| |
Submitted by
Patrick
a Cross Country Rider
from Socorro, NM, USA
Date Reviewed: March 22, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | South Boundary - Taos | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Easy to adjust. Cool Retro. | | Weaknesses: | They break! My rear wheel seized up this morning because a fracture had loosened the brake and it spun against the rim. Upon closer inspection one of the front brake arms also has a similar fracture, which means it is about to break. OK. Maybe I overtightened a year ago when I installed them, but it would have sucked if the front wheel stopped at 20 mph! | | Bike Setup: | Trek 930 Singltrack frame with modern components (except for these crummy brakes). | | Bottom Line: | Don't buy them! No one needs to deal with brake failure. Spend the extra money and buy some Pauls. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ernest
a
from berkeley
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | depends where i am,... | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | classic chunky-looking design, good power when properly tuned. not extremely expensive. | | Weaknesses: | difficult to adjust to acheive a proper level of braking without breaking. | | Similar Products Used: | Avid Tri-Align, Paul Stop Lights, Scott SEs, Sh*tmano, Suntour XC, Mafac,... | | Bike Setup: | Ibis Hakklugi; Cane Creek, Phill Wood Ti, Cook Brothers Racing, XT, Dura-Ace 9-spd (triple), Modolo, Mavic, WTB, American Classic, Salsa... | | Bottom Line: | extremely high visual C-Factor, but ultimately useless (at best) at their intended function; in spite of great care to adjust them gently, carefully and properly, cracks appeared at the clamps for 3 out of 4 pads in just a few dozen hours of riding.
not recommended for anything other than decoration. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jon Labrousse
a Cross Country Rider
from Eugene, OR
Date Reviewed: June 2, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | 30.00 | | Strengths: | Confident braking. Easy to adjust. | | Weaknesses: | Easy to break. Be careful not to overtighten your adjustments. | | Similar Products Used: | controltech, shimano, avid... | | Bike Setup: | cross bike with 125 pound trailer sometimes in tow. | | Bottom Line: | The brakes are awesome for stopping, but they don't hold their position. I'm packing heavy weight (trailer with kids) up and down hills every day to school and errands. They've done a great job. But I'm packing heavy weight at speed down hill and it's not the brake pads wearing down so much as it is the frictional adjustment that gives with use.
So I have to adjust the brakes every week to calm the squealing. And I have to tighten the screws so the pads don't move so much. Right? Wrong. Tighten them and the brackets break. Leave them too loose, they move with pressure and squeal. Bottom line: They failed. (Thankfully, I realized their structural failure during maintenance rather than on the road.) I'm buying something forged instead of machined...
I want to love them, but I can't. They lasted 9 months and could have caused a disaster. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
sandoz
a Cross Country Rider
from washington
Date Reviewed: September 8, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | used | | Bottom Line: | Wow, I can't believe all the low pepper reviews about these brakes... I've been using a set on my Cannondale for over 5 years now with NO problems. They stop like a dream and have never let me down. Squeeks? Uh, learn how to toe in your pads. That's why these have multiple adjustments unlike the shi(t)manos. Stress cracks and shattering parts from adjustment? Um, mine slow me down from 40+ mph regularly and have gotten the crap kicked out of them, no problems. Buy some real tools and quit wrenching your ride with vise-grips. Rust in the bolts? Big wah. Shiny bike=poser bike. Incidentally, Onza sold a titainum bolt set for these brakes to shave a few grams, side effect being they didn't rust...
