Hydraulic Disc Brakes Some Info Needed

[MacB]

Any general info useful but I do have some specific requirements around something I'm trying out. It means that the brake lever must have a two bolt or hinged clamp to work. So far the best I've come up with is the Deore M595, complete with rotors, for £120 from Merlin...these are the requirements I'm looking at, but I'd be happy to be educated on any of it:-

clamp - prefer hinged over two bolt as the least amount of protrusion above the bar the better, hence the Deore over the SLX

fluid - the hydraulic set I have is the Tektro Auriga that uses mineral oil, for some reason I'm drawn to mineral oil over DOT fluid but not based on any actual knowledge

rotors - road use only so 160 front and rear should be fine, anything else I need to consider, ie are some makes more likely to be true, last longer, etc

pads - ease of replacement(tool less), availability, I naturally lean towards sintered as I consider rotors, as long as they're not too expensive, disposable items

maintenance - I'd like to get a set that come pre bled etc, just ready to go on bike. But if, and when maintenance is required I'd like it to be as easy as possible. Fit and forget would be nice though

performance - I have very limited hydraulic disc experience but remember this set is for road only use, with road tyres, so super dooper downhill capability not a requirement

lever blade - I don't see detail on length of blade but would like to get longer, rather than shorter, if possible, or can you change them after the fact? The brake position will be about 2/3rds of the way along a grip area to allow braking from front of grip area, the longer the blade the easier it will be from the rear position

value - I don't want to get anything uber expensive but I don't want to go so low end that I'm always hankering to upgrade or constantly having to tinker...the weight is not a factor within reason.

Oh, and anything else that I've missed out as I know naff all on this subject....cheers

 

[spence]

Buy Hope. Meet most but not all your requirements (DOT fluid) BUT they just work and keep on working.

 

[GilesM]

I'd agree about Hope brakes, however they will be £120 atleast an end, not £120 the set, at that price I would look at Avids, Chain reaction are doing the Avid Elixir 3 Disc Brake for 60 to 70 quid per end right now, I think the lever clamp is hinged, but best to confirm that first.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=54690

Avid Juicy 3s are also very good and a wee bit cheaper, but I think the lever clamp is just a single bolt clamp with no hinge, however it is a very slim lever so it might fit, depending on what you are up to.
As for your other thoughts/questions, I wouldn't worry about mineral oil or the normal DOT 4 or 5.1, both work well, and they will come already ready bleed, plug and play, they require very little maintenance, pads are the only things you ever need to replace and for the road, they will last a long time and are very easy to replace, a pair of thin nose pliers. If you ever need to bleed the brakes, just buy, steal or borrow the proper bleed kit and it really is a very easy job. The performance of all of the decent brand hydraulic disc braks is so good compared to good rim brakes that you will just think corr blimey they're really good. I have a couple of friends who use the Avid Juciy 3s for good off road stuff and they have no problems. Rotors, 160 or 180/185 will be fine. I had a set of Hope mono minis with160 front, 140 rear on a hardtail for a few years, on and off road, lots of good trails, and it was only as I got more confident on some off road descents that I was starting to get near their limit, this obviously depends on your weight, I'm around 11stone. For the length of the lever blade you'll have to go onto the manufacturers website and down load the tech stuff.

IHTH

 

[MacB]

Interesting, Hope may be beyond my price range, though I have bought a lot of their kit, I'll have a further look at them.

As said my knowledge is limited but my reading had me shying away from anything but the top level Avids, the lower models get a lot of bad press on forums, and MTBR in particular.

So no love for the Deores then? I've read nothing but good about them, in an all round performer sort of way.

Keep it coming folks I've got plenty of procrastination left in me yet

 

[MacB]

Oh, by the way, my other option is sticking with the BB7s and buying new levers with an open clamp design, I've found a few options. It's just the lever I liked was £40 a pair and I sort of weighed that up against £120 for a full set of Deores and then I can either use the BB7s elsewhere or sell them, as they're unused at present.

 

[Muddy Ground]

I went to buy Hope from my LBS and they had nothing but negative comments about them; seem to require constant fettling. Personally I find this hard to believe - I've had Hope in the past with no problems, and I've yet to hear a negative comment on the trail. The 595's sometimes get stick in the magazines, yet my riding friends are happy with the performance. The only negative with Shimano is that it seems it's easier to buy a whole new brake rather than repair an existing one - something that'll never be a problem with Hope.

For road use it has been commented that the winter salt isn't good for them at all, so you may not get away with them being fit and forget.

Personally I'd go for the Avids as mentioned or the Shimano units - more than capable on the road, even with a 160mm rotor fitted both ends. Would save a bunch of cash over the Hopes.

 

[spence]

There's nothing to fettle on Hopes, fit - correctly - and forget. Others I ride with who use(d) Avids do seem to have to keep fettling to keep them working. Some swapped out for Hopes.

The only others I've used were the original Deores on a couple of HT's, one set up as you describe. Yes very cheap a cheerful but worked. In them days they did not come assembled, don't know about now.

---------------------

I think the LBS just try and sell what they have in at the time as the best since sliced bread. A few years back went in one with every intention on purchasing a pair of XT's but came out with Mono M4's on recommendation after going through the stock room and not being able to put together the Shimanos. Glad I did.

 

[Muddy Ground]

Agree about the LBS - but in this instance they suggested the SLX at £40 cheaper, so seemed genuine. That is unless the SLX were hanging around unsold since last year! My original Hope C2 is still on my Clockwork, and hasn't even been bled in almost 15 years. The older Avids seemed a pain just to change the pads, not sure about the new ones as I've no experience with those.

 

[dan_bo]

In my limited experience of discs (i've tried a few different sets), if they're set up right they're good. Across the board. I'd go with the set that fits your other requirments best.

You can pick up a set of hope C2s (brill-they've got grab point adjust) for next to nowt on ebay.

 

[rusty bearing]

There is a difference between mineral oils and Dot4 or 5.1 so here's where it gets technical

Dot 4 boiling point >260c reducing to >155c when wet. Will readily absorb moisture and damages paintwork.

dot 5.1 boiling point >260c reducing to >180c when wet, properties as before

Mineral oil boiling point >240c fairly constant. Less absorption of water. Less or no damage to paintwork.

Mineral should never be mixed with Dot fluid although 4 and 5.1 can be mixed the result having the properties of dot 4
Dot shelf life from manufacture 3 years
Mineral shelf life 5 years.

So overall I prefer mineral oils.................

Oh my brain hurts now!

 

[MacB]

Ta folks and Rusty, those that know me will recognise just how much I enjoyed your post...that info is now on my spreadsheet

 

[MacB]

With a graph?

could do I suppose, but that might seem a bit anal

 

[rusty bearing]

With a graph?

Annotated in different colour inks as well I trust?

 

[rusty bearing]

There is no need to take the piss.

Sorry not intended....

 

[rusty bearing]

No worries then