Click Here for Coverage of Interbike 2008!
Home | Reviews | Brakes | Disc Brake System

Login  |  Register

Grimeca System 8-4 piston

MSRP $ 175.00
Weight
# of Reviews 83
Average Rating 3.69/5
More Products from Grimeca



Submit a Review

Description:Full Hydraulic: Four-piston caliper offers superior modulation and braking power. Includes Inox stainless steel hydraulic brake hose and an alloy lever with reservoir. Complete system comes fully bled and ready to ride. Supplied with 160mm rotors front and rear. 292 grams for a front caliper, lever and housing.



Other Ways To Shop
  • Buy and Sell the from our Classifieds.
  • Shop for Similar Products








    Submitted by Dennis Semik a Downhiller from Bensheim, Germany
    Date Reviewed: September 18, 2007
    Favorite Trail:Meli
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Price Paid: $50.00
    Purchased At:ebay
    Strengths:Brake point and power with little finger power
    Weaknesses:does not fit very well with SRAM trigger (older version, I have 3 of these), IS2000 (instead of PM), fade a little on long runs
    Similar Products Used:Hayes HFX 9, Magura Luise, Magura Julie
    Bike Setup:Used on a KHS AM-1000 and a Rocky Mountain Thin Air. Both completely custom built
    Bottom Line:These brakes work just great. Two of them are with 160mm discs and one with a 180mm. Bleeding is not a hole lot of fun, but that applies to all hydrolic brakes. As written bellow, when using the torque recommendations there is no problem with them breaking. The bleed skrew does not have to be very tight! I use them with Kool Stop pads and they never failed. Just fade a bit on longer runs.
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Cole a Downhiller from vancouver
    Date Reviewed: July 4, 2006
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Purchased At:pinkbike
    Strengths:Okay stopping power excellent modulation
    Weaknesses:squeak, leak oil from everywhere, the bolts on the bleed cap stripped so i couldn't bleed them
    Similar Products Used:Avid juicy 5s (great go buy these) shimano hydros (also good too) and shimano mechs
    Bike Setup:kona stinky, swinger 4 way juicy 5s
    Bottom Line:these brakes are okay, they don't have the really strong stopping power that my juicys have, i would think 4 pistons would be a little bit more powerful. Don't bother with these, i have had only trouble with them, they leak oil from the caliper and lever, the bolts ont he bleed cap strip so i couldn't bleed them. go buy some juicys or something from shimano instead.
    Value Rating:3Overall Rating:2