Screw v-brakes, I love my H.O. Onzas. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike
a Cross Country Rider
from california
Date Reviewed: December 25, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Bottom Line: | Like dangerusWoody said ..... they , all four had stress fractures where the pad clamp pinchs the post ..... Tossed them in the can! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
DEVIN
a Cross Country Rider
from USA
Date Reviewed: November 23, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Shop I Managed | | Strengths: | Weight, Ease of Setup, Looks, Stopping Power | | Weaknesses: | Rust on fixing bolts (but that is nit picking) | | Similar Products Used: | LX Canti,s, Ritchey canti,s, LX V's | | Bottom Line: | I have had no problem with these at all. Went to red Ritchey pads and that was the key. All the above mentioned problems you guys had are from mechanical ignorance! Take it to someone who knows how to setup equipment! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tacoma
a Cross-Country Rider
from SLC, UT
Date Reviewed: May 5, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
way easier to adjust than those Shimano canti's
kick-ass machined looks
adjustable spring tension!! | | Weaknesses: |
Chill Pill hanger is a pain in the ass
not as good as any V-brake out there now....=( | | Similar Products Used: |
Shimano XT cantilevers | | Bike Setup: |
pre-v Specialized Stumpjumper | | Bottom Line: | All cyclocrossers, listen up, you need these brakes....I had these for a while before V-brakes came out... back when everyone had those #%$#@#$ hard to adjust Shimano brakes, with the one bolt for toe in AND vertical adjustment. I hated those things. The Onza brakes were WAY easier, and also allowed you to fine-tune the modulation, and the spring tension, something I wish more brakes did these days. Oh, but that's right-- they make these as v-brakes now... hmm maybe I need a new set.....
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Woody
a Cross-Country Rider
from England
Date Reviewed: April 4, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
To be honest I cant say that they have any due to the repeted braking of parts. | | Weaknesses: |
The bigest problem is a design falt. I can tel you that the spring covers will brake, the bolts will rust but the most deadly thing of all thay will brake around the clamp bolt holes & then you have NO brakes, if you are doing 30 MPH at the time you are definatly in trouble. I was luky not even a scratch. I am an exrace mechaninc among other things & I tel you all now DO NOT buy them. They are DANGERUS (more dangerus than my spelling). & for those of you that are still using them you better do your self a personal faver & bin them ASAP. Beter safe than sorry. They will brake sooner or later. Play safe. Dont say I never told you. | | Similar Products Used: |
XT, XTR, cants, Vs, Magura, Hope. | | Bike Setup: |
Cannondale SVA 2000 plus Fatty, Spinergys & Gortex Rideons | | Bottom Line: | The most iritating thing about these brake is the amount of noise thay make. I dont mean squeel its more like a stuk pig or a bunch og geese on fire. I could never fix this problem & belive me I did try. these brake are DANGERUS they will literaly just brake. The first sign is srtess cracks around the clamp bolts. No wonder the company went under. Nodout to avoid giong up against the consumer council. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
corndog
a weekend warrior
from cleveland
Date Reviewed: January 16, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
I had these a long time ago, and since then had the v-brakes. But back in the tweaked cantilever day pre-vee, the onzas with red ritcheys worked fantasticly.
Dial-it-up-modulation. Any way you like it. But the switch to vee brakes proved their superiority quickly. Bye. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeremey Ostiguy
a downhiller
from
Date Reviewed: January 5, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
I had these damn things on my bike for less then a week, they looked so cool, cost a bit though, they are the best canti brakes I've ever seen, but the something went horribly wrong, setting them up is so sweet, until the spring tension screw shatters, I could make a strong tension system using duck tape. This is to say that, this one thing wrong with these brakes takes them from being the best cantis ever to being crap, I gave them to a friend and got some replacement tension screwa, they blew up on him too, and he's a shop mechanic!
| Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
420 Rider
a cross-country rider
from Sonama County
Date Reviewed: December 25, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Had them for over three years now (Onza H.O.) and they have never let me down. Super easy to adjust, great combo w/ R. Wale Tail pads. Durable, light, different and powerful. If you don't have a decent grip you should look for a new sport. Replaced them once w/ shimano xt and they broke/sucked! Go ONZA! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jon
a racer
from Tampa, FL
Date Reviewed: December 17, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I've got HOLA's, they're cool! They caused me no problems. Setup seemed easy, I put the pads flat and sanded the rims a little and they're quite and strong. I like the way they look and perform and don't foresee any longterm badies... They don't blow me away as being the most awesome thing since v brakes(!?!), but they definatley do they're job at a reasonable price. So I give em fo. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a cross-country rider
from MINNESOTA
Date Reviewed: November 1, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
ONZA hola brakes... hmm.. i just got these bad boys and let me tell you how bad they are...
First let me say a fellow mechanic reccommended these he said another guy had them and they are tough to set up but they worked well...
I read the reviews here and knew i would need to be careful as not to ruin the screws... its harder than it sounds... i pulle dout the torque wrench and set it to 60 lbs as specified,, but the when i brake the whole assembly twistes and dives intot he frame locking up the wheels... SAFE?? probably not...
