They all suck, but the 3's seem just as good as the 5's.I've had 3,5,7,ultimates and now I'm running Hope's. Hope brakes are 100 times better.
Avid Juicy 3 opinions
I'm getting my AM Flite bike and it comes with Juicy 3's. I've read some pretty bad stuff about them.
Are they really that bad?
Should I just upgrade them right away?
Are they really that bad?
Should I just upgrade them right away?
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
Don't worry about upgrading them right away use them and see what you think. I personally hate my Juicy 5's with a passion.:madmax:
Juicy 3's came on my STP, I was used to Shimano XT M765 brakes (the older type not the servo wave), anyhow the J3's didn't seem that bad, modulation wasn't as good as shimano and I didn't like the big fat brake lever (woman with smallish hands so probably something to do with it). The braking power was fine, but I ended up getting shimano's anyway because of personal preference and also ease of maintenance.
Just try them out, besides you probably won't get that much more for them selling as a brand new take off compared to selling as barely used off new bike?
Just try them out, besides you probably won't get that much more for them selling as a brand new take off compared to selling as barely used off new bike?
Try them before you start thinking of upgrading them. They're decent brakes; nothing fancy, but they're solid.
They aren't bad, but mine definitely required a bleed before I found them acceptable in use. I was pulling the lever into the handlebars whenever I had the bike pointed upwards.
The Juicy's are so bad it's absolutely scary. I had them on my folding bike,after removing from my 29er. Admitedly a 29er has larger and heavier wheels so if the brakes appeared to have inadequate stopping power I thought maybe it was simply a question of application.
Those things were worse than the front V-Brake that came with my folding bicycle. Sure I had good lever pull but it doesn't mean much without any stopping power.
Of course I went to the opposite extreme and installed Code 5's and the improvement was dramatic to say the least.
Back to the Juicy 3's however even a set of Avid BB7 mechanical brakes would be better. I have two bikes equipped with the BB7's and they're really much better than the Juicy 3's, one of them is 29er btw.
The BB7's do have one drawback if you're very tired and your grip strength is low they can be a real pain compared to hydraulic brakes.
Those things were worse than the front V-Brake that came with my folding bicycle. Sure I had good lever pull but it doesn't mean much without any stopping power.
Of course I went to the opposite extreme and installed Code 5's and the improvement was dramatic to say the least.
Back to the Juicy 3's however even a set of Avid BB7 mechanical brakes would be better. I have two bikes equipped with the BB7's and they're really much better than the Juicy 3's, one of them is 29er btw.
The BB7's do have one drawback if you're very tired and your grip strength is low they can be a real pain compared to hydraulic brakes.
I think the Juicy 3's are fine for a budget hydraulic. If bedded properly, they stop well, and have decent modulation. I had them on my first mountain bike, and they worked fine. Swapping from 160 to 185 discs helped quite a bit. I can't speak for the long term durability of them, as I only rode that bike for 6 months or so, but they were 6 trouble free months.
I got 185 rotors. Still waiting for my shock to get here to test the bike and the brakes.24v said:I think the Juicy 3's are fine for a budget hydraulic. If bedded properly, they stop well, and have decent modulation. I had them on my first mountain bike, and they worked fine. Swapping from 160 to 185 discs helped quite a bit. I can't speak for the long term durability of them, as I only rode that bike for 6 months or so, but they were 6 trouble free months.
Had nothing but trouble from mine. Both my local bike shops couldn't get the pads to stop rubbing on the rotors or prevent uneven pad wear. Buying hope tech x2s next month.
Juicy 3's came stock on my bike as well. They have "rubbed" before, but it was a simple problem to correct. I recently had a "sticky" piston issue after a year+ of riding, but that was easily fixed as well. A lot a people complain about the Juicy 3's, but they are the same design as the entire juicy lineup. Yes, other juicy have two piece calipers, split clamps, banjo fittings and contact adjust dials, but they all have the same characteristics, problem, and simple solutions.
Good entry level hydro brake. People complaining about power do not have these setup properly, or have contaminated pads. They've never have failed to stop my friend when he's ripping downhill on his Wilson.
Ride them for a while before you toss them. Build your own opinion on their quality.
Deep.
Ride them for a while before you toss them. Build your own opinion on their quality.
Deep.
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
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