    Submitted by Bengt Karlsson a from Stockholm, Sweden
    Date Reviewed: February 27, 2006
    Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
    Price Paid: $145.00
    Purchased At:Disk Clinic Finland
    Strengths:Incredibly powerfull brakes. Exellent power modulation and lever feel. Hose fitting feel and look very strong. Hose does not scratch the frame because it is braided. Price/quality is excellent.
    Weaknesses:None so far.
    Similar Products Used:Shimano, Hayes, Hope
    Bike Setup:Dabomb XLR8, 05 DJ2.
    Bottom Line:Good brakes with lots of power and they are even cheap.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Steve Stromberger a Weekend Warrior from Spokane, WA
    Date Reviewed: July 26, 2004
    Duration Product Used:2 Years
    Price Paid: $180.00
    Purchased At:Ebay
    Strengths:Stop very well, easy to install, easy to bleed, great modulation, look friggin' cool!
    Weaknesses:Can be squeaky at times
    Similar Products Used:Hayes (howled like a sick goose and didn't stop worth crap)
    Bike Setup:2001 Jamis Dakar Pro, XTR, Race Face, yadda yadda yadda....
    Bottom Line:After 2+ years of use these have never given me a problem. I weigh 240 lbs. and these brakes never complained, I can always bomb down the most technical drops with utmost confidence. Everyone that says "you can't turn your bike upside down with these brakes" obviously doesn't know how to bleed these brakes properly. All you have to do is push down and "burp" the rubber gasket before you put the master cylinder cover back on. This prevents any air from entering the system. I flip my bike upside down all the time to oil my chain and have never had a problem. Buy em! They rock!
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by doru a from Boston
    Date Reviewed: July 22, 2004
    Duration Product Used:More than 3 years
    Purchased At:himalaya bike shop - bucharest, romania
    Strengths:Reliable.
    Got mine second hand, together with my bike, and I biked for >10.000 miles so far.
    They only needed servicing every 4.000 miles or so - bleeding and changing the plates. That means, they didn't need service for years, even though I biked more than 15 miles per day, through snows and extreme hot days!
    Weaknesses:Bleeding screws easy to break. However, even with the bleeding screw broken, I could perfectly bleed the front caliper.
    In very hot days, the fluid can expand and gently press the disk, causing a slight brake. That might also happen during extreme rides, due to the extreme heat released when braking.
    Similar Products Used:none
    Bike Setup:Frame Haro Dual Slalom, Manitou X-Vert T dual crown, equipment XT, chaindog Truvativ, rims Vuelta Excalibur, tires Jumbo Hutchinson 2.45"
    Bottom Line:Take care of them and they WILL take care of you.
    Trusty, reliable, effective.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Rey a Weekend Warrior from Jersey City, NJ, USA
    Date Reviewed: June 5, 2004
    Favorite Trail:Hartshorne, Chimney Rock
    Duration Product Used:2 Years
    Purchased At:Came stock with my bike
    Strengths:Nice smooth feel, Stop in a dime(when it works).
    Weaknesses:Leaks from the reservour(looses power), Hard to find replacement parts
    Similar Products Used:My first Hydro brakes
    Bike Setup:KHS FXT Pro(full suspension), Rockshock Sid 100 fork, Romic shock rear, ChrisKing headset, Raceface handlebar/stem/seat post, Koobi Xenon saddle, Truvative crank, Sun Single track weel/Shimano XT hub,Kenda Charisma Tire.
    Bottom Line:My front disk brake works great(for over 2 years no maintenance needed just change brake pads this year) but my rear disk brake has been troublesome. Had been bled so many time due to lost power, it's now leaking by the reservour and I also damage the screw.
    I just change the rear break with Avid Mechanical Disk yesterday and will try it out tomorrow. I bought this break due to great reviews by other riders and also I'M TIRED OF FLUID LEEKS!!! and maintenance. Look for my review on the Avid Mechanical in a the near future.
    The Grimeca System 8 came with my bike, it works great when it works but when it doesnt like my reak leaking during my last ride(lost 80% of breaking power) I end up on a ditch cause my front break did all the stoping.
    I'll give it 4 chills for stoping power when it works but overall 3 chills due to problem I had with this break.
    Value Rating:3Overall Rating:3

    Submitted by Mike a Cross Country Rider from CA, USA
    Date Reviewed: May 18, 2004
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Price Paid: $150.00
    Purchased At:LBS
    Strengths:Great stopping power, easy to bleed and adjust, easy to get parts (use the shimano XT 756 or SRAM for extras)
    Weaknesses:Fades quickly on Downhills (6" rotors)
    Similar Products Used:Shimano Deore cable, Suntour V
    Bottom Line:These are some of the best brakes i have ever tested, excellent if you are not going down a massive downhill (System 12 required ;)) The people with the broken bleed screws, first understand what "torque" means. It doesnt need 50lbs/foot! Second, going to the local AutoZone/Home Depot its called a Easy Out. Parts are easy to find, just go to your LBS and ask for the Shimano XT 756 or SRAM parts, its all the same! Recommend to anyone!
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by John a from Pasadena
    Date Reviewed: April 9, 2004
    Favorite Trail:el prieto
    Duration Product Used:2 Years
    Price Paid: $180.00
    Purchased At:Came with the bike
    Strengths:Great modulation. Wouldn't trade them for anything when they work.
    Weaknesses:Can't trade them for anything when they don't work. Takes a minor miracle to get them repaired.
    Similar Products Used:Formula mechanical discs
    Bike Setup:Titus Switchblade, XT drive train, Rolf hubs and rims
    Bottom Line:Several local shops are refusing to repair them anymore. I am now an offical member of the "half the broken off bleed screw in my hand, half embedded in the caliper" club. If you don't have 2 bikes and work for the factory, I'd look elsewhere. I do, I don't and I am.
    Value Rating:2Overall Rating:1