I really hate these brakes and the squeal consistently even after toeing in setting up flat sanding pads sanding rim.. they still squeal... i put ritchey pads and that solved it...BUT these thhings blow | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Big Daddy
a racer
from
Date Reviewed: October 4, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
C'mon, guys and gals, these brakes are not like you all say. If you would just take the time to learn how to tune these things properly, you wouldn't have so much trouble. DON'T tighten them so much, and things don't break! I have had these things on for 2+ years, and haven't had a single problem. I have been using Real brake levers, and have them tuned so well that I use 1 (that's ONE) finger to stop, even on downhills. That leaves the other 4 to shift with my gripshift if I need to. What more could I ask? Easy adjustability (without changing everything in the process). The cool factor just won't go away, either. Yeah, they rust in the bolt holes, so clean them out with a fine wire brush and put in a spot of lacquer if you are so vain and more concerned about how they look rather than how they perform (which just shows the true poseurs out there!). Get real, folks, rate something on how it works, not your own ineptitude with respect to adjusting, and your own vanity!
5 flaming dead horses for the brakes, WAY less for you boneheads panning these brakes. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Dege
a weekend warrior
from SLC,UTAH
Date Reviewed: September 2, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
The onzas were on a GT RTS-2 I bought used. I took it for a downhill run
at Deer Valley, BOOM, a hundred yards down the hill the clamp holding the
pad cracked in half. Poor quality in my opinion, this bike was taken
care of with no abuse and this is how the brakes stand up? Also the
screws showed some rust, Mtn Bike components that rust? POS in my opinion | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jon
a cross-country rider
from easton
Date Reviewed: August 6, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
these brakes suck sh@t!!! they squeak like hell especially the front one . the bolts rust like hell and i had so much trouble adjusting them and they still don't hit the rim right. now i know why onza went out of business. i had to give them 2 b/c they stop even though you're deaf afterwards. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Belk
a cross-country rider
from La Jolla
Date Reviewed: July 28, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have a GT Zaskar equiped with OnZa brakes and I might as well do a Barny Rubble and stop my bike with my feet. These brakes SUCK. Both of the mounts to the main bar are cracked and their only official response to this was we don't carry replacement parts, but you can buy the new HOLA brakes I told them to kiss my ass. I only give them 1 f@ckin chili because you have to put something. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alan Tucker
a racer
from Kapolei Hawaii
Date Reviewed: July 21, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Can understand why Onza went bankrupt, these things are shit! Have them on my Cannondale M-800.Bolts rusted fast, replaced them with SRP ti kit. Second set after replacement due to cracking at bolt holes. The company won't replace them, cause different company (Yea,Right!!probably filed due to all the complaints on the crap they sold) They tried to sell me their HOLA's for the same price as XT v-brakes, which I now have.Don't be fooled by the bullshit that HOLA's are cool, stick with tried and true equipment. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Shake
a cross-country rider
from MD
Date Reviewed: July 8, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
HOLA's: upgraded from older XT canti's to the new HOLA's. didn't know much about their performance, but got a great deal. installing them is easy; fine-tuning them can be a pain in the ass (translation for lots of adjustability). once adjusted correctly though, they work incredibly. i have ridden XTR V's as well as several of the other clones, and the HOLA's performance is equal to or better than any I have tried. lots of adjustability, but once you have them set, you don't need to mess with them until you need new pads. be mindful of your frame type - the grab these things put on your rims will create a lot of frame flex. only gripes i had were the initial time to set them up, and the mounting bolts have started to show signs of rust; sooner than I have experienced on other brakes.
Not the lightest brake on the market, but definetly in the competetibve pack; and the overall excellent performance is superior to most others on the market. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dingbat
a weekend warrior
from Bristol, UK
Date Reviewed: June 15, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Our local LBS is clearing out the old OnZa for a price that's less than STX. I bought a few sets and fitted them to friend's bikes, but fortunately not my own.These are terrible lumps of junk. They're everything that's bad about CNCed bike jewellery - machining marks like a ploughed field that try to pass as high tech. Bad design, with no thought for function other than easy programming on the machining center. A lack of understanding of basic engineering that puts stress risers in the bends of the crack-prone pull-off springs. Ergonomics of a dead fish, and an impossibility of adjustment if you're not mechanically dexterous.When they're in place, then they work as brakes. So does almost any canti that's not made of rubber - but there's more to designing a good brake than just making it chunky and stiff.I'm glad they're cheap - it let me by enough spare springs to keep them working for a couple of years. Just don't get me started on that Chill Pill....
