[TigWorld]

Just got a set of these Hygia SLP brakes for $200. With stainless braided hoses they are not exactly light. The complete set came in at 768g incl. rotor bolts, mounting bolts and post rear mount adapter for 160mm.

Front brake assembly weighs 246g:

Rear weighs 275g:

Rotors weigh 80g:

So from a weight weenie point of view the only thing decent weight-wise are the rotors.

It is possible to shed almost 120g off the set with the following mods: use shimano post mount adapter (18g), Ti rotor and mounting bolts, A2Z ultralight pads (use XTR version), Jagwire Hyflow hose and aluminum clamp bolts. Total cost for this is less than $100 and brings the weight down to 650g for a total outlay of around $300. That'll get you to within 80g of Formula R1 setup for about half the price.

Performance wise the brakes are powerful with good modulation. Better power and modulation than XTs and Avid Elixer CRs, much more power than older XTRs. I haven't ridden Formula R1 or the newer XTRs so can't give a comparison there.

The levers are the only part of the brake system that seem a bit "cheap". They're made of pressed aluminium. At 8g each they are certainly light, but I've already bent one in crash.

I've just started the process of making some replacement levers in carbon fiber. For the initial set I'm aiming to increase strength without additional weight. So far the results are good. An 8g carbon lever is incredibly strong, so something in the 6g range will probably still be plenty strong and durable. Here's the first lever:

Test mounting:

The lever looks a bit "rough" as it doesn't have the final clearcoat. Once that's on the carbon weave will shine through. I'm in two minds at the moment about whether to clear coat the levers or leave them with the matt industrial look.

More info on making the levers here and more info on the Hygia SLP brakes themselves here.

 

[stig]

Excellent post! Thanks for the useful info!

 

[the mayor]

Nice write up and great job on the lever.
I have a set of these in transit for a 2nd bike....and have already ordered the bolts from Toronto Cycles.They also have the lighter pads and Adapters.

 

[Kaizer]

Hi Tigworld, nice job on the CF levers! Wondering if you're selling those? And would you be able to custom length it for extra leverage ratio?

 

[TigWorld]

Thanks for the nice comments.

Sorry, I won't be selling the CF levers. From what I learned making the first set, I'll make a second spare set with a slightly refined and improved process. With all of the tricky bits ironed out it should be possible for just about anyone to crank out their own set. Keep an eye on my Carbon fibre brake lever DIY article which I'll update with the improved process.

Hopefully Hygia will start making CF levers for the SLP. They already have a CF option for the Elites.

Here's a finished lever with its final 2 part gloss polyurethane protective coat:

 

[TigWorld]

Just a quick update as we've had some seriously wet weather over the last couple of days and it looks like its settling in for the rest of the week!

The brakes have continued to perform well in the mud and rain. No squeal or funny noises other than the usual "grit grind" that you get when the rotors are dirty just as you apply the brakes. Initial bite in the wet is slightly less, but in a fraction of a second the brakes clean out and then you get close to full power and modulation back again. This is probably more a function of the open design rotors than anything else.

 

[TigWorld]

Just a quick update after almost 7 months and around 4000km offroad on these brakes.

They continue to perform really well. Braking power and modulation are both great. Only a few negatives:

1. combined with ultralight rotors like the Alligator Aries, the brakes are prone to fade on really big long descents where you are constantly dragging the brakes to stop speeds from getting out of control. Riding downhill or super-D runs I have never experienced any sort of fade, but descend 1000m vertical metres down a loose and rutted fire trail where you are on the brakes continuously to maintain control and fade becomes an issue;
2. when they get hot, the brakes "pump up" and the lever engagement point comes in earlier - this is more likely to occur with contaminated brake fluid;
3. riding these over winter time in rain and mud has required a full brake fluid change very 3 months, and even then the fluid has come out grey and contaminated looking. This seems fairly high maintenance, but I do ride a lot of km's in all conditions.

I've just switched over to using 2012 XX HSX rotors for wet weather riding. They really work well with the SLP's albeit at a 20g weight penalty per wheel. I'm not that happy with the Alligator Aries in the wet. The stock Hygia rotors performed better, but the XX rotors are much much better.

 

[MaLoL1]

hello Tig World, I have a question for you;

How the hell did you mounted the hygia slp needle and bushings (olives) on the discobrakes hose? didn't you realise that discobrake hose has a too small inner diameter for hygia slp needles? Maybe this is why you are having such a bad performance. I bought those hoses because of your website, and then I realised that they don't work... this make me think about how much credibility I should give to your testing comments. I´m sorry for that but it's how it seems to me...

