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Submitted by
Larry
a Weekend Warrior
from Weaverville, Ca. USA
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | NONE | | Weaknesses: | THEY DON'T WORK. CAN'T SLIDE THE FRONT WHEEL ON DIRT. VERY LIMITED ADJUSTMENTS.
UNEVEN WEAR AND HOT SMELL ON ONE DOWNHILL RUN. | | Similar Products Used: | AVID MECHANICAL 6 INCH
THESE ARE EXCELLENT BRAKES AFTER BRAKE IN. | | Bike Setup: | 2001 GIANT AC1 | | Bottom Line: | I WILL REPLACE THEM AS SOON AS I CAN. THEY CAME WITH THE BIKE I BOUGHT USED ON EBAY. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan Hubbard
a Cross Country Rider
from Freeland, MI
Date Reviewed: January 1, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | north country trail | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | eBay | | Strengths: | Cheap. Easy to set up. Doesn't squeal (but of course, that would imply that these brakes have stopping power.) | | Weaknesses: | No stopping power. | | Similar Products Used: | Hayes hydraulic, Shimano V-brakes | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Rockhopper, Rockshox Judy SL fork, XT shifter/brake lever | | Bottom Line: | These things suck. Yeah you get them cheap off of eBay. But, that's only because they don't work! I have my servo wave adjuster on the highest leverage setting and i still can't get the front to lock up. O.k. maybe that's good 'cause I won't scar up the trail. But, what about scarring up my body when I crash 'cause I can't stop?!
Don't waste your time with the cheap stuff off of eBay. Go with a good hydraulic setup. Hayes is what I'd recommend. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Phil
a Weekend Warrior
from Gainesville, FL, USA
Date Reviewed: November 3, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Cheap, actually doens't rust | | Weaknesses: | Everything else | | Similar Products Used: | Rim brakes | | Bike Setup: | Frame, two wheels | | Bottom Line: | I think that these Grimeca System 9 (mechanical) disc brakes I got off of ebay actually make you go FASTER. Now, the System 8 or something else would probably work great, but for $50 (F and R), you should know that you're getting crap. If you can't even stoppie on command, what good are brakes anyways?!?! Early on, the rear wouldn't even lock up. Avid levers, mind you. Basically, you would be better off not putting any brakes on. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris Meyer
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta, GA, USA
Date Reviewed: September 18, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Yellow River | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | eBay | | Strengths: | Cheap | | Weaknesses: | Where to start? How about stopping power, or calibration, or performance in a variety of conditions, or just the whole damn rig. | | Similar Products Used: | V-brakes | | Bike Setup: | Hardtail XC, RockSox Judy XC fork, Mavic Crossroc UST tubless wheelset, RaceFace headset, RaceFace SRX ISIS BB/ Prodigy DH crankset, Shimano XT derailers / LX levers. | | Bottom Line: | Grimeca System 9:
DON'T PAY MONEY FOR THESE BRAKES!!!!
BUY SIDE PULL RIM BRAKES BEFORE THESE BRAKES!!
Bought these cheap on eBay to fit my new disc only wheelset, big mistake going cheap. Seemed fine at first- not great but ok. Rode them a little to break them in, then took them to the trail one wet morning. In the rain they were worthless, like having no brakes at all. I had to drop my bike four times to get off the trail. I tried cleaning all braking surfaces with alcohol, sanding the braking surfaces, and breaking them in for a long time (multiple days). No help. Tried e-mailing Grimeca- NO HELP. Mabye their other lines are ok but these are crap.
