Still have time to change my brakes. What disc brakes do you use?

I use Hayes Mag's.

bikin said:

My bike's spec'd but still have time to change the brakes out for another set before the build begins in a week.

I spec'd out Avid's Juicy Seven's with 6" rotors?
I weigh 230#'s and am agressive on the trails.

How much do you weigh?
What brakes do you use and swear by?
Are the Juicy Seven's good enough?

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There are parts at most shops, and are the most common in the States. I have been on the same set of Mag's for 4 years now. (8" rotor up front.)

I have the Hayes as well. A few years old. You may want to use an 8" rotor up front if your fork will allow it. Mucho stoppage. Much nicer than a 6" disc. Careful with the avids if you go with them. They havee very tricky hose installation issues plus the small parts are really hard to get right now.

The newer hayes pretty much kick ass but so I've heard that the avids do too. Go with what you like I think but seriously consider the 8" option up front or even the avid 185mm up front. It will make a huge difference at the end of downhills or under panic situations.

check out this thread too http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=34814

bikin said:

... I spec'd out Avid's Juicy Seven's with 6" rotors? ...

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I'm 230# also, ride Magura Louise FR with 180cm rotors at both ends ( but I could easily get away with 160 on the back of the bike ). I ride aggro technical trail by choice most of the time, and these brakes have never disappointed me.

Bike is 32#, fwiw.

I've ridden the Juicy 7's, and I'd endorse them as probably trail worthy BUT i'd go with a 180mm / 7" rotor on the front, maybe back too.

If you do any loooong descents you'll be happier with the larger rotor in the rear, last time I was in Moab my bike was setup with 180 front 160 rear, and the rear hub got hot enough on a couple runs to boil water. Never had that level of heat buildup with the 180 rotor.

Juicy 7's work great for my 225 pounds, but your mileage may vary.

Juicy brakes are great. Very powerful. I am currently swapping out to bigger rotors though. I found that heat and the hand power input to the 165mm rotors was a bit more than expected at 230lb. I have run a 7" front and 6" rear and liked it, but am considering going all out with a 8" front and 7" rear just to get better heat dissapation.

The juicy seven's power outshines the other 6" systems I have run (hayes, magura, avid bb). I have had one failure, but avid has remedied it.

Are the rotors on the Juicy's replaceable to a different size.
Say I have the 160mm rotors and I want to switch to the 185mm rotors...
can I do this?

I 've been spoiled by dual 8" Hayes. Anything less is just less. )-:

Evel Knievel said:

I 've been spoiled by dual 8" Hayes. Anything less is just less. )-:

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This is one-finger braking .

bikin said:

Are the rotors on the Juicy's replaceable to a different size.
Say I have the 160mm rotors and I want to switch to the 185mm rotors...
can I do this?

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Probably, IIRC the Juicy's use a similar/same brake-mount-to-caliper adapter assembly as the Avid CPS. Changing that adapter piece to a different one spaces out the caliper for a different rotor. Ask your LBS about them or look online at a couple places ( I've seen bikeman.com list the specific parts, for example ).

i've been using Hayes HFX-9's 6" rotors with no problem fro 3 months...until i changed the pads in the rear..the heat caused the rubber piston to crumble...Hayes was awesome about warranty...i sent them in and got em back in a week...no charge. I am going to upgrade to 8" in the back to help with heat cool thing about hayes all you have to do is put a 8" adapter on the caliper and presto...btw i am 195 lbs 6'2"...i do some longish very technical descents that require lots of rear brake power

I've been spoiled by dual 8" Avid Mechanicals. Anything more is just.... more complicated, more messy, more noisy, more expensive, more difficult to set-up, and more headache.
I have the Avid Mech's on 6 bikes. Wouldn't consider anothe option, they're just too good and too simple to operate and maintain.

Evel Knievel said:

I 've been spoiled by dual 8" Hayes. Anything less is just less. )-:

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I concur with the Friar. I love my Mech's and love the ease of use that comes with them.

230+ and i use both hayes(DH) and Avid J7's(trail). Both work well. Hayes are easy to work on. Still waiting for my first maint on the avids, they are due for a bleeding and hose shortening real soon though..........

Gripes:
Hayes: Lever blade washers loosen up so fast!!!! levers get all floppy, Lever reach screw backs out... easy Loc-tite fix, Pads wear fast.
Avids: None yet...... Maybe a tad soft at the lever, but maybe thats :"modulation"

Praises:
Hayes: Parts avaiability. Ease of repair. Ease of bleeding. Power when bled proper.
Avids: Great feel for trail bike. Good lever comfort. Reported ease of bleeding from well written instructions. Ease of setup.... the best!

Schecky said:

I concur with the Friar. I love my Mech's and love the ease of use that comes with them.

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I rode mechs for 2 years. My only complaints were the arm pump i'd get from pulling cable rather than pushing fluid, and having to stay on top of the maint through the winter months. Frequent cable/housing changes. Full metal jackets and shrink tubing did wonders for the lifespan.

oly,

On your Juicy's, what size rotors are you running on?

I have the 6" rotors for my trail bike. I feel they are fine for everything ive ridden so far. Ive done some good sized decents too on them........but I also have a set of 8" rotors in waiting if i decide to run them on the DH bike, or if i discover that 6" arent holding me back any more....the trick is to use less brake anyways... Speed is a drug..... i just prefer to do it with a bike rather than a white powder.

Yep, Juicy and cps use the same adapters. Juicy's come with polygon rotors, but will work with all rotors of the proper diameter and track width.

I had my first ride yesterday after reinstalling my warrantied juicy brakes and bumping up to a 203mmF/185mmR. Wow, what a difference. Modulation is definitely better and I have no problems with 1 finger braking even down the steep chutes I tried. Big rotors rule!