    Submitted by Igor a Weekend Warrior from Lynn, MA
    Date Reviewed: January 6, 2004
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Price Paid: $80.00
    Purchased At:Online
    Strengths:High quality,
    Excellent modulation/lever feel,
    Comfy lever and nice looking caliper,
    Stainless steel lines with soft outing.
    Weaknesses:If it's red, paint strips easily like with any other DOT fluid.
    Cannot turn bike upside down
    Similar Products Used:Hayes (SUCK!)
    Magura Clara (good)
    Magura Louise (very good)
    Bike Setup:BigHit with MonsterT, System12 and System8 brakes.
    Bottom Line:Great brakes for the buck. LEARN HOW TO PUMP brakes people who have problems! If you buy them, make sure that the bolts on the lever that hold top cover have flat head. Easy to install, setup. 4 chiilis cause you can't turn the bike upside down. Just to give you an idea: I pump my brakes about once in 2 months (I enjoy doing that, it's my hobby!), and completely change fluid once in 6-8 months.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Billy Wraga a Cross Country Rider from Athens Ga
    Date Reviewed: November 20, 2003
    Favorite Trail:My friends mountain house
    Duration Product Used:6 months
    Price Paid: $90.00
    Purchased At:Jenson
    Strengths:Incredible stopping power for the price I paid. Cool red paint.
    Weaknesses:In the georgia heat the rear caliper locks up, evan after being re-bled by the local shop pros, twice! Rides well in winter though.
    Similar Products Used:pathetic Shimano Deore mechanical discs
    Bike Setup:2000 limited edition shwinn mesa disc with my on cutom build including Chris King hubs, and headset XT drive train, Marzocchi air fork
    Bottom Line:I think that my rear caliper could just have a factory defect because the front stops like a dream. If you've never tried disc brakes, then i recomend these. I think most disc brakes are the same its all just personal preference. Or maybe I'm just crazy. Oh well.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Mike a Cross Country Rider from Sheffield / South Yorshire / ENG
    Date Reviewed: October 4, 2003
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Purchased At:Came on the bike / James JE Cycles
    Strengths:Easy to Bleed, looses heat well and very responsive. These brakes have great stopping power particularly for those steep, tough and technical downhill sections. All round performance impressive, good design but most of all judging by the performance they are good value for money.

    Weaknesses:Tends to rub occasionally but only on the front caliper. Despite several attempts to solve this I’m still non-the wiser, can anybody help?
    Bike Setup:Claud Butler - Olympus, XT gear set, Grimeca disk brakes, Vuelta USA XPR Aero Plus wheels (Bomb Proof, Even tried and tested by driving over them in my car, not even a scratch) Sella Italia saddle, Thomson Elite seat post, Rock Shox Judy XC folks, next to be changed but quite impressed for the price, Easton bars, Intergrated Cane Creek ZST headset and Thomson stem.
    Bottom Line:Over all im pretty impressed with the all round performance of these brakes over any terrain, steep, flat, rough or technical. These brakes have saved my bacon on many occasions but have almost killed me several times too. I still plan on getting some Hope, but I shall be putting these on my girlfriends just in case I want them back.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by pete a Downhiller from christchurch
    Date Reviewed: August 19, 2003
    Favorite Trail:fire brakes/dazzis track
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Price Paid: $200.00
    Purchased At:chain reaction cycles
    Strengths:pre blead, damn easy to mount, cheap pads
    Weaknesses:small amount of rubbing, a frend of mine with the same brake found that the extender for a 200mm bracket placed the caliper to close to the rotor, short cable if i had bigger forx it wouldnt fit
    Similar Products Used:hope m4
    Bike Setup:scott jump bike hard tail / mazzochi dirt jumper3's
    Bottom Line:good brake in action and disapates heat real well but coming from v's OH MY GOD YES
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by jdl8r a Cross Country Rider from sanD
    Date Reviewed: August 11, 2003
    Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
    Strengths:Great feedback and stopping power...
    Weaknesses:Mechanical expertise and maintenance
    Similar Products Used:Shim
    Bottom Line:First off - most mtb riders don't know much about hydraulic brakes [take this from a X-motoX-er]. These brakes are fantastic at stopping - provide incredible feedback and are quality built.

