front and rear. An other friend of mine is using Magura disc and had problems with the master cylinder. We discovered then, that Coda and Magura use the same brake line fittings. He is now using my old levers/master cylinders with the Magura calipers. To bad I didn’t know that before I bought the Avids, because I also had to buy a new hub to accommodate a 6 bolt rotor on the rear. BUT Avid disc are so much better. Note: Because of the return spring on the pads of the newly designed 2002 Avid caliper; it will not work with the wider coda front rotor. I’m using a 2001 on the front, although Hayes makes a 4 bolt rotor that should work. WHAT A HASSLE CANNONDALE!
Favorite Trail: Dirt
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Similar Products Used: avid disc
Bike Setup: Cannondale F2000sx, Avid disc
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
TONY FERGUSON
a Cross Country Rider
from LYNCHBURG VADate Reviewed: April 27, 2002
Strengths: MODULATION POWER and believe it or not reliabilityWeaknesses: four boltBottom Line: I have ridden the crap out of these brakes for over a year now.I just read 20 reviews, are they talking about the same brake?I wiegh 180 lbs. I destroy my riding partners downhill.My brakes have NEVER made so much as a peep of noise!I can hold the brake on the edge of lock up w/one finger.no leaks no noise no problems no kidding.still on the same set of pads.dial in the clearence on th epads every two weeks or so and just ride the crap out of them.what did these other people do to their bikes? ok they were a little weak at first,after breakin awsome thanks cannondale.
Favorite Trail: blackwater creek
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$2100.00
Purchased At: piedmont bike shop
Similar Products Used: hayes,xt v brakes
Bike Setup: f2000 sl
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Josh
a Cross Country Rider
from HoughtonDate Reviewed: April 8, 2002
Strengths: NoneWeaknesses: They're flat out dangerous... and embarrassing.Bottom Line: I am not exaggerating when I say that they are worse than the old-school cable brakes on my Pacific. They squeal like none other. When I first got the bike, they worked great, and I couldn't understand what people were talking about. Then, one day I was hopping up a set of stairs (something normally not tried on a cc bike) when the back brake gave out and I almost killed myself riding down the stairs backwards. I thought that you couldn't go wrong with hydraulic brakes, but I'd much rather have cheaper V-brakes that can at least lock up the back wheel. I'm not messing around anymore. Hayes hydros all the way...
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Similar Products Used: Hayes Hydraulic
Bike Setup: 2001 Cannondale F2000 SL
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Tony
a Weekend Warrior
from Ridgewood, NJ USADate Reviewed: March 25, 2002
Strengths: Design, weight, price performance, manufacturer's supportWeaknesses: Vague installation/setup instructionsBottom Line: I'd read every mtbr.com user review of these brakes and I still purchased them because I believed that the source of most complaints could be traced back to installation and setup errors. It turns out that my assessment was correct.
My back brake worked perfectly from day one. It provided, and still does, great modulation, stopping power, and lever control. However, problems with my front brake necessitated three trips back to my LBS. It turns out that a loose pad adjuster was the primary culprit. Per Cannondale’s recommendation, my mechanic added three small drops of Loctite (blue #242) to the adjuster, bled the brakes, and reset the system. Rotor contamination was the secondary poor performance culprit. I thoroughly cleaned my braking system’s components with a recommended 10 to 1 solution of hot water and Original Dawn Dishwashing Liquid. Performance of the front brake now mirrors the back one; all is flawless.
My brakes are currently setup so that there’s a slight bit of pad drag. As the pads become bedded in the drag will subside. Until that time there are occasions when the noise is somewhat annoying. It is possible to eliminate pad drag entirely from day one, however you might suffer some loss in braking performance by doing so.
The strong alloy levers are designed for just your index and middle fingers to provide braking control. This might be an adjustment for those accustomed to braking with four fingers. Lever reach adjustment is possible but will require the system to be completely reset. Women with small hands should find the levers comfortable after a proper adjustment.
I primarily ride in dry weather but to compare wet weather braking performance against my v-brake equipped bikes, I took a rainy day ride with the Codas recently. I was extremely impressed; I stopped on a dime even after rolling through many large puddles and being out in the steady rain for almost two hours.
These brakes are fine for mechanically inclined XC riders able to follow instructions and set the brakes up properly themselves, or for those with a competent and compliant LBS mechanic nearby. You'll also need to keep your rotor free of contaminants by washing it frequently with a 10 to 1 solution of hot water and Original Dawn Dishwashing Liquid. If you like to keep a dirty bike, don’t buy these brakes. Also, if you live in a remote area removed from a good LBS and don’t feel like tinkering with the brakes yourself, buy v-brakes or spend the extra money for Hays or the Avid mechanical discs. Both of those brands should be good to go right out of the box.
This is a great product for those who have the patience to insure proper installation and setup. Download all of the Cannondale technical support data if you do buy; if you have the right tools you'll see that setting these brakes correctly yourself up is a snap.
