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Submitted by
allmtbiker
a Weekend Warrior
from Sheffield, UK
Date Reviewed: November 5, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | no specific one | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Easy to adjust. Better than v brakes in wet. Very Good stopping power but for short periods of time. doesnt lock the wheels easily when braking | | Weaknesses: | Loosen quickly- Require tightening often. V-brakes are better (when dry). | | Similar Products Used: | V brakes. Now upgrading to Hayes hydros | | Bottom Line: | they are great if you dont mind stopping to tighten them as you go along the trail. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
kgunzer
a Cross Country Rider
from Sydney
Date Reviewed: October 20, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Firetrail (Woodford~Glenbrook) | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$480.00 | | Purchased At: | CellBikes.com.au | | Strengths: | simple, semi-efficient, strong enough to make forced stops; Pad adjustment system well appreciated. Bi-directional IS brake mounts are well appreciated too (accommodates two rotor sizes). | | Weaknesses: | needs a bit more stopping power and smooth modulation of lever. | | Similar Products Used: | Avid Elixir R, Hayes HFX 9, Diatech Anchors | | Bike Setup: | XC | | Bottom Line: | Cheap and cheerful, does the job of stopping. Strong enough to force a sudden stop, but you could always ask for more. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mynameiskoko
a Cross Country Rider
from Malaysia
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Came with he bike | | Strengths: | Cheap brakes | | Weaknesses: | Cheap brakes, can't compare with expensive ones in terms of performance. | | Bike Setup: | Proton T-Bolt | | Bottom Line: | It does its job, for easy XC or AM rides. For a much more demanding ride like DH or race, look elsewhere. You get what you pay for. Have yet to fail me. I don't get why some people complain about hard to adjust, it seems like a no brainer to me.
Its a good idea to upgrade the front disk to 8 inch if you're heavier than 80kg, it improves the braking power. I feel it has better performance for my weight once I've changed the front disk.
Besides that its also a good idea to change the cables if you have to adjust it often, its not the brake's problem. I've changed mine to Jagwire Ripcords, and I don't have to adjust the brakes at all. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
staikeinthahood
a Weekend Warrior
from Norway
Date Reviewed: October 8, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Came with bike | | Strengths: | They gives alot of strenght the first hour after adjusting... | | Weaknesses: | Hard to get it adjusted properly.
Very noisy in wet and cold conditions.
The strenght are not so good in wet conditions.
| | Bike Setup: | Diamant Round Cut Idol's Eye | | Bottom Line: | The brakes are cheap, but i wolud'nt recommend them, they sucks. The setup is hard and takes long time, they dont give to much stopping power either. It it on/off brakes, which means that you have almost no power on the brakes or almost full, its hard to get it to brake "medium". If i should recommended them to someone, it must be those who buys these as their first disc-brakes, then you learn alot about brakes.
| Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mondoman1
a Weekend Warrior
from Seattle, WA USA
Date Reviewed: September 8, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$65.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance Bike (re | | Strengths: | Cheap, easy to install, straightforward performance. | | Weaknesses: | Lacks outboard pad adjustment. | | Similar Products Used: | Hayes MX-4
Avid BB7 | | Bike Setup: | '08 Giant Yukon, mostly stock (MX-4 brakes)
'07 Columbia "iron bike", bent into shape and upgraded (Tektro/Forte disc brake on front) | | Bottom Line: | This Tektro IO kit (rebranded as Forte) came with two calipers, alloy levers, cable/housing, and adapters/mounting hardware. I used just the front caliper & cable/housing to upgrade my "iron bike" front wheel from V-brake to disc (saving the rest for a new build). This made a big improvement to my stopping power, verified during a 90-minute ride in pouring rain! I'm able to modulate the braking without difficulty, and the brake is more than powerful enough to lock the wheel. At less than $25 per caliper, this is a great deal, but at full price (about double that), I'd pay the $10-15 extra for a BB7 system. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
alex
a Cross Country Rider
from Spain
Date Reviewed: September 5, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | came with bike | | Strengths: | NONE | | Weaknesses: | poor power, I have to adjust them everyday, they are noisy. | | Similar Products Used: | v' brakes, shimano discs | | Bottom Line: | Don't buy them, There are much better options for the same prize, this brakes sucks. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