    However, they are less durable then a pair of standard pad brakes AND require some knowledge and mechanical ability.

    Without proper bleeding - the brakes won't work. Without regular bleeding and/or maintenance - they'll weaken over time.

    So if you have the know-how - these are fantastic brakes for the bling. Otherwise stick to diapers and standard pad brakes.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Marcu Bogdan a Downhiller from Romania, Bucharest
    Date Reviewed: July 19, 2003
    Favorite Trail:Babele-Sinaia
    Duration Product Used:6 months
    Price Paid: $150.00
    Purchased At:friend
    Strengths:Very good brake power, good design .
    Weaknesses:The air bleeding screw broke , cable leek, and the lever eventualy broke .
    Similar Products Used:Shimano Deore Hydraulic 2 piston
    Bike Setup:Longway aluminium frame, disc brake shimano deore, rst fork.
    Bottom Line:It is a good brake when it works ... the problem is that they broke very easyly ... the bleeding screw is a nighmare, i`ve seen about 3 brakes from grimeca with the same problem. Buy anything else if you plan to use it for longer than 1 month.
    Value Rating:1Overall Rating:1

    Submitted by jubjub a Weekend Warrior from Perth, Australia
    Date Reviewed: June 28, 2003
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Price Paid: $400.00
    Purchased At:entrepreneur
    Strengths:cheap to buy, look good.
    Weaknesses:No power, hard to find & very expensive parts, leaks, flimsy......all bad really.
    Similar Products Used:Hayes, Hope, magura
    Bike Setup:i-drive, psylos, XT, magura GustavM
    Bottom Line:If someone offers you these, just walk away. Parts backup is non existent in Aust- I finally gave up when the flimsy bleeder screw snapped in the caliper body. Owning and maintaining these brakes are like a migrane which never ceases.
    Value Rating:1Overall Rating:1

    Submitted by Pablo a Cross Country Rider from So. Cal.
    Date Reviewed: June 2, 2003
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Strengths:Once problems were resolved (see below) the brakes seem to work well.
    Comfortable levers and modulation feel.
    Brake pad replacement is easy, and once the calipers are lined up, no brake adjustment has been needed.
    Weaknesses:Initially there were many. Brakes came on my bike, and the brake fluid was leaking from the levers, causing the paint to peel off.
    Additionally, the rear caliper was slightly leaking fluid from the bleed screw.
    I sent the brakes back to the distributor (Vuelta) and the levers were replaced with newer versions which have not leaked or caused me any problems. (yet?)
    However it took an email to the manufacturer (in Italy) to get the distributor to replace the rear caliper. (this took time and caused frustration).
    To be honest, I'm not sure how much better they are, or are not, from V-brakes, since I went from an old bike with cantelever brakes to these disk brakes. (never really rode much on V's).
    That said, if they aren't any better than V-brakes, probably don't need the extra weight, and potential headache.
    Bike Setup:KHS Team ST (great frame)
    Bottom Line:While disk brakes look pretty sexy, I spent a lot of time dealing with the distributor/manufacturer trying to get the brakes to a satisfactory level.
    Since getting the brake issues resolved, I have not had any problems to speak of and have been satisfied. (I hope it stays that way)
    Value Rating:3Overall Rating:3