Bottom line: DONT GET THESE BRAKES!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Psycho Biker
a Racer
from Cambs England
Date Reviewed: April 29, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Congar Lane dirt jumps | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | Local Cafe | | Strengths: | Very good stopping power. Good lever feel. | | Weaknesses: | Disc bends easily if it takes a hit. | | Similar Products Used: | None first disc brake | | Bike Setup: | Strong to take hits from jumping 6ft high doubles and 15ft drop offs. | | Bottom Line: | This disc was good for the price it was and lasted a while. About as long as expected. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Linus
a Downhiller
from Umea
Date Reviewed: January 27, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Strengths: | Lots of stoping power and very good modulation. Great shape of the brake levers. | | Weaknesses: | The brake hose that I got for the rear brake is a bit too long, but other than that I have nothing to complain about. | | Similar Products Used: | None, these are my first set of hydraulic brakes | | Bike Setup: | Azonic DS1. Z1. System 12 (200 front/160 rear) brakes | | Bottom Line: | The brakes worked perfect right from the start, just needed around one hour to brake them in. As I'm riding on snow right now I really can't use the front brake the way I would like at this time. But I'm surpriced to see that even
tough the front brake is soo big it's really not that hard to modulate the force when braking. They might not be the prime brake for XC, but for freeriding they work great! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
scott rogers
a Racer
from salt lake city
Date Reviewed: December 5, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | gooseberry mesa | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$110.00 | | Purchased At: | cambriabike.com | | Strengths: | easy to set up, easier than xt in fact, with the 2 piece levers, easy access to parts( discs, pads, and hose lines)since shimano stole the design from grimeca, and you will need adapters for manitou and some other front forks along with a larger front disc. If your shop can get grimeca pads stick with them , I tried the shimano's and they dont last as long | | Weaknesses: | idiots that buy a x-country brake system,The system 8, when they should be on the system 12's then whine about their own ignorance. | | Similar Products Used: | xtr v brakes for 4 years | | Bike Setup: | trek Y 300 superlite, chris king headset, easton mokey lite carbon bar and seat post, xtr 9 speed drive train and shifters, rock shocks sid front and rear( not a very good front shock, switching to the fox forx or marathon)dolomite disc wheel set | | Bottom Line: | I race 24 hour series, the local weekend race series(sport division),love to ride like hell on any x country downhill, and I've yet to have any problems with my brakes. Yes they do take a while to brake in, ALL DISC BRAKES DO(car motorcycle or bike) Yes dot 3 fluid will eat paint, but dot 3/4 will not fade due to heat build up( vegitable oil will ask your mom what happens when she cooks with it, ask any one with xt discs.They will fade as will any other brake on this planet if you ride with them partially on and they get excessively hot. taping your brakes( squeezing lightly then releasing,then repeat will get you down long steep descents safely if it is unwise to fly down. This helps with all breaks but you will experience less fatigue with disc.( I was an auto mechanic before a i was bike mechanic). Hayes is another good hydraulic disc and avids mechachanical disc is great to. stay away from magura and formula, I know bike shop mechanics that hate these, They rank up there with coda discs and Cannondale stopped using them because they sucked so bad. SRAM is currently leasing the rights for system 8 brakes ( grimeca wants to get back at simano for the obvious theft) and grimeca has been making brakes for Ducati motorcyles and for lambourgini for years, I think they know what there doing. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
DAVE
a Weekend Warrior
from New Zealand
Date Reviewed: March 5, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | anything technical | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Strengths: | powerful, don't fade, no weak hands at bottom of downhills, inexspensive, obviously work well in wet, pads easy to obtain | | Weaknesses: | hydraulic disc brake inherently means that it cannot be left and forgot
risk of air bubble when bike upside down
uneven pad wear
takes a long time to bed in
requires regular bleeding
inherently less reliable than a mechanical brake
realistically you need to be able to bleed them yourself, otherwise you will spend a lot of time at the shop | | Similar Products Used: | Various v brakes | | Bike Setup: | 2000 Marin Rift Zone, 2001 Z1 drop offs, XT front disc hub with Sun Hill Rod, Sup 521 rear, front XSIV = Grimeca sys 8 disc, rear v brake, Deore drive train, Roox risers, Conti Survival Pro. | | Bottom Line: | The 4 pot system 8 took a long time to bed in, then provided good stopping compared to v brakes. Most noticeably at the end of a long DH and obviously in the wet. However, they aren't without fault. At the start of a race I had them leak from the top hose joint - my fault should have checked that it was tight, probably loosened in a crash - easily fixed when I got home but if you are miles from home it could make for a long trip back.
They are a pain to bleed due to the small reservoir and it is a messy procedure and yes hyraulic fluid is paint stripper and doesn't do your pads any good if spilt on them - for example when it runs down the hose. However I have found what seems to be an easier way of bleeding the air from the system:
Instead of bleeding in the conventional sense from the top down, I have started forcing fluid up from the bleed nipple using a 30cc syringe and flexible tubing. (Fortunately a standard syringe accepts the flexible tubing perfectly) Fluid will spill from the top of the opened reservoir so be prepared for this. Then it is a simple matter of using a spacer between the pads to ensure correct clearance, screwing the top on and away you go. I have seen bike mechanics bleed and setup the clearance with the disc in situ - this don't work. The disc has to be removed otherwise it makes for a very spongy feel.