Favorite Trail: Old Croton Aqueduct Historic State Park Trail
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Purchased At: Bikeworks, Rochelle Park, NJ
Similar Products Used: None
Bike Setup: Cannondale 2002 F900SL with SRAM 2002 Rocket Shorty Shifters, Sun-Ringle DS1-XC Rims, IRC Mythos XC Tires, Wellgo Pedals w/straps, mini pump, bottle cage, underseat bag, and pinger - all other components stock from Cannondale
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Bob
a Cross Country Rider
from SeattleDate Reviewed: February 8, 2002
Strengths: These brakes work great. The pads last along time. East to adjust.Weaknesses: noneBottom Line: I believe from what I've read from other reviews, It's not the brakes that are crap. The bike mechanic who set them up couldn't get the air out. I'm an automotive technician by trade and understand hydraulic brakes and bleeding techniques. One small air bubble makes a big difference. more than likely there is an area in the system that is prone to have an air pocket. I can't complain about these brakes at all.
Favorite Trail: Dirt
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Bike Setup: F2000sx
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
andy evans
a Weekend Warrior
from dorset, englandDate Reviewed: December 4, 2001
Strengths: they stop you, finally!Weaknesses: everything, the hoses are weak, they eat pads quickly, they only have a single caliper, they are hard to adjust and they hardly ever work and when they do they squeelBottom Line: why? on such an expensive bike something better than these should be specced. Hope brakes are amazing and cost the same. function has been sacrificed over function and my light xtr v brakes beat them easily.
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Similar Products Used: xtr v-brakes
Bike Setup: cannondale f900sx
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Scott Frazier
a Cross Country Rider
from Alpine, UTDate Reviewed: December 3, 2001
Strengths: Well modulatedWeaknesses: Poor stopping powerBottom Line: Had a chance to ride my friend's Jekyl 1000 with these brakes. The bike is new with less than 10 miles ridden.
The brakes are well modulated but have very poor stopping power. The Avid Single Digit 7 v-brakes on my Santa Cruz are far, far more powerful.
The previous reviewer said his Coda discs will endo with one finger. Why his, but not these?
Favorite Trail: Gooseberry Mesa, UT
Duration Product Used: Tested or demo'ed only
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
jamie
a Cross Country Rider
from australiaDate Reviewed: November 21, 2001
Strengths: progressive feel , stopping powerWeaknesses: if useing sintered pads they pump up without much heat everyone seems to bag themBottom Line: i don't understand all the bad reviews. Mine will endo with one finger and after I set them up need almost no adjustment. I am a mechanic so maybe have a better understandinng of hydraulics. These are the only discs i have used so if endo's with one finger is only not good please let me know.
Favorite Trail: any singletrack or flowing downhill
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$2500.00
Similar Products Used: stx rc v brakes
Bike Setup: raven 2000 elo leftey xtr xt
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Fluffy
a Cross Country Rider
from BelgiumDate Reviewed: November 20, 2001
Strengths: None.Weaknesses: Had to change pads 3 times in 3 months. They constantly need bleeding and adjusting. They don't stop the bike...Bottom Line: After slamming into a fence and into a tree twice(not the same tree), I have decided to have them replaced by Magura's. I hope they will be better. They must be, it's true what this guy said: even your shoes are better. I have bought a great bike, but I feel ripped off because off the brakes! I just hope my frame won't crack after hitting those stupid trees... Btw, I lost three teeth and I'm not talking about my crankset!
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Purchased At: Came on bike
Similar Products Used: These were my first discs. Tried lots of V's. Even the Acera's on my friend's bike work better!
Bike Setup: F2000sx
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Peter
a Racer
from Calgary, AlbertaDate Reviewed: October 30, 2001
Strengths: -excellent modulation
-once you learn, they are easy to bleed
-lightweight, compact;perfect for XC racingWeaknesses: -had to bleed them over 7 times when I first got my bike in 2000.
-I wish they were self-adjusting like Hayes
-Coda Rotors are warped out of the box and make an annoying sound at higher speeds. Also, it takes several attempts to put the front wheel in so the the rotor does contact the pads.
-Brake lever pivot came loose after a few months and rattles slightly in bumpy sections.
-Pads squeel like pigs in wet and have decreased power in wet/muddy conditions
-Side issue:Coda Huds are four bolt pattern(not compatible with anything except Hayes)Bottom Line: Fortunately, I have had good luck with these brakes unlike some of friends who use these brakes(as well as most of the reviewers). No, they are not the most powerful brakes on the market, but that can be an advantage sometimes. The lack of power in the front brakes has saved me many times by not locking up in panic stops on technical sections. Also, they modulate so well that it is easy to pin point the moment the rear wheel is going to lock up once you have used these brakes for a while and gotten the hang of their performance. The pads are still good after 2 years and that is with regular racing and trail riding. I expect to have them for another year. My biggest piece of advice is to learn how to bleed them and work on them. I was told the adapter kit increases power and overall performance considerably.
Favorite Trail: Powder Face
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Purchased At: local bike shop
Similar Products Used: -Avid V-brakes on Trek 8000 I used to own
Bike Setup: -Cannondale F2000 SL(2000), stock except for Time Pedals,
Titec Micros bar ends, and saddle.
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