xc hardtail RP
a Weekend Warrior
from Philippines
Date Reviewed: August 15, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Ross Bikes Pasay | | Strengths: | Decent entry-level disc brake system for starting riders. Stopping power ok on road/tarmac. I can lock up both front and rear brakes. So far, no adjusting needed. Design looks good on the bike. | | Weaknesses: | No replacement brake pads available; noisy when wet. | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | stock 2008 Jamis XC 3.0 24speed | | Bottom Line: | This brake system came with the bike. So far, stopping power is ok when used on flat roads - no chance yet to test them in real off-road trails. Noisy at first when wet; eventually the noise stops and stopping power resumes. Once this system wears out I will upgrade to Avid BB7's. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
madmagrider
a Weekend Warrior
from Northern, IL
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Palos, Deer Grove, Waterfall Glen | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Came on bike | | Strengths: | These brakes worked well enough for normal XC use. I didn't notice any problems until I bombed down a local steep hill, and I could not keep my speed down and almost crashed. For flat trails and slight hills they worked fine. | | Weaknesses: | The 160 mm IO's that came on my bike didn't have enough power to stop my bike on a fast, steep downhill descent. They are also not as easy to set up as my new Avid BB7's. | | Similar Products Used: | 2008 Avid BB7 | | Bike Setup: | 2008 Raleigh Mojavo 4.0, Marzocchi XC 600, 2008 Avid BB7 185 mm fronts, Tektro IO 160 mm rears, Crank Brothers Mallet C's pedals | | Bottom Line: | These brakes work well enough for the casual commuter or the less aggressive weekend warrior. If you are heavier like me, or you ride more aggressively, they may not offer enough power no matter how hard you squeeze that lever. One thing is for sure, you'll never have to worry about locking up the front tire, or flipping over the bars. The power is just not there no matter how you adjust them.
Bottom line, if they came on your bike, keep them until you feel you need more braking power. If you are in the market for new disc brakes, pass these up and buy some Avid BB7's for $50-$60 on sale.
I'd give these 4 chilis if the Avid BB7's weren't so great for $60. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bigedjit
a Weekend Warrior
from Scotland
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Behind inverkip | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | wiggle.com | | Strengths: | Tooless pad replacement (held in place by magnets) and predictable stopping power once set up correctly. Decent build quality | | Weaknesses: | Slightly annoying to set up as the pads only adjust from one side | | Similar Products Used: | Assorted rim brakes | | Bike Setup: | Stock 2008 Haro flightline sport | | Bottom Line: | Very pleased with these basic disc brakes. They look easy to maintain and actually stop my bike without any fuss. I'm 6foot four and weigh 94kg or 207 pounds so I'm not exactly a small guy. I ride pretty much anywhere tarmac or dirt tracks, no jumps as i'm a clumsy sod.
If they turn out to be nightmarishly unreliable pieces of junk I'll re-post | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
MiniMan85
a Weekend Warrior
from Edmonton, AB, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 1, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | River Valley | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | I hear they're inexpensive and no matter how hard I three finger squeeze the levers, I'll never have to worry about going over the bars. | | Weaknesses: | No stopping power. I once had a $300 Costco bike with V-brakes that could stop WAY better than this. No matter how hard I try, I can't endo! | | Similar Products Used: | Hayes Hydros, Avid Mechanicals, V-brakes | | Bike Setup: | Iron Horse Yakuza Ojiki with Marzocchi Drop Off upfront. A bike that's otherwise well setup for freeride. | | Bottom Line: | I've used these on mostly cross country trails so far and needless to say, I'm quite dissapointed. I've shimmed them so they're perfectly even - just a hair thickness of spacing on each side of the rotor and a perfectly adjusted cable - and I get outbraked by my 11 year old sister on her WalMart bike (actually).
They do a good job of slowing you down, but they're completely unsuitable for downhill, or anyone who likes to endo, or lockup either their front or rear tire. I could reccommend these only to lightweight beginner riders for light XC use only. I'm 6'3" and 200lbs with relatively strong hands/fingers and these brakes struggle to bring me to a stop.