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jochen
a cross-country rider
from Austria
Date Reviewed: June 12, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
take care - OnZa breakes really brake (in two)- and the distributers don´t exchange them - they just say you just tigthened them too much (which is absolutely not true)- one star, but only because there is no possibility to say minus five because you risk to break your bones if you buy this product
... pretty design, easy to adjust, but very bad quality | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
TOBIAS JÖNSSON
a cross-country rider
from SWEDEN
Date Reviewed: May 27, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This brakes really rule!! I have had mine as a front brake since 1992. I bought one of the first Bouldermade ones and it has stayed on since then. I really love it and now when im changing to XTR V,s i will buy it a rear mate and put them on my singelspeed projectbike. The performance has been exellent during all those years, easy modelated and very strong in all conditions, and i live in wet and technical Sweden were the trails eat weak brakes for breakfast any day in the week, but all i can say is: No problemos, ever.
Its a pity that the new V version HOLA came out after i bought my XTR,s but maybe i will change later in the summer, old love really runs deep. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lancer
a weekend warrior
from Northridge, CA
Date Reviewed: May 22, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I just had the Onzas put on a Cannondale. They are great, I have XTR and Avid cantis on the other two bikes. Eventhough the Onzas are heavier than the Avids, the stopping power and adjustments are better. The Onza finish is superior. Nothing wrong with the XTR cantis, the XTRs are just a little heavier is all. Consider Onzas if you are interested in a good cantilever brake. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kyle
a cross-country rider
from Roanoke, VA
Date Reviewed: March 25, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Finally, the HOLA hits the street. The upgrade to v styling seemed logical and simple. Just take one of the strongest, easiest adjusting brakes ever made the existing Onza brake (designed by Boulder bikes and sold to Onza), stick some long arms in place of the shorties, and voila, your brake is made. When v's first hit, I said why don't they just make an upgrade for all the old Onza's in circulation?
Well, the wait, while unpleasant, was worth it. The extra long arms (about a cm longer than Shimano's!) makes for extreme modulability. Neat-o, too, is the changeable cable, from one arm to the other (all you folks with right side cable guides, like Obeds for example, can change the cable pull side to the right).
While Shimano's are now the easiest brakes to set up, these are much more tunable, including pad distance from brake arm, thanks to regular-style posted pads (unlike the threaded ones that most v-clones use). The pads are included this time (thank you, Cane Creek!), and accept Shimano and Cisco inserts (get the Cisco's if you can. Urethane, long lasting, highest stoppage).
While the original Onza's were super strong, these exceed their abilities, especially in the modulation area.
Cane Creek says that, while an upgrade kit isn't available, they ARE offering a trade in through your local shop. With your old Onza cantilevers, you can get the HOLAs for 40 bucks. Thats not too bad for a $75 brake.