Having adopted this method they certainly feel better than ever and you don't seem to be chasing your tail with an air bubble which makes its way almost out of the system before having to refill reservoir, only to have it migrate back up to the top.
When I first got the disc I made sure that I got a conventional rim with a braking surface, on long rides I throw in a front v brake unit, just in case something disasterous happens with the hydraulic fluid - doesn't weigh much and could make a big difference to the day. If only v brake levers had a 2 bolt clamp rather than having to remove the grips.
These brakes have only seen summer use so far hence not a lot of wet muddy tracks - which is really where a hydraulic disc comes into its element. Hopefully they prove to be an improvement in the long run. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Carsten Huettl
a Cross Country Rider
from Allstedt
Date Reviewed: February 14, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Kyffhaeuser | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | MIFA | | Strengths: | System 4 hydro-mechanical
to use with original Sh. brake levers, easy to mount,
| | Weaknesses: | heavy | | Similar Products Used: | Sh. XT/LX | | Bike Setup: | Hardtail 19 inch, Quake C75 fork, Conti Vertical Pro | | Bottom Line: | The brake is better to control (proportion) as rim brakes.
But after a while it lost much of it s initial performance/power.
At last power was that poor so I remount the XT brakes.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
C-BALL
a Racer
from Seattle, WA
Date Reviewed: November 13, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | dirt | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | System 8, 4-caliper hydraulic discs brakes.
great modulation makes for total control in panic situations, no wash-outs from over breaking in sandy corners. plenty of strength means nose wheelies anytime you want, even when frozen and wet, or hot after a long run. never clog with mud, or get dirt packed in the calipers. | | Weaknesses: | brake fluid eats finish. | | Similar Products Used: | hayes, shimano | | Bike Setup: | azonic ds-1, white bros, diatech hubs, vuelta rims. | | Bottom Line: | the 4 caliper system on these brakes provides better stoping power and control than any i've used. hayes hydraulics are awesome, but i had trouble getting them to brake lightly - it was too easy to brake too hard. perhaps that's cause i only weigh 135#. these grimeca system 8 discs ROCK. i can control the braking strength perfectly, and still get way too much stopage if i want to endo for some reason. if you are willing to put in the extra effort to do hydro brakes, and get the corresponding extra performance, these ROCK. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stan
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Angeles, CA
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Anything with Jumps | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$110.00 | | Purchased At: | SuperGo.com | | Strengths: | They Stop Really well and Fast. Great Modulation on the Brake Lever! And they look GOOD!!! | | Weaknesses: | My Rear right Brake lever broke on a Fall. But the Great people from SuperGo helped me replace the lever, Fast!!The Brakes Squil when they get Wet! | | Similar Products Used: | None. | | Bike Setup: | "00" XCR-5000, Front and Rear Grimeca (Sys 8) Hydraulic Disc Brakes w/ Shimano XT Disc Hubs, Specialized body Geometry Saddle, Tioga Factory DH 2.1 Tires, and Shimano "00" LX crank. | | Bottom Line: | These Brakes RULE!!!And they will not leave your broke.They stop GReat!! Gives you excellent Control, they make you wanna go faster and faster. Quad Piston Disc Brakes are AWESOME!! For the money....they are the BEST!!If you wanna go Disc, and don't wanna fork out your life savings, go with Grimeca system 8. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tony
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Apex / Enchanted Forest | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Purchased At: | Excel Sports | | Strengths: | Modulation, Power, Comfort | | Weaknesses: | Could be a bit stronger, squeal a bit when wet, interfere with Yakima steelhead mount. Minor filing needed for perfect install on my Rock Shox. | | Similar Products Used: | First disk brake | | Bike Setup: | '99 Diamondback XR-4, SID XL, Grimeca System 8 in front, Avid SD2.0 in back. | | Bottom Line: | The Grimeca 4-piston system 8 are fabulous. I can do nose-wheelies at will and have never had a problem with fade. They do make some noise when wet, but they are quieter than the disk on my '98 Honda XR400 dirt bike. I am bummed that my DBR is incompatible with disks on the back.
I had to file the mounting posts down a bit on the caliper to fit my '99 RockShox SID. Took about 5 minutes.
I am never going back to V brakes after using these!
Check out pricepoint or jensonusa for the best price. I bought mine from Excel Sports and got screwed. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Adam
a Cross Country Rider
from SF Bay Area
Date Reviewed: October 14, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | ...never you mind... | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | SpeedGoat.com | | Strengths: | System 8. Best stopper on the market, 'licensed' by Shimano for their XT disc (different hyd fluid being the only practical difference.) | | Weaknesses: | Feeble doc.