I will be upgrading to Avid Mechanicals ASAP... these brakes are a joke. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
306maxi
a Cross Country Rider
from United Kingdom
Date Reviewed: June 21, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | None | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Came with my bike | | Strengths: | They stop you, give decent stopping power and seem to have decent feel. They're also very very cheap so as long as they stop you I don't see how you can complain too much. | | Weaknesses: | Noisy when wet. Can't say that enough. Not to bad if they just get damp because enough braking and the water is gone but if it's raining then say goodbye to noise free braking. My discs seemed to be slightly warped out of the box which wasn't great and of course won't help with the noise either. They are fiddly to adjust as has been mentioned before also. They were also rubbing on the front rotor out of the box which is pretty poor but probably down to GT not putting it all together properly. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | GT Avalanche 3.0 Disc | | Bottom Line: | 5 Chilli's for value because they are cheap and they do stop you well enough. But 2 chilli's for the overall rating because while they're cheap they're noisy when wet, hard to adjust and just aren't as good as good hydraulic disc brakes. When the pads go I will probably just upgrade to something else. If you're looking for something cheap then this will do well but do consider just saving up for a decent set of Hydraulic disc brakes because you will probably want to upgrade from these in the end anyway! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeabus McSpear
a Downhiller
from Australia
Date Reviewed: June 14, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Rotorua | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Melbourne Bike | | Strengths: | Good brakes for lighter trails and dirt jumping | | Weaknesses: | No stopping power whatsoever on harder faster trails | | Similar Products Used: | Hayes 9 | | Bike Setup: | Jamis komodo floor stock | | Bottom Line: | These brakes (IOx) are great brakes fo lighter stuff like dirt jumping or light trails but when it comes to the harder stuff where you need great stopping power, go look somewhere else | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
scott
a Cross Country Rider
from utah
Date Reviewed: May 19, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | poundcake | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | okay stoppping power if tuned correctly | | Weaknesses: | annoying...you have to tune them so many times. Not aough stopping power. | | Bike Setup: | Raleigh Mojave 4.0,RockShox Tora Soloair fork, Velocraptoer tyres. | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are generally okay. When I ride them hard they do not give me the ultimate stopping power, and they are a hard brake to get set up right. After my first ride the rotor began rubbing on my pad, which made me quite angry, because the rubbing components basically stopped my wheel. In essence you are paying for what you get. This a cheap brake system, so you will probably get a good deal on them. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason Madore
a Cross Country Rider
from Apple Valley, MN, U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: March 8, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Alimagnet Park/Lebanon Hills | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Erik's Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Very powerful when adjusted properly, easy to use, and although it seems like it's cheap, it delivers an excellent amount of modulation that even the best of rim brakes can't match. | | Weaknesses: | Gets very noisy when it is used in wet or very cold conditions. | | Similar Products Used: | V-brakes, side-pull rim brakes, direct-pull rim brakes. | | Bike Setup: | Came with my Specialized Hardrock XC Disc bike. | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are good for beginning to intermediate mountain bikers, and they are so powerful that they can lock up a wheel without any extra force needed on the brake lever! I am glad I have these brakes on my bike, and I know that although they may not be professional-level, they do stop you effortlessly, quickly, and safely. These brakes actually seem like they are hydraulic-disc sometimes because they deliver so much stopping power, especially when you are going fast or going down a steep hill. I highly recommend these brakes for people who are looking for a change from rim brakes to mechanical-disc brakes because they are affordable, easy to use, and they they are better than some other mechanical-disc systems costing twice as much. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ryan
a Cross Country Rider
from Bristol, UK
Date Reviewed: January 9, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Cwmcarn | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Very good value entry level brakes.
Cost to performance ratio - great!
When tuned these brakes have a decent level of power. | | Weaknesses: | These require a lot of maintainance. Generally I'm adjusting the caliper once a week (80-100 miles) or one xc ride.
Pads - nowhere sells them! Not even the shop I got them from!!! | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | GT XC2 | | Bottom Line: | These brakes will get you around a technical XC course but you'll be adjusting the caliper after every ride.
Generally speaking they are good but definately require a lot of tuning - you have to get the pads so you can only fit a hair between them and the disc or they simply don't produce the goods.
Basically I tune them and they work great - I use them for one XC session and by the end they, erm, aren't!
Still you get what you pay for and, for the price (I think these are the cheapest disc brakes on the market), they are good.
Would I buy these brakes as an upgrade? No - spend a bit more and save in the long run... if this is not an option then for it.
Would I buy a 400-500 quid bike with these on? Yes, they'll be great until you have saved for the upgrade.
If you have these and find the performance lacking you may try lightly sanding the pads to remove glazing... worked for me.
****
Value - five for the great performance to cost ratio
Overall - three due to the faffing around after, and during, every single ride!
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew McGee
a Racer
from UK
Date Reviewed: December 7, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | None really, any that are fun. | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Came with bike | | Strengths: | Very Cheap. Good power and modulation. | | Weaknesses: | Needs a LOT of maintinance. Seems quite fragile. | | Similar Products Used: | Hayes Sole, Tektro Auriga (sp?) | | Bike Setup: | Stock saracen instinct 1. | | Bottom Line: | These are very cheap and reliable cable disc brakes. They are definteley a step up from Vs, and provide good power and modulation. However, although most cable discs need lots of looking after, the IO needs more than most, sometimes needing it once a day!. It also seems pretty fragile.
I give it 5 chillies for value and 4 for overall. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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