At 215 grams with pads, HOLA's aren't all that light, but neither are they all that heavy. For performance that exceeds the brakes you have right now, a little extra grammage is well worth it. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andy Palmer
a cross-country rider
from Stillwater, MN
Date Reviewed: January 8, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
The brakes themselves kick ass (one of my friends like mine better than his xt v-brakes) but the chill pill cable hanger blows ass!!!! It's too small to get any grip on to tighten the cable on and then it slips. also, you have to take the straddle hanger off if you want to put the actual cable back in and in the process, screwing up your setup. 5 dead horse on fire for performance 1 dead horse on fire for chill pill. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark Shackelford
a cross-country rider
from Fort Worth, TX
Date Reviewed: January 6, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I bought Onza's right before v-brakes hit the market. I think they are great, but I spent many minutes setting them up and originally had to deflate my tires to get them on and off. (Ritchey Logic pads remedied that problem). I recently ruined the spring in them (through a freak adjustment accident) and replaced them with v-brakes (on the rear). Now I am having to buy a brake booster because my frame is like mush. If anyone has frame flex problems and doesn't want a brake booster on their bike, I recommend Onza's because they're probably the only canti-lever brakes left and they look cool and are very reliable. I suggest buying an Avid tridangle cable hanger instead of Onza's. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Anonymous
a racer
from
Date Reviewed: December 26, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I upgraded from STX canti's to OnZa HO brakes on my Cannondale F700. They are very reliable and they don't surprize you. Unlike V-Brakes the feel of these brakes is great. Powerful but not freaky. Besides if Alison Sydor used them for the World Cup, Olympics, and World Championships they can't be all that bad!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Anonymous
a racer
from
Date Reviewed: December 26, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I upgraded from STX canti's to OnZa HO brakes on my Cannondale F700. They are very reliable and they don't surprize you. Unlike V-Brakes the feel of these brakes is great. Powerful but not freaky. Besides if Alison Sydor used them for the World Cup, Olympics, and World Championships they can't be all that bad!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Drummond
a racer
from Quebec, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 7, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I loved them. They were the best thing on my old bike, and I was sad to see them go when I sold it. I am now desperatley looking for a pair, because my avid tri align wannabes just don't cut it. These brakes have the best power for any non V-style brake,amazing adjustability, and you don't need those stupid LP levers. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bert
a weekend warrior
from Tsawwassen, BC
Date Reviewed: May 2, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Super easy to set up compared to typical cantilevers. Super cheap. And better braking power than my old DX canti's.But the bolts do rust (big deal). The spring covers do crack. And the chill pill sucks no matter how minimal and cool it looks.Overall good brakes, but I think I'm gonna have to try me some of them new V-brakes. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Warner
a cross-country rider
from Cupertino, CA
Date Reviewed: March 27, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Nice design, easy setup. I thought they were the ultimate until I got a set of LX V-brakes. The V-brakes have more stopping power, are just as easy to adjust, and the kicker is that they are only $25 each. If you have a choice, go with the Vs. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Treadhead
a cross-country rider
from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: March 4, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Any of you riders who think these brakes suck are a bunch of meat heads. They are by far the best performing cantilever brakeset for the price. I have been riding mine for about a year and a half and would recommend these brakes to any hammerhead. Only poseurs complain about these brakes. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thomas King
a cross-country rider
from Moreno Valley, CA
Date Reviewed: February 24, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Great Brakes! The best selling point for me was the ease of adjustment. You can
just adjust toe in without messing with all the other adjustments at the same
time. I've had mine on for about a year, and they've been awesome. Excellent
power with great feel. I've got them hooked up with Real levers and not only is
it a light setup, but its extremely durable as well. I use Scott/matthauser pads
for a strong grab. Note: for all of you with the flock mentality that had to get
a Judy fork and don't like the lack of clearance- To bad! Use Shimano like all
the other followers! Tom's safety tip: don't over torque the base or you'll
crack the spring cover and maybe torque the spring out of line. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alan Brady
a cross-country rider
from Downers Grove, IL USA
Date Reviewed: January 18, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I have only had my Onza's for about 4 weeks now...but they are sweet. They
deliver more power than any other canti on the market. not to mention that they
are beautiful. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ian Longstreet
a racer
from Santa Barbara, CA
Date Reviewed: January 13, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
These are really great brakes. I would strongly recommend them. Setup is a pain in the butt because of the chill pill and all those adjustments. The spring tension adjustment is pure genius. As you may read the bolts do rust, but thats just cosmetic. The only problems I have with these is that I broke the plastic spring cover, and they are so powerful they flex my fork brace. Hooked up with Avid 2.0 levers and Ritchey pads, these beat XT V-brakes hands down | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Vert Drop
a cross-country rider
from Munich
Date Reviewed: January 3, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Sorry, but reading these reviews make me think I have bought something different than those guys below.
My first impression was: Good construction-idea, independant fixing of angles and height.
But when mounting them on my Judy the first surprise came up: due to the near to the frame/fork positioned pads, the front wheel can not be taken out.
And mounted on the back wheel the performance was nearly as worse as my old LX-cantis.
Went to the shop (where they knew about those problems - that´s why I got them cheaper) and changed to Maguras DH.