By the way, I have a spare brand new set of Hygia SLP disc brakes lying at home never opened, what should I do with it? I´m thingking about returning it to the seller, but if anyone wants to give them a try, I´m open to sell them. I also have spare slp red reservour caps, and spare pads available. I also have spare needles and bushings for anyone in the need of these...

 

[TigWorld]

hello Tig World, I have a question for you;

How the hell did you mounted the hygia slp needle and bushings (olives) on the discobrakes hose?

I used this tool:

Maybe this is why you are having such a bad performance.

Where have I said that I'm "having such a bad performance"? The brakes perform great but like any product there are some negatives that after riding them for more than 6 months I thought it might benefit others to hear about.

... this make me think about how much credibility I should give to your testing comments. I´m sorry for that but it's how it seems to me...

Don't give it any credibility. I've only shared what I've actually done. If you can't get it to work then feel free to post up your own information on how it doesn't work.

 

[Veda]

Don't give it any credibility. I've only shared what I've actually done. If you can't get it to work then feel free to post up your own information on how it doesn't work.

Lots of people here would give opinions based on indirect experience or just outright baseless remark. Then again experimentation costs pretty $ and bike parts ain't cheap. Thanks for the detailed info on this product.

 

[MaLoL1]

I used this tool:

Where have I said that I'm "having such a bad performance"? The brakes perform great but like any product there are some negatives that after riding them for more than 6 months I thought it might benefit others to hear about.

Don't give it any credibility. I've only shared what I've actually done. If you can't get it to work then feel free to post up your own information on how it doesn't work.

-Fluid replacement in 3 months is what i call bad brakes performance.

-discobrake hose is certainly not suitable with hygia needles. for sure if you push hard you can fit it in; as the expression says: "with some effort and spitting, the elephant fa-cked the ant" but you know, it's quite a wrong mix of components if you ask me. Too big needle can damage the portion of hose in contact with the needle, destroying it a bit, maybe that is why you have to replace liquid so often, and why it's dirty. bad setup brings bad performace, anyway, i´m sure you will disagree with all i just said.

best regards.

 

[TigWorld]

Got a chance to weigh the front brake complete with new pads - 198g.

 

[3Ronin]

is that weight comparison fair ? it looks like you have different hardware, different hoses and different levers

 

[TigWorld]

is that weight comparison fair ? it looks like you have different hardware, different hoses and different levers

What "weight comparison"? Stock weight is at start of thread. I didn't think this needed spelling out in full. Tuning article here (or clicking on the pic above) indicates what was changed.

 

[3Ronin]

oh cool, i didnt see the whole write up, nice work.

 

[TigWorld]

No worries. I've also done a little write-up on giving the SLP's a full service. I started to get uneven pad wear indicative of a sticking piston on the front caliper so I gave them a complete overhaul. The caliper piston seals were fine, just needed a clean and some rubber grease to prevent the sticking piston. The master cylinder piston was showing signs of scuffing the bore due to dirt getting in from the outside. I replaced it with a spare I got from the Hygia online store.

We've had one of the wettest years on record so this has meant these brakes have seen around 50 rides in the mud and rain since I got them. The soil here is highly abrasive, so everything has a pretty hard life if its wet and higher levels of maintenance are required.

 

[Satanpez]

The Hygia olives did not work for me with the discobrake hose. I didn't have the fancy alligator tool (it's way expensive).

The discobrake olives actually worked well with my Hygia Usagi brakes. They look like they may not work but they seal.

There's another huge thread on these brakes.

-Steve in NJ

 

[TigWorld]

I've updated my article on Tuning the SLPs to include a warning about the discobrakes hose. It's possible that the discobrakes hose you guys are buying now is different to the hose that I bought 6+ months ago.

Has anyone tried any other lightweight hoses? The Hygia website now has some coloured replacement hoses for sale. Anyone tried those?

 

[tgreathead]

Thanks for the great writeup TigWorld, I'm this close to ordering a set of Hygias but I'm still deciding between the Elite, Usagi & SLP. I'm confused though since your SLP's have the pad adjustment screw and the SLP's pictured on the Hygua site don't have it. Do you know if they removed it in the new version?
From their site:

HYGIA-HYDRAULIC-BRAKES,The best disc brake for mountain bike,bicycle components

 

[tgreathead]

Nevermind, that must be the only picture that doesn't have the pad adjustment screw, in their store it has it.