Comments on: MTB hydraulic disc brakes head-to-head: Avid vs. Hayes

By: element22

element22 — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:25:24 +0000

Actually I think the Venti rotors will have less clearance..Now I did muck around a bit with those rotors a while back. They do look cool…..Thats about where I stop….

What your going to have to do to make it work is clip a bit off the tab that you use to remove the pads. That tab will strike the aluminum portion of the rotor.

To make it work I used a side cutter and grinder to remove half of the tab. It works fine, just takes a bit more work removing the pad…A needle nose plyer will grab it easy enough.

By: highlander9

highlander9 — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:08:08 +0000

I want to use a 2 piece rotor for my Stroker Ace front disc brake but am worried about clearance. I noticed you pulled it off for your Stroker Trail. Do you think it would be possible for me to use a 160mm Magura Venti 2-piece for my front Stroker Ace Disc brake? The Hayes 2 piece rotor is NOT compatible with any of the Strokers (Gram, Trail or Ace), so that’s why I’m asking about the Magura Venti (if it has better clearance).

By: AK_Dan

AK_Dan — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:10:19 +0000

This posting yesterday prompted me to do a bit of research on my own disc brakes, a subject Im not really up on. Im one of them ‘if it works- dont mess with it’ kind of guys, this past fall however I was forced to look into the brakes that came with the bike I have stateside, they were a first generation Hayes Sole model. Originally all I knew was they worked a whole lot better than the center pull brakes I had been used too so all was good. But eventually it came time to replace the pads and after that I never could get them to work without making all kinds of racket, you know the kind that drives you absolutely insane and makes everyone else not want to ride with you- yea.
So these actually only came with a piston on one side that pushed the rotor into a pad secured on the other side instead of squeezing the rotor like most brakes will do. Fish at Over the Edge Sports in Fruita had a set of used Hayes he sold me, including installation which was way cool. Still Hayes but they are the El Camino model and really they are designed and look a lot like the Juicy’s pictured above, and so far they work a whole lot better than the Sole model ever did, even new. They have a couple different adjustments on them that I try not to play with too much but this thread prompted me to go download the manual for them so Ill have that going for me anyway. Im parting this bike out next month and these brakes along with the wheel set and shifters will end up on my Rockhopper in AK, which still has rim brakes. I plan to buy a new bike stateside which will start the learning process all over again, with any luck it will come with either of the brakes reviewed above as they both seem like top of the line choices.

By: Mongoose

Mongoose — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 02:23:57 +0000

Thanks for the valuable info & the work to put it together. Greatly appreciated!

By: element22

element22 — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:16:43 +0000

Hmmm ok I will think on that one….However as with everything on the planet whenever you make something for all conditions there will always be a compromise and that compromise may be of no concern to you or it may be all the world. For example a tire that is all conditions could wear quickly and as a consumer that fact may not be something you like..

For all condition tires my short list contain Nevagal 2.3, Eskar S-works 2.2, Chunder 2.2, Larsen TT and Michelin XCT AT ( a bit narrow ). Now for snow hmmmm how much snow is the big question! Up here where i live in Canada we have had in the last month 120cm

By: Suvacrew

Suvacrew — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:04:08 +0000

Tool free adjustment vs tool free pad replacement. I was referring to the pad change and the “Not as quick need tool” on the grid, because I’ll agree the juicy needs some tools and the allen wrench for the indexed shifter isn’t always a normal one for bike tool clusters. I use the FCS Fin tool from my surfboard set screws.
Thanks for the article..and for the response.
Now we need an article on my most hated topic….AM/XC tires that can go AM all seasons of the year!!
Cheers.

By: element22

element22 — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:52:48 +0000

Oh I would also like to thanks for reading the article..

By: element22

element22 — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:47:48 +0000

Actually i do like Hayes however thanks for reminding me of the fact of the matchmaker, that i did miss but if check carefully there is nothing that really says who is better. Both manufactures make a good product. When i was talking about tool free adjustment i was mentioning the Lever not the contact of the pads. Also you also have to remember that i am evaluating the brake and the matchmaker feature only works if you use Sram not Shimano. As far as the ambidextrous feature you don’t have to do a thing for Hayes, just flip and go.
Both brands have their respective strong points, give both a try and see for yourself…Now as I stated there are things that can be done that will really improve both brands. Changing rotors or fluids as well as changing hoses all are things that can be done to make a stellar brake set.
With brakes and how they fell that for a rider is a personal thing some like the on off feeling others like a more progressive feel. Neither one is right or wrong.
One thing that i really like about your brake set is that the finish on the carbon lever is great and it makes for a stiffer lever as well.

By: Suvacrew

Suvacrew — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 21:10:17 +0000

Element,
I take it..you are a Hayes rider, as the spec grid seemed biased, with some items in error or just not present. So this is coming from a juicy carbon rider. Juicy 7s are absolutely tool free pad replacement…basically take off your full finger gloves and you’ve got the tools at hand. The juicy is ambidextrous, if you want to switch and go moto set-up, just put the contact adjust knob on the flip side of the lever. They are also Split Clamp/MatchMaker compatible, making for a tight and tidy cockpit when mated to SRAM shifters..so it all tucks away. Pad Contact-Point Adjustment can be done on the fly with the red knob on the lever…a great option when faced with long epic rides where obstacles abound and a known travel is warranted. The juicy, using their proprietary bleed kit is truly drip free and easy to do and the advent of the G2 Cleansweep rotors has eradicated the much maligned squeal that older Juicys were guilty of. The best upgrade for any Juicy is to make sure you have a G2 rotor and at least a 185mm up front.

Cheers mate