Stopping power

Pain in the @ss to maintain.

Works great until you need to maintain them. I have spent HOURS bleeding these brakes only to have them continue to rub. Not worth the effort or cost. 2 chilis for the power but you really should not ignore everyone who has gone crazy with these brakes.

great stopping power on DH runs and amazing in rock gardens

heavy

good stopping power for every run and awesome in technical sections. these are highly recommended for DH and FR as long as you get the 203 mm rotors.

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Hayes strokers

stops u well

constant rubbing is creating drag and I can't find any clear instructions (better yet a brief video on what I do/unscrew to loosin this thing to center it) online for "centering the caliper" as described in the hayes manual that I did find online

this problem seems to be with lotsa brakes and I'm not sure why brakes need to drag (especially expensive hydraulic ones) when you're not using them.

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juicy avid 3.5 but they r newer

No maintenance....at least my pair

NONE

I have had this set of HAYES for over 4 years on 3 different frames. Besides this season I would race weekly and ride at least 3x's during the week. I am 215lbs plus and have necer had a problem with this set. HIGHLY recommended!!

Stop you like anything.

Bleeding these things is a NIGHTMARE. It's a good thing you don't have to do it often, because it's TERRIBLE. Just take it to the shop, seriously.

These brakes will stop you like anything, but bleeding them is pure BS. They make you bleed them from the bottom, and PUSH the fluid through the system. Unfortunately the bottle only attaches to the bleeder with a slip-on tube, so it's SUPER easy for it to come off. If you do your own maintenance, get something else. I do my own so I can only give out 3 chilis.

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Cars have hydraulic brakes

Great all around brakes.

None noticed.

One of the best if not the best component I have ever used. Hardly any maintenance and great performance. Pad duration is superb. Minumum break-in needed.

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Magura, Shimano.

Strong, easy to work on, good stopping power, cheap (compared to avid), dont seem to fade at all

Little adjustments, little modulation

They will stop you and lock up well but not much in the middle.

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Avid 3's and 5's

Always brake with confidence with hayes hydraulic nines. Work perfect in all conditions, never any fade under heavy braking downhill. Lever always feels solid!!

Only had to readjust the front caliper mount once (installation error, not tightens properly by bike shop.)

These will be my companions on any bike from now on! Just hold on because if you want to stop on a dime, you will..

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Cable discs can't compare.

Smooth feel.

Expensive, unreliable, poor quality, not as powerful as Avids.

I was bitterly dissapointed with these. I put them on my bike last August, and for 10 months I was frustrated, and often without brakes. Something was always wrong with them. As soon as I fixed one problem, three rides later something else was wrong. I replaced a piston in the rear lever. I replaced a leaking hose (plus the pads it contaminated). I replaced the pads 2 more times in 9 months and I was riding very little. I replaced a disk that looked like I must have used it on my truck. I replaced a cracked conector thingy between the hose and lever. All of this stuff cost way too much money, and with the exception of the rotor and pads, everything involved another bleed. Plus there were countless bleedings as I tried to determine what needed to be replaced.

I also did not like the fact that I was constantly having to adjust the levers. as the brakes heated up, the levers would move out.

Also, the front caliper did not line up right with the rotor. The pads sat too far onto the rotor. I think that is why my rotor looked so f'ed up. It was a Manitou fork, and it was supposed to fit as is. I ended up shimming it out to fit correctly. I assumed it was a problem with the fork, but the Avids I replaced the Hayes with lined up perfectly.

Earlier this summer I thought I had finally solved all my problems with the brakes, and got about 5 or so good rides in. Then, on a long downhill (for which I bought these things to start with) my front brake started smoking, and I lost the brake from then on. I've heard two reasonable explanations as to where my brakes went, both involve boiling hydraulic fluid, both involved more money.

I decided that I would not spend one more dime on these things, and instead bought a used set of Avid mechanicals with Avid levers. These are noticably more powerful than the Hayes ever were. I've tried Hayes on other bikes, and they are not as powerful as the Avids. I have ridden the Avids for 2 months now, including a day of DH, and these things work flawlessly and consistently. I am grinning ear to ear.

I have heard that many folks have good luck with Hayes, and never have to touch them once set up. This has just not been my experience. Also, the one close riding buddy I have that also has Hayes has had his share of problems as well, though not as ridiculous as mine.

I have to give a 1 value rating because they are expensive (I had the Mag levers), and (IMO) clearly inferior to a disk brake system costing half as much.

I'll give then a 1 in overall rating because they caused the most hassle out of anything I have ever put on my bike. It is the worst money I have ever spent on biking. If someone gave me a set for free, I'd still go out and buy a set of Avids instead. These just sucked.

Similar Products Used:

Avid Mechanicals (cheaper, more powerful, more reliable, easy to adjust)

Reliable and consistent braking always wet or dry

Original Hayes pads squealing intially when wet

I am writing this review as a follow up to a review that I wrote last year. The original Hayes pads squealed when wet. I tried sanding them with some success but always the same thing... Once they were worn out I replaced the origianl Hayes pads with "Koolstop" disc brake pads. I couldn't be more pleased! I have been running them for about 3 months now and have NEVER squealed! I liked my Hayes disc brakes before but now I don't have any complaints about squealing.

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V brakes