Poor QA.
Vuelta doesn't do much as a distributor. | | Bottom Line: | Buy from SpeedGoat to overcome issues of tech support, available spare parts and they'll only send you stuff that's passed their QA ... not a guarantee, but better than any other Web based parts shop I've tried.
Hydraulic discs add significant weight, and the Avid mechanical discs (I've just ordered) may work equally well and shave some weight ... we'll see.
When you're sick of V-Brakes, especially in the wet, don't waste your money starting with cheap hyd discs (especially don't buy a closed system or a cheap mechanical disc.) Most of the complaints I read here are related to cheap products (noisey, weak stopping, continuously needing tuning, overheating, binding, squealing -- it's all associated with cheapo products.) If you're buying discs, you're not building up a super-light or super-cheap bike any more, so be prepared to throw a few hundred at the kit.
Cheers,
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tony
a Cross Country Rider
from Richmond, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: October 13, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Bottom Line: | You guys should pay attention to models. Grimeca makes 8 different models of disk brakes for bicycles from the very cheap mechanical to the System 8 four piston design. The Shimano XT 4 piston caliper system is made by Grimeca. I personally haven't used them but people seem pretty impressed by both the System 8 and the Shimano XT (virtually the same product). So when you are reviewing youshould state what model you are using. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dave carter
a Downhiller
from forest grove Or usa
Date Reviewed: September 27, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | urban assult | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | olsons bike repair | | Strengths: | They kick my a-s-s good feel, great power, sweet modulation nylon coated steel cables no scratching like shimano | | Weaknesses: | they squeal like a mofo when the get wet. they are a b-i-t-c-h (they censor you if you spell out bad words normally) to set up on a QR20 fork. when pulling long wheelies or manual, and squeezing lever air bubbles from the top of the resavoir get into the lines and thus make doing nose manuals impossible | | Similar Products Used: | all sorts of v's | | Bike Setup: | cove stiffee FR race face of all sorts, z-1 QR20 rhyno lites DT made hayes hub ( with in a month I broke the drive side bearing cup, it kind of wussy, but dt has awsome customer service), And tioga xc 2.1 tires (note: the Tioga 2.3 DH tires smell like dirty a-s-s, but they work fricken great | | Bottom Line: | these brakes rock despite what these people say. I sense a little prejudice here. I own the system 8 brakes I dont know what the heck you some of you got but that's what I'm talkin a bout. These brakes work frickin great period! mine DON'T leak. The levers fit my hand perfectly. they have the exactly right amount of pull for my style. F.Y.I almost all brakes feel different. Theres no one right way that a brake should feel. First off it should work to the owners preferences. And break feel is a personal issue. Imean my friend runs his v's like a hair trigger, while mine don't even engage until they're about 1.75 cm from the bar. And finally Don't dog anyone of another nationality and base your product judgements on this I mean come on. god this is an ethnocentric country. These are great brakes and for the money I would buy them again.
P.S. Mail order sometimes sucks and they get factory 2nds and crap like that. go to your local bike dealer and order parts alot of the time they will match if not beat mail order prices. besides it get you out of your house and into some actual human contact. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jay Beaton
a Cross Country Rider
from Halifax, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 27, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Wentworth | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Lever Design
Modulation
Ease of install and setup | | Weaknesses: | Brake fluid eats the black finish if you spill some on it. | | Similar Products Used: | A few | | Bike Setup: | ATX 890 | | Bottom Line: | I don't know what all these people are complaining about. I work in a shop and have never seen a set of these brakes come back. I have seen Hayes and almost everyother brand, but never a set of XT discs of Grimeca's. I got mine at the very first of the year when they first became availabe and have never even had to change the pads yet. Maybe I got lucky I don't know. Also, I don't think everyone on here is talking about the System 8(these are the 4 piston ones. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pilgrim Guinn
a
from Seattle,WA
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Sun Top or Devils Gulch | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$175.00 | | Purchased At: | Downhill Zone | | Strengths: | None, they are worse than a wet V brake | | Weaknesses: | Leak around the reservoir out of the box, took about 70 miles to break in. My avid ar 50's have more power. Made of cheap metal. Brake levers are made of very cheap and weak aluminum (my broke off when it fell over frome being leaned on a tree)Don't work at all in the muddy and wet weather. Squeel bad when wet. Brakes fade bad on long downhill situations. Constantly adjusting brake handle out to keep it from hitting bars. Pads wear very uneven and wear out fast(about 100 miles or so)No Power had to pull very hard to lock up and that would only happen when they were not heated up at all. | | Similar Products Used: | hays xt and Magura Louise | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Bullit with fox coil rc, Z1 CR. Hugi dt 240 on mavic 519's. Raceface northshore Cranks, dh stem and bar. XT pods xtr everything else. Shimano Dx flat pedals. Thomson seatpost. And the worst part Grimeca, should be called (Theweka) System 8 four pistem brakes. Which will be hitting a trash can near you soon. | | Bottom Line: | Dont buy these things. They are a waste of time and money. I am way happier with my avid AR 50's on my Tazmon. I installed a set of the new xt on a friends bike before I put these on my bike and there is no comparison between the two. The xt's have better power, pads and he has not had a problem with them at all in the wet and nasty weather up here.