    Submitted by CrazyFred a Racer from Wyckoff, NJ
    Date Reviewed: May 29, 2003
    Duration Product Used:More than 3 years
    Price Paid: $200.00
    Purchased At:pedrofest
    Strengths:These brakes are crazy cool because they look crazy and they stop crazy and they modulate crazy and they are well........crazy
    Weaknesses:I will admit they are crazy weak. I do not believe they are the same as shimano XT because they use different fluid (crazy) and anyone who is even a little detail oriented can look at both brakes and determine that there are several subtle differences in the casting. I may be wrong, but I challenge anyone to provide EVIDENCE beyond a casual observation.
    Similar Products Used:Magura Clara (crazy unreliable)
    Bike Setup:Crazy Cannondale w/ lefty MAX, super crazy xtr stuff, lp crazy composite riser bar,
    Bottom Line:I'm upgrading to crazy XTR because these stoppers are crazy heavy. They leaked crazy DOT3 brake fluid and the paint was stripped off the levers (crazy uncool). I you ride crazy fast and NEVER crash than these brakes are for you because they performed crazy awesome super. But, beware because if you crash your brakes will be crazy broken. Three crazy doodies
    Value Rating:3Overall Rating:3

    Submitted by Rick P a Weekend Warrior from Ontario Canada
    Date Reviewed: May 23, 2003
    Favorite Trail:DIRT!
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Price Paid: $300.00
    Purchased At:Local shop
    Strengths:Stoping power is there on tough technical decents and just about any where else.
    Weaknesses:Not sure yet.
    Bike Setup:Santa Cruz Superlight, Grimeca 8 disc, Bontrager-Race cranks,wheel set,seat,riser bar. Rock Shox Phsylo sl front, fox float rear. XTR rear XT front derailer. Easton50 stem, BackWoods Panaracer tires, Time pedals.
    Bottom Line:You know I really can't say if they are the best or not. All I know is that they came with the bike after not wanting them on the bike cause all I really wanted was LX V brakes. It so happened that they sold me the bike with them on it and I haven't had a complaint yet. I have a Cannondale hard tail with LX V brakes on them from 96 and they stop me just the same in any conditions. The difference is the feel and that they are newer. I love them and hopefully they love me. They look great and you know I wouldn't have it any other way!.....Ride Hard Or Go Home, No Babies Aloud!...I gave it 4 Chilis cause I really haven't tried enough to give it a full 5 all around!, Now Go RIDE like HELL!
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Alex Wing a Downhiller from ColoradoSprings, co, usa
    Date Reviewed: May 19, 2003
    Favorite Trail:pipeline
    Duration Product Used:2 Years
    Price Paid: $100.00
    Strengths:cheap, easy to bleed
    Weaknesses:everything. I've had 4 of these brakes, plus my friends have had them.ive gone through 2 levers, one cable and a rotor, all over lame-ass crashes
    Similar Products Used:hayes, avid mech.
    Bottom Line:These brakes are cheap crap. they can't handle crashes, dont even work when they arent broken, and have no accesories if you do break them. don't waste your $$$ and buy anything else but grimeca
    Value Rating:1Overall Rating:1

    Submitted by Apes Crew a from NYC
    Date Reviewed: March 21, 2003
    Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
    Price Paid: $180.00
    Purchased At:Ebay
    Strengths:When they work, they are great. But they never work.
    Weaknesses:EVERYTHING! I have ridden them about 6 times and once on dirt. Problems from the get go; the cylinders leaked in shipping requiring an immediate rebleed. This also stripped the paint off the lever/cylinder bodies. The front brake worked fine at first, then I rode dirt and the damn thing was fuct! Tried to bleed it myself so that I could avoid another $30 charge to have someone else do it and the screws stripped out! Rear brake managed to consistenly rub against the disc from day one. ALso the lever feel was terrible, as if there was no sort of return spring. Plus it faded super fast. I hate these brake, they are one of the more subpar products I have ever used in my life.
    Similar Products Used:Hayes
    Bottom Line:Screw'em
    Value Rating:1Overall Rating:1