Best I could do. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ron Babcock
a cross-country rider
from weatherford oklahoma
Date Reviewed: December 26, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
These brakes work fairly good but dont last very long. My brake holder splitin half after only six month of use. The bolts also ruste heavily in the same amount of time. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott Minteer
a
from Boulder, CO
Date Reviewed: November 21, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I just sold my carbon Mongoose, and the only things I am going to miss are my Onza brakes and my Mavic 117 rims. The Onza's were easy to adjust, but best of all they WORKED! With a pair of Ritchy Reds, those brakes stopped or slowed me when or how I wanted. I buy a new bike with Vbrakes with sadness. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Simon
a weekend warrior
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: November 21, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I have been using the Onza brakes for almost a year and must say that they
probably one of the best cantilever brakes for the money. Way easy adjustment
and powerful stopping power. Good choice if you do not want to plonk big money to get V-brake specific levers. Why do you think Tinker Juarez and Alison Sydor continues to use them even though Onza is almost dead and buried? 2 complaints though: the bolts rust quickly and the brake pads are placed too far back close to the fork that they can't clear the fork braces of my Judy when I take out the wheel.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Albert Chan
a weekend warrior
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: November 21, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
Upgrade to these lovely ONZA brake from my old AceraX set. Not only do they look great but they work beautifully. They will stop when you want without any of those noisy squels from my old set.
The only setback is the price as they are rather expensive. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom Reynolds
a cross-country rider
from State College, PA
Date Reviewed: November 17, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I just replaced my Shimano brakes with the Onza H.O. What a difference! And I still haven't switched away from the Shimano M-system pads, which are crap. These brakes have a hell of a lot of power, no flex, and they're REALLY easy to adjust. No more using multiple wrenches to make a minor adjustment.These brakes also look better than any I've ever seen. The craftsmanship is superb. The attention to detail is what really impresses me. Even the Chill Pill cable hanger is well-made. It is really convenient to be able to disconnect both sides of the brake without loosening the cable from the arm, like with most other brakes. The cable-stop for the one end of the carrier cable is a cool little doo-hickey, with those neat-o set-screws.Sping tension is also easily adjusted with a 15mm cone wrench. No more dealing with one pad hitting the rim before the other!!When I installed these brakes, my roommates were quite disinterested in what I was doing. Then they saw the brakes. OOOHHHHH was the response. Understand that my roommates are not very knowledgable about bikes, but they knew that my Onzas were cool!! (Engineers have that keen sense of attention to detail and recognizing a quality product when they see one.)My question is: Why did the company go out of business? The answer is: Who cares!!! Just go out and buy these brakes at the cheap prices (mine were 48.95 from Nashbar) before they are gone forever!!!!By the way, what's with the rumor that GT has purchased the Onza company? | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andy Friefeld
a cross-country rider
from Tucson, AZ
Date Reviewed: November 8, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I've used the H.O. brakes front and rear for about 18 months now. The modulation, power, and ease of setup are as good or better than any cantilever. Watch the torque on the bolts, though! Overtightening the aluminium blocks will make them crack over time. I saw it before failure, but a friend was not so lucky and had a bad crash. My local dealer replaced the block no questions asked and took care of the warranty himself. Since then, no problems, but I check for cracks regularly now. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alan Wu
a weekend warrior
from Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: November 7, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I just recently upgraded my front brakes to the Onaz H.O. and I think they are great. They are extremely easy to adjust unlike my old Dia Comps and they stop incredibly well. My front brakes have never felt better. I'm so pleased with them that I'm getting the rear ones as well. I choose these over V-brakes because I didn't like the feel of the V-brakes all that much. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
DJ Sagadraca
a cross-country rider
from Kapaa, Kauai, Hawaii
Date Reviewed: October 28, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I'm very pleased with its ease of adjustment and more importantly performance.
For my type of riding these brakes are sweet...too bad the company went
belly-up. :-( | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matthew Diem
a weekend warrior
from Worcester Mass.