Negative chilis if possible | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Corey Dee
a Downhiller
from Nashua NH USA
Date Reviewed: September 8, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | "rickshaw ravine" | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$135.00 | | Purchased At: | System 8,...universalcycles | | Strengths: | Looks (Look like a high quality Brembo)......good price. | | Weaknesses: | Made in Italy, NOT by Brembo. JUNK! I hate to be so cynical, but they are "Italian Trash"....leak IMMEDIATELY from around the cap on the reservoir. I mean RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX. Every seal (Piston seals, seal behind lever) are wet and leaky right out of the box. The diaphragm under the reservoir cap will NOT keep oil under it,..oil gets on top of the diaphragm and leaks out from under the cap and onto the perch, IMMEDIATELY EATING THE SURROUNDING BLACK FINISH. "Sand cast" perches and caliper are of the cheapest Italian construction (casting that gives the Italian's a bad name,..think FIAT). All rough with flash lines from the molds. Hideous. Action is horrible,...mush all the way to the lever and can't seem to be remedied. NO serious power here - just a ruber band feel to the lever. DON'T waste your time with the Shimano's because they are same deal. (Mineral oil or not, SAME deal). FORGET that this company makes "motorcycle brakes" becasue they are not found on ANY respectible brand. (Not Ducati, that's for sure)...this system was modified to fit bicycles from an existing scooter design.....go with Hayes or Hope,....PERIOD. | | Similar Products Used: | Hayes and HOPE | | Bike Setup: | Shock wave, RACE FACE cranks/headset, MODO rims HOPE brakes with big'uns etc etc,..... | | Bottom Line: | Go with HAYES or HOPE,...these ARE less expensive and look impressive, but ANY HAYES system will totally outperform it. ****ALSO**** I have to disagree with the slag that Hayes has recived for their levers engaging too far way from the bars,..meanwhile people praise shimano/grimeca for engaging closer....WHY??? The shimano setup is exactly what you DONT want...especially since you have to squeeze these levers to the bar to panic stop. You hit the bars before any serious stopping power happens. LEARN to use one or two fingers on the HAYES lever and NO NEED to pull as far. The Hayes represent a "proper setup" and the Grimeca's remind me of some slug who is too lazy to readjust his V-brakes so his lever travels all the way to the bars,....SLOPPY. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bRETT gOSSMAN
a Downhiller
from Vancouver
Date Reviewed: September 7, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | AAnything so long as it's down a REAL mountain. | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | good positioning on the calipers, I can rest forks on the ground with the wheel off without putting weight on the brakes. Plastic coating on the cables. | | Weaknesses: | Just about everything else.
1) There isn't much more power than a good v-brake (although by default they are more consistent in the mud, a plus in the Vancouver area).
2) Uncomfortable levers
3) Confusing manual
4) impossible to get parts (which is deadly when the parts are of such low quality to begin with)
5) The screws that seal the bath are made of some of the softest metal I have ever seen. If you do get (or have) these brakes, beware of this or you'll strip the screws and be left with brakes that are even more useless than when they're working properly.
6) The bath is at an awkward angle to the handlebars.
7) Pad wear is totally uneven. Even with constant adjustment I always had one pad worn down to the metal, and the other pad looking totally new.
8) Poor customer service. These Grimeca fellows are in the motorcycle brake business. If you're looking for help with their product (and you will) you'll have a hard time getting the time of day from them if they find out your a mountain biker.