    Submitted by Joel a Weekend Warrior from Canada BC
    Date Reviewed: January 18, 2003
    Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
    Price Paid: $150.00
    Purchased At:John Henry
    Strengths:The hose is pretty tough
    Weaknesses:The entire system. These are not brakes, these are a joke. Over a period of 1 month I've, bled them 8 times, replaced the lever 3 times (kept breaking, first time it was due to a crash, after that.. it seems it was programmed to break), replaced the adjuster pin barrell in the lever (I dunno what its called) 4 times. It kept stripping out .. weak material. Finaly .. the bleed screw snapped off.
    Similar Products Used:Nothing is as crappy as this product
    Bike Setup:setup on a 02 Launch. Purchased frame only and built it up.
    Bottom Line:If your looking to throw away some cash on crap then I would suggest Grimeca. If you've got money to spend then go with Hope or Shimano, Hayes too. Please .. for the love of God, DO NOT waste your money on Grimeca Disc brakes.
    Value Rating:1Overall Rating:1

    Submitted by gabriel a Downhiller from San Jose, Ca, U.S.A.
    Date Reviewed: December 31, 2002
    Favorite Trail:Mailbox
    Duration Product Used:2 Years
    Price Paid: $220.00
    Purchased At: seattle bike supply
    Strengths:Very Good Modulation,Not as hard hitting as hayes, Comfortable feeling, Easy to change pads,
    Weaknesses:NOT SO EASY TO BLEED.Bleed screw can break off inside caliper
    Similar Products Used:HAYES
    Bike Setup:cannondale sv500, marzocchi Jr.T, azonic bars, stiffy stem,fox float RL, grimeca disk brakes,XTR rear derailler,MRP guide system,raceface right side crank,xt left side crank(broke left raceface crank)
    Bottom Line:great if you buy in pairs,at $220 for both of them including the hoses, the fluid, the rotors,At least I bought them together other wize I would have gotten XT
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:3

    Submitted by Tony a Cross Country Rider from Boulder, CO
    Date Reviewed: December 29, 2002
    Favorite Trail:Moab Rim
    Duration Product Used:2 Years
    Strengths:Nice modulation, Easy to set up, Easy to change pads
    Weaknesses:Squeal, No more powerful than V-Brakes, Rapid pad wear, weak lever, hard to bleed, can't store bike upside down, rotor warps easily, SQUEAL horribly loud when wet.
    Similar Products Used:Hayes Hydro, Hope M4, Deore Hydro, Shimano XT
    Bike Setup:Diamondback XR4 with Psylo Race
    Bottom Line:I've had a love/hate relationshipd with these brakes. I like disc brakes because they work consistently no matter how dirty or wet your tires and rims. The Grimeca's were my first disc brake. I like the way they look and it is fun to have something a little bit rare. However, when you break your lever off in your first crash, you will not be so happy about the exclusivity. At least now there is a good website that has parts http://www.trident-sports-usa.com/generic15.html I had to wait 6 months (reinstalled V-brakes) before I found somebody who could help me get the exact parts I need. I also was able to completely wear out a set of brake pads in 1 weekend at Moab. Pads get pretty expensive if you're buying them every week. I gotta say, that Hayes is the way to go, every shop stocks parts and the pads last a lot longer.
    Value Rating:3Overall Rating:3