Date Reviewed: October 14, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
These brakes rule. I have tried V-Brakes and just don't feel as confident on them as I do on these guys. The modulation is superbe and the over all power, if set up properly, is just slighty below the dreaded V. Mine have the SRP Ti bolt set, to reduce the weight (bringing them further below the V). Adjustment is a breeze of course. I will probably never switch from H.O. Nuff said. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
steve
a cross-country rider
from michigan
Date Reviewed: October 13, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I use my H/O's with Avid SD-2.0 levers and find them fantastic. Enough is said
about ease of maint., etc. so I won't add anything other than that when combined
with the SD 2's they stop my big ass NOW! The new V/side pull brake availability
may make me a convert, but I can't jump...these are just too sweeeeeet. I think
that they have a custom look and function, without spending the big bucks on Paul's
or Avid's. GT just bought OnZa, so these babies may live on... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Phil R.
a weekend warrior
from Des Moines, IA
Date Reviewed: June 24, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
These brakes are the best. Not only are they super-gripping, but they are the easiest brakes imaginable to set. I use them in combination with PC-11 levers and Ritchey pads . . . and I love them. The only problem? Onza is no longer in business :( | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tim Coen
a cross-country rider
from Kunkletown, PA
Date Reviewed: June 24, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I had a set of the force 40s on my C-dale but the guy who fixes my bike complained about adjusting them (I never mess with my bike unless it brakes in the middle of nowhere). The 40s felt mushy to me yet would grab with the best of them when properly adjusted. I saw the new C-dales with the Onza's, asked some questions of other owners, heard nothing but praise so I bought a set. To date they have worked extreamely well for me. In fact I have gone over the bars because I grabbed them a bit hard and got a reaction I never expected, or at least my old brakes would not have done that.
Simply put, good brakes. Heavy, but good. Get yourself some if ya got the means. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Charles
a weekend warrior
from Berkeley, CA
Date Reviewed: June 24, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
Although these brakes are pretty heavy (almost as heavy as the V brakes), anyone
who had tried to adjust their Shimano canti brakes would appreciate the ease of
adjustibility of the Onza's. They are just SOOOO easy to adjust, I cannot
emphasize enough. If you are looking for ease of adjustibility, these are it.
However, they are expensive, and this is the only flaw in appeal for these
brakes. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Erik Su
a weekend warrior
from Ithaca, NY
Date Reviewed: June 21, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
These brakes are great. I think easy pad adjustment is the most important
attribute of brakes, and these Onzas are great. You can adjust the different
orientation independently, just like Avid brakes. And they are one of the
least expensive aftermarket brakes. Relatively inexpensive and easy to adjust,
can't beat that combination. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joel
a cross-country rider
from Malaysia
Date Reviewed: June 11, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
This brakes is easier to adjust compared to the Shimano brakes and stops
the bike much faster or actually in a second. This brakes came with Koolstop
brake pads but I changed it to Ritchey. Whoa! After that the performance
cannot be explained in words anymore. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Shaun Au
a cross-country rider
from Pittsburgh, PA
Date Reviewed: June 9, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I have a pair of Onza H.O. rear brakes. I like them very much just because they are so easy to get adjusted. I don't think they are superior than stock Shimano cantis(xt model, the stuff I used)interms of braking power. That's my opinion. I think they're nicely priced and have a great silver looking. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Aaron Leighton
a cross-country rider
from San Luis Obispo, CA
Date Reviewed: June 3, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
The brakes are very stiff and solid. Great stoppers although not up to
V-brake standards. All adjustments are seperate making installation easy.
The arms do stick out farther than many other cantis, so heel clearance could
be a problem. Another problem is that Onza recently went bankrupt, so avalibility
and warranty could be issues.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jack Kunicki
a cross-country rider
from Wappinger Falls
Date Reviewed: March 31, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
Hey, I just picked up these brakes and they are really cool! I'm running them with Kool Stop II
brakepads and they stop great. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a great set of brakes that stop you
dead in your tracks and that chicks dig.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Oscar Hernandez
a cross-country rider
from Port Elgin, Canada
Date Reviewed: March 28, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
These brakes are sweet! Adjustments are a dream with these cantis, toe-in is no
problem. They may not be the lightest set on the market for all the weight-weenies
but they'll stop you on a dime.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kenny Soza
a weekend warrior
from Southampton, Ontario
Date Reviewed: March 28, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
What the heck is this Hernandez guy talking about. He is the biggest weight-weenie around. These brakes are just the hottest thing since bikini wax. Just grind it out baby! I find that adjustments are somewhat difficult, however the weight is no problemo.
| | Overall Rating: |
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