There are more issues, but those are my main beefs
| | Similar Products Used: | Hayes
Shimano XT Hydrolic Discs
too many V-brakes to list | | Bike Setup: | 2000 Norco VPS-4
Marzocchi Bomber Z1 drop off
| | Bottom Line: | I got these brakes as an alternative to laying out the big bucks for Hydrolic Discs. It has been a nightmare from the start. I finally ended up switching to the new XT discs and laying out about twice as much as it would have cost me in the first place when servicing and parts are factored in, not to mention mental anguish and days riding lost due to brake issues.
If they worked, they'd be good cross-country brakes. If you're into more downhill flavoured riding, I'd definately recomend something with more power.
Maybe Grimeca will evolve this product into something more reliable, but I'll stick with a company with a customer service angle instead (although there was one helpfull guy at the NA distributor, I can't remember his name but he eased the pain of owning these brakes a bit). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
scott rogers
a Cross Country Rider
from slc,ut
Date Reviewed: September 6, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | any trail in utah | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$109.00 | | Purchased At: | supergo | | Strengths: | light weight, easy to setup, easy to bleed, great feel, no fade on long down hills (I weigh 166 lbs) they come with coated hoses that the shimano overpriced wannabe copies do not, if some clown squeezes your lever when your front tire isnt on your bike there are no worries about re-aligning the pads pushees from both sides instead of one like coda, formula etc. | | Weaknesses: | they hoses are a generic length so they can be real long on smaller bikes | | Similar Products Used: | all shimano v brakes, avid v brakes | | Bike Setup: | trek y not so lite frame, rock jokes sid with englund air cartridges,xtr shifters,remote, xtr bb,cranks and rear derailluer, sid( am I broken yet, wheres my freakin little stupid nipple adapter so I can put air in it) rear shock with remote,dolomite disks, with of course grimeca(I am the king) disk brakes, monkey lite low rise carbon bars, ct2 carbon seat post time pedals Bike weight 25.5 lbs | | Bottom Line: | out of the box, onto the bike (after buying the correct adapters, you can use shimano if all else fails) set up and bled properly, then I raced the 24 hours of Tahoe, my first race and first time with disks, not one single problem, do that with another company and your looking for trouble. Thats one way to break them in.
with the dolomite disk wheel set the change from chris king hubs, tie spokes with a radial lace front and rear with a 3 cross drive,and ocr rims (very, very lite bomb proof wheel set) I only gained a 1/2 pound not bad for a weight weenie such as myself. the directions are very lacking, but the bleeding is the easiest of all the disk setups on the market, just dont suck air into the system when you do it. If you dont know how its easy.
With your brakes set up on the bike.... 1. take off the cover dont lose the screws or the rubber gasket. 2. get some rags and cover your paint job and take off any thing that might upset you if it melts, ie your computer.Also its a good idea to get a small diameter tubing a couple of feet long that will fit over your brake bleed bolts nipple so you dont spray brake fluid across your mothers livng room, remember,brake fluid will take paint off of surfaces and melt plastic. if you're a slob switch steps 1 and 2. 3. slowly squeeze the brake handle a few times and hold it down. 4. with the lever squeezed, open the little bleed bolt on the caliper, (make sure the rubber cover is off first) it should shoot out, be careful. 5. with the lever still squeezed close the bleed bolt. 6. release the lever, check brake fluid level, if its less than half, fill it or you will suck in air next time you try to bleed it, the best thing to use would be a little siringe with a small piece of tubing on it to fill the reservior. repeat until the lever feels good, if its still to close to the bar there is a 2mm hex bolt on the silver lever covered by a black cover that spins, spin the cover so you can access the bolt and turn it until the lever pulls back the distance you like, what you are doing is adjusting the plunger that enters the reservior. if you screw this up take it to a good shop and show them what you did and ask to see it down correctly, you will have to do this again as the brakes brake in | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Leifless16
a Downhiller
from Sun Peaks, B.C.
Date Reviewed: August 31, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Rose Hill | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$110.00 | | Purchased At: | Sun Peaks Sports | | Strengths: | very good modulation
easy setup
great looks
| | Weaknesses: | lever design | | Similar Products Used: | V-Brakes, Hayes, Grimeca quad-piston | | Bike Setup: | Specialized FSR, Z1's, front disc, freeride setup | | Bottom Line: | very good brake for slower technical stuff, cause the modulation is just great, but you feel the lack of power when braking at high speeds
not to mention that i have to ride with two fingers on the brake at all times (it just won't stop with one finger),resulting sore hands after 10 min.