    Submitted by S. Mann a Weekend Warrior from Cali
    Date Reviewed: December 9, 2002
    Favorite Trail:Anytrail that my wife is not on
    Duration Product Used:6 months
    Price Paid: $165.00
    Purchased At:www.trident-sport-usa.com
    Strengths:This review is for the system 12
    Weaknesses:How much time do you have?
    stainless steel fittings will snap like a pretzel, poor instructions at best
    Similar Products Used:Hayes hydros w/ 6" rotors
    Bike Setup:Giant Ds1 warp, race face cranks, rock shock phsylo, Grimeca (Vuelta) DH wheelset
    Bottom Line:To be fair, I belive that Grimeca has adressed many of the problems that the system 8 had. For instance, I didn't feel like I needed to bleed the brake out of the box. The only thing that they failed fix, is the pretzel hose they use. On a steep, rocky hill, I went over the bars (at a very low speed) and the bike flipped over to the side, twisting the handlebars around. When I picked up my bike, the cable was snapped at the banjo fitting next to the resivor. So basically, the weight of the bike was enough pressure to snap the line. I couldn't belive it because it was such a lame crash, I wouldn't even call it a crash. I went back to web site that I bought the brake and they contacted the tech rep in California. He said that basically it was an installation issue,(or my fault) Here is the email I got:
    (trident-sport-usa)I told you that I would check with the head tech man at the Grimeca importer (Vuelta USA) in CA. Here is what he has to say:

    (grimeca tech)To be honest, it does not sound like a warranty problem; this is the first time I have heard of this type of product failure. This tends to indicate that installation is the most likely cause of the product failure. Typically, rear brake hose length is 1500 mm or so, and the brake lever is installed at about a 45-degree angle (relative to a flat surface); the banjo fitting at the master cylinder/brake lever runs out in a (more or less) straight line from the lever and riders or mechanics usually carefully adjust that fitting by slightly loosening the hollow fitting bolt and moving the hose angle up/down as needed, and not by very much, because the lever angle can be adjusted instead. The hose, its fittings and mount bolts are stainless steel.

    All that considered -- and the fact that we have some pro downhill teams that use System 12 without having this type of problem -- it bears repeating how unlikely this kind of product failure is. This is, of course, not what the customer wants to hear. But, unless there's proof otherwise, this is the only conclusion I can come to.

    (I felt like asking him if he had ever heard of MTBR.com!)
    of course if you can figure out anything he just said, the fist question I have is why isn't that in the instructions? (because it's not)

    So anyway, its $50 for a new hose from them. But, there is good news, a sales rep for Jensonusa.com named Scott, told me that Grimeca brakes are the same as Shimano so I could purchase a new hose made by shimano and it would work. The best part is that the hose cost 9.95 and it is stainless steel braded.

    The bottome line after all that, If I had my $165 again I would have bought Hayes. The people at trident-sport-usa.com have exellent costomer service, (and they sell more than grimeca) but I would'nt sell grimeca, their products and their customer service are grim at best. (This season I also purchased a set of their DH wheels with cool anodized red rims, and the rear hub is gone!) 1 season!!!!NOT COOL!

    Value Rating:2Overall Rating:2

    Submitted by MATT a Downhiller from DILLION CO USA
    Date Reviewed: November 20, 2002
    Duration Product Used:2 Years
    Strengths:Will absolutly stop you!! Great modulation, great lever feel, and despite what you think the feel is very adjustable. Rotors in 160,180, and 200mm
    Weaknesses:The first realeases had some master cylinder leakage, the company has since redesigned it and it is improved.
    Similar Products Used:Hayes, Hope, formula, avid, and shimano
    Bike Setup:Tomac 204, Boxxer, Pofile cranks, Nokian tires, Thomson, Mavic.
    Bottom Line:BUY THESE BRAKES!!!! They will give you plenty of power, feel, and trouble free service.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by dex a Weekend Warrior from central valley,ca.
    Date Reviewed: October 4, 2002
    Duration Product Used:2 Years
    Price Paid: $210.00
    Purchased At:supergo
    Strengths:modulation,weight and price!
    Weaknesses:crashed one time the 90 degree connector on the lever broke loose brake fluid leaked all over and i didnt have brakes!
    Similar Products Used:nona
    Bike Setup:souped up super v
    Bottom Line:all in all a good product never lost power under normal mechanical working order been using it in light downhill runs no problems for the whole time i had it!
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Arik a Downhiller from Arcata
    Date Reviewed: October 2, 2002
    Favorite Trail:couch, sunny brea, red gate
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Price Paid: $79.00
    Purchased At:jensonUSA (these guys rock)<