If you're on a budget get this brake, you won't be sorry for this price. But if you are into dh, get hayes or the Grimeca quad-pistons (those kick ass and look better)
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Don Joey
a Cross Country Rider
from Milford, NH
Date Reviewed: August 30, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Salem | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$110.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | I just built up my first wheel (grimeca hubs, d/b dt spokes, and a x-317 rim) today. This brake rocks( from someone with no disc experience, but passionatly hates rim brakes)!!! Super easy to set up awesome lever feel. More than enough power for me (140lbs) without any real break-in. | | Weaknesses: | None thus far. Oh yes ah the instructions; like real ones are more or less absent. | | Similar Products Used: | LX, assorted cheapy V's | | Bottom Line: | For $110, definitely leaps and bounds beyond V's. I Love It | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Rubottom
a Cross Country Rider
from California
Date Reviewed: August 29, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Porcupine Rim, UT | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | NA | | Weaknesses: | Leaked | | Similar Products Used: | NA | | Bike Setup: | Intense Tracer, fully loaded | | Bottom Line: | Intended on saving a little money while putting together my superbike by trying these brakes. Well after about a hour of installation they both leaked while still in the bike stand. I made the immediate switch to Hayes. Everything is all good. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
MO
a Cross Country Rider
from Sedro-Woolley, WA, USA
Date Reviewed: July 18, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Star Wars Trail | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Super easy to install, setup, and bleed. Jury is still out on pad change outs though. Powerful enough to stop my bike, but without the power to throw me over the handlebars. Very progressive modulation. | | Weaknesses: | Limited technical information, user manual is a little rough to read. If you need super stoppers with serious stopping power, look somewhere else. I have not been able to lock up the front wheel as of yet, but then again I have not put the miles on them to properly break them in. I will update this review again in a few months. | | Similar Products Used: | Magura HS 33 | | Bike Setup: | XTR Drivetrain, Marzocchi Z2 BAM, Race Face SyStem, King Headset, XT Rear brake with Sram 9.0 Lever (Pulls more cable!!!) | | Bottom Line: | While these brakes work great out of the box I would like to get a few more miles on them before I stroke them too hard. For the price they cannot be beat. $160.00 at Price Point. For now the feel at the lever is incredible and I do not worry about pulling too hard and being thrown over the bars. These work great for cross country applications, but you downhillers may want something with more of a bite. I will update this review in a few months, so be sure to check back periodically. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dr. Dre
a Weekend Warrior
from Bronx, N.Y.
Date Reviewed: July 3, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | One's w/ big drops,rocksrootz!! | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Excellent modulation. Their not too sharp, but give strong braking power. Plus the plastic coating around brake hose is a definite plus. Lever action is the smoothest. and oh b4 i forget, the price. i got mine for $175 from SUPERGo. These brakes are the cheapest in price on the market and work just as well as the Hopes, hayes and Magura's | | Weaknesses: | No real weaknesses. At least not yet(knock on wood!!) | | Similar Products Used: | Hayes, and Magura | | Bike Setup: | Grimeca front brake only. Getting the rear soon. GT XCR 3000, Race Face North SHore crank, SYStem, Easton Bars, Mammoth Rims, Drivetrain, XTR Baby all the way!!! | | Bottom Line: | These brakes work really well. Their modulation works really well. Their not dead on sharp like hayes or Magura, you have better control over the sharpness of the brakes. My only problem is that i hope they hold up. Oh and they look good too!!! When i bough mine i didn't know that they came in colors. After my purchase i saw them in red. I think later on they'll make them in more colors. Bottom line, they look good and work good what else could you ask 4!!! oh and | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
cam
a Racer
from alberta
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | power, look pretty cool, price, housings | | Weaknesses: | not really anything so far, the screws that mount the disc to the hub come loose and ive lost a few but i put a bunch of loctite on it and it seems to stay | | Similar Products Used: | shimao,hayes | | Bike Setup: | giant xcx ds2, raceface turbine lp cranks, full xt, titec bar and stem | | Bottom Line: | a really good feeling break. i love them so far, ive rode other guys bikes with hayes and these seem to stop just as good once you get them set up. you can set them to have some pretty good modulation too if you like that kinda stuff
over all a kickass break for a damm good price too
for sure 5 chilis for the value and about 4 for the overall, | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from Lodi, Ca
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Dead Camper | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Modulation, ease of set up, Italian design, price | | Weaknesses: | Lack of technical information | | Similar Products Used: | Hayes, Hope | | Bike Setup: | Ventana, Marzocchi, Raceface etc.... | | Bottom Line: | This brake is amazing, the feel is just right, the lever shape is perfect, overall control and feel to power is well balanced, I will post a review when I begin winter riding. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Herman Mills
a Downhiller
from South Africa
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Debengeni falls DH | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Braided steel hose linings, and made by a very respectable Italian company. Open system, and they also make the Shimano brake system. Mine are actually labelled XSIV - Supposed to spell "excessive" | | Weaknesses: | Difficult to change length of hoses if you need to. Lever tend to clip out of master cylider of you hit them hard from behind. (My hand slipped of the handlebar and sprained my thumb) | | Similar Products Used: | Hayes | | Bike Setup: | KHS Dominatrax with Marzocchi Monster T forks, XSIV hubs, etc.. | | Bottom Line: | So far so good. Stops well, but does not seem to be quite as powerful as the Hayes on my TREK VRX though. Modulation is good, and they cost half the price of Shimano but are made in the same fatory. The fittings on the hoses are a pain, and system similar to Hayes would bave been better.
Otherwise they seem fine - I need to ride them a bit more though. For the price and function I regard them as a safe choice that should not dissapoint. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Doug
a Cross Country Rider
from Hillsboro OR USA
Date Reviewed: June 26, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Browns Camp | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Looks, Light Weight, Great Modulation(controll) | | Weaknesses: | Could have more braking power | | Similar Products Used: | Hayes cable actuated, V-brake | | Bike Setup: | Trek VRX400 Stock with exception of new rear disc. | | Bottom Line: | I would say for the money this is a great brake set. It has good modulation or controll. It does how ever lack a bit in the stopping power. After the brakes broke in they stop fin e and will lock the rear tire up but you do have to pull the leaver to the handle bars. These brakes look exacltlly like the shimono's! I am a pretty big guy and I would like to see a bit more stopping power other then that these brakes rock! NOTE: spend the time to get the calipter lined up correctly! I will write another review after I have used these brakes more. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jamsta
a Weekend Warrior
from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Date Reviewed: June 22, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | anything with jumps | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | they stop. | | Weaknesses: | none as yet, but i have only used them for a month | | Similar Products Used: | magura | | Bike Setup: | XCS dual sus. | | Bottom Line: | as far as i can tell from the short time i've used them, they kick butt. work perfectly in wet or dry - i only wish the hubs came in black - i love the safety of these disks, and they look wicked! - i can only hope they continue to be as reliable as they have been so far [fingers crossed] | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
edward oosthoek
a Downhiller
from the hague
Date Reviewed: June 12, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | alps | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | None | | Weaknesses: | Everything from the cabels to the levers until the bushings | | Similar Products Used: | coda expert magura hs33 | | Bike Setup: | Yeti as3 x vert dual crown,xt | | Bottom Line: | This thing worked good for three months only, than it began to leak and it got stuck until now it makes noise and doesn't brake anymore. DO NOT BUY THEM!!!!!!!! it is your biggest wasted of money, because after one year you have to buy new brakes. They leak and they're bad. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tony
a Weekend Warrior
from Valencia,CA
Date Reviewed: April 24, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Five Deer | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Great Feel, easy setup, extremely powerful, reasonable price, less hand fatigue than Hayes after long ride. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Hayes disk brakes | | Bike Setup: | Intense Tracer w/Manitou X Vert Super,XTR 9 speed, Race Face Next LP cranks,King Discotec Hubs & Headset. | | Bottom Line: | Awesome brake for a lot less money than the Hayes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pedro Monteiro
a Cross Country Rider
from Portugal
Date Reviewed: March 12, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Boa Viagem Hills | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | This have a great price, it's powerfull, it gives a great look to the bike | | Weaknesses: | A little hard to setup | | Similar Products Used: | Magura rims brakes | | Bike Setup: | Massi track | | Bottom Line: | It's good. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
edward oosthoek
a Cross Country Rider
from Netherlands
Date Reviewed: February 24, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Alps | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Steelflexcabels, Very cheap | | Weaknesses: | You have to use more power to pull the brakes than other disks | | Similar Products Used: | Magura hs33 | | Bike Setup: | Yeti AS3 full suspension freeride setup | | Bottom Line: | It is a good brake for a disk brake, but even magura hs33 are more bity than these ones. So if you are a rider that likes a lot of braking power whitout pulling the handles to hard, do not buy these ones. But for the price , you will get a good diskbrake and a good looking to. The only thing i hope, is that other brands who build hubs, will build hubs wich are compatible with grimeca brakes, becuase I did brake my